I'm usually not one to let the opinions of critics make me choose whether or not I like a film. For example, while I do tend to agree with Doug Walker (AKA the Nostalgia Critic) on many of his reviews, when he said The Lion King was highly overrated and Finding Nemo was a masterpiece, I completely disagreed. I think The Lion King is a masterpiece of our time while Finding Nemo is a cheesy overly dark movie that doesn't take the time to let us appreciate the characters or the environment and was instead trying to be too perfect.
My opposition to the critics and fans does not stop there. While I think The Phantom Menace is indeed a bad movie, I think Attack of the Clones is leaps and bounds worse than the first film. While I think the last Harry Potter film was just good, I here people singing praises as though the second coming of Lord of the Rings had just played out. I can even be opposed to some FAN VOTED decisions on this site! While I personally love The Lion King, the calculations and fan approval say that Aladdin is not only superior, but also the best Disney Animated Movie ever made. I can see it, but my heart will always belong to Lion King (although both films were almost too close to call in the last countdown...)
Getting on track, when I saw all of the backlash people were giving The Avengers: Age of Ultron, I was dumbfounded by the amount of people who cited critiquing sites such as Rotten Tomatoes or critics from magazines like Forbes (yeah, because the opinion of the rich white man is ALWAYS the opinion we as Americans should uphold), or film reviewers and critics both online and offline. Why are we as a people allowing others to make us decide between watching a film or not? I, as a critic, give people my honest opinion of a film and whether or not you should watch it, but I'm not holding a gun to your head and demanding that you follow me. Because I am not flawless. I like bad films and I don't like films that are considered masterpieces. I think The Dark Knight is the greatest movie ever made, but you can say it's The Godfather or Citizen Kane or No Country for Old Men, or even something like The Room is.
And that's okay. You want to know why? Because THAT IS YOUR OPINION! But people in America allow critics to dictate their every life decision and movie preferences. And there is literally no critic out there who is flawless. Anyone who says they are is DEAD wrong. Here's a list of films that critics like that are considered by the General Public to be bad and some even horrendous:
Nostalgia Critic: Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Spider-Man 3, X Men: The Last Stand
SimbaKing94: Pearl Harbor, Man of Steel, The Phantom Menace, The Black Cauldron
Nostalgia Chick: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Hercules, Moulin Rouge
Roger Ebert: Revenge of the Sith, way too many to keep listing...
Yet, here are a few well received films that the previously listed critics did not like:
Nostalgia Critic: The Lion King, District 9, Avatar, The Dark Knight Rises, Gladiator, Space Jam
SimbaKing94: Mulan, Finding Nemo, Iron Man 3, Fast and Furious 1-All of Them, Les Miserables
Nostalgia Chick: Anastasia, Song of the South, Transformers 1-4
Roger Ebert: The Land Before Time, Silence of the Lambs, way too many to keep listing
That's right, I even listed myself. I know for a fact I am not perfect.
But none of us had our opinions molded by other people. We all formulated our own opinions and watched these movies from start to finish. We didn't let audiences tell us what was good and what sucked. And look at how many films on these lists were all successful when they first came out! Back in the day, people couldn't give two shits about what critics said since Movie Theaters were more relevant back then.
People really need to stop picking reasons others do for not liking a film. Instead of just flatly saying: "I hate Frozen! It's such an overrated film that teaches little girls nothing they didn't already know!", why don't you elaborate more? You cannot just sit around and scream like a child, all while expecting to be taken seriously. I know that's what people want to see (there are far more people talking about and laughing at critics who lose their tempers and flame out when they're reviewing something or LP'ing somthing), but that's not what makes a good opinion.
I can go into detail as to why I hate a film like Attack of the Clones, yet I can also go into detail about how Frollo is the greatest Disney Villain ever. I am no coward when it comes to internet debates. If I'm proven wrong, I will step aside.
For example, I was watching a video that ranked the 15 Bravest Moments in Disney History, which ranked Mulan taking her father's place in the army as the best over other moments. I strongly disagreed with the ranking, as I stated that Mulan's actions were not taken with regard to her father, but to herself to prove to herself that she was capable of doing something other than screwing up. I also argued that Mulan was only risking her life to protect her father's. There is a big difference between risking and literally giving something away to protect others. Which is why I gave three other examples as braver and stronger (though I can think of four now with thanks to Frozen:
1. Mufasa Rescuing Simba from the Wildebeest Stampede: There was no need for hesitation and doubt, nor was there time to call others for help to rescue the lion cub. Mufasa had a very limited window of time to get to Simba and rescue him. Also, with him being his only son, Mufasa had a serious amount to lose should he have failed. His son would have been killed and he would have been without an heir should anything happen to him. Mufasa has literally NO regard for his own safety and literally fights to his last breaths to keep Simba safe from harm, with disastrous consequences.
2. Pocahontas Protecting John Smith: Not only did Pocahontas dive onto the soon to be executed body of John Smith, but she symbolically shielded both her people and the settlers from the horrors of a war, which would shed blood all over the landscape. She put her own being at risk over an inevitability (Mulan's Dad, being a legend and previous war hero, would more than likely have garnered a behind the scenes job with the Generals and maybe even help train the new recruits (especially considering we see next to no old men are seen in either the training camp or the army). But war between the Settlers and the Natives was almost impossible to avoid had Pocahontas not stood in between her father and the murder of John Smith.
3. Belle Sacrificing her Freedom for her Father: Belle's sacrifice may very well be the biggest out of all of them. Belle literally gives up her ability to make her own choices for a loved one, which may be bigger than a life. She takes the place of her father as the prisoner of the Beast, where for all she knew, was likely to rot and die alone in a prison cell. She did not hesitate, even when seeing the full extent of what her captor looked like. She gave up a chance at a better life so her father could live on. And her bravery, unlike Pocahontas's or Mufasa's is rewarded when she manages to see through the Beast's gruff exterior.
And I got a TON of flak for this. I got people saying I'm sexist and stupid for thinking that Mufasa could not have gotten lionesses to help save Simba (which is BS because Simba could have been trampled in the time it would take for the Pride to come to the Gorge). I was told that it's because Mulan broke traditions and did things no one in China believed acceptable (which is a bit better, but not as big as Pocahontas, who was willing to let her father kill her if it meant he wanted war that much). And I was also told that Mulan was risking being instantly killed if anyone found out she was a woman (which is true, but not the same as literally giving your life so that your son/daughter or even father could live on, as Mufasa and Belle do). And I don't understand why I got it, even when I've stated time and time again that Mulan is the best aspect of their movie because she is not only proactive, but she also is the whole reason good and bad things happen in the plot. But I didn't let them persuade me, because five people said that I was wrong. I stood my ground and was not proven wrong.
In Conclusion: While critical reaction is fairly pertinent when looking at a movie or a TV show, the most important opinion you should take into consideration is YOUR OWN! If you guys like movies I hate, then go right ahead, but at least give an effort to defend it. The same says if I like a film you all hate. If I think something like The Legend of Hercules is a masterpiece (which I don't), you can call me out and I will defend my stance to the best of my abilities.
PLEASE, you guys. Do not make opinions based on whatever internet celebrity says or what your friend from school or the office has to say. Go see the film for yourself. Who knows? You may even be surprised by what you like and what you hate...just don't expect us to be the voices of reason in your lives. Speak out, people, or else you'll live your whole life taking orders instead of giving them...
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