By Amanda Figueroa

What makes a film worthy of going to see? Do you base your perception on who is starring in it? Whether the previews intrigue you? Do you base your choices on what movie critics say? If you do, should you?

Movie critics evaluate and rate movies and share their critiques in print and broadcast media. Critics have been known to be very harsh when it comes to critiquing films. For instance, the 2017 film Daddy’s Home 2, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg received a 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, and according to a critic from the New York Times, is “…a toxic, not-at-all benign film made for the enjoyment of everyone still oblivious to the fact that this kind of worldview is crashing down in flames even as we speak.” Harsh, right? Why would anyone want to see a movie that has been deemed terrible?

As it turns out, Daddy’s Home 2 was second in the box office behind only Thor: Ragnarok during its opening weekend. For a movie that had terrible reviews, it did very well in the box office.

If a movie had terrible reviews, what would make people want to watch it? Is it the genre? Is it the actors starring in the film? Perhaps, it is because people wish to make their own minds up.

I know a few people who refuse to watch a film simply because movie critics deemed it unwatchable. However, I believe that everybody has their own point of view on films. What one person thinks is trash, another may think it gold. In order to get to that conclusion, one must make the choice his or herself.

One cannot rely solely on what the critics say when watching a film. Rely on what you like, and on what you consider a good film.