HowtoCritiqueaMovie: Ashortguideforamateurfilmcritics

MeganS.Conklin December31,2004 1. Introduction Watchingmoviesisfun,butcritiquingmoviesisamorecomplexendeavor.Whatfilm elementsdoprofessionalcriticsactuallyanalyze,andhowcananamateurfilmbuffget startedcritiquingcontemporarycinema?Thisessaydiscussessomeofthekey characteristicsofnontechnicalfilmcriticism:thethematic,dramatic(storytelling),and stylisticaspectsofthemovie,andhowtoanalyzethem.(Technicalelementssuchas lighting,sound,andothercameraoreditingqualitiesarenotdiscussed.)Thescience fictionfilmMinorityReportisusedineachsectionasanexample. 2. AnalyzingtheTheme Thethemeofafilmcansometimesbediscoveredbyasking"whatwasthecentralpoint thedirectorwastryingtomakewiththisfilm?"Whatwasthecentralgoalofthefilm? BoggsandPetrie[1]listseveralpossiblegoalsofamovie,includingprovidingpure entertainment,providingacharactersketchofafascinatingpersonality,orincreasingthe viewer'sawarenessofaparticularsocialproblem.Theyask,"whatisthemovieaboutin abstractterms?"andtheymakethefollowingsuggestionfordeterminingthetheme: Frequently,justdescribingthemovietosomeonewhohasnotseenitwillprovide animportantcluetothetheme,becausewetendtodescribefirstthethingsthat madethestrongestimpressiononus.(p.30) Therealsomaybeadditionalsupporting,orminor,themesfoundinthemovie.Ifthese arenotsubstantiveenoughtobeconsideredafulltheme,theymaybecalledmotifs.A motifisanideaorsymbolwhichisrepeatedthroughoutthemoviebutdoesnotconstitute afullthemeofthemovie. Asanexample,considerthemovieMinorityReport,basedonashortstorybyPhilipK. DickanddirectedbyStevenSpielberg[3].Thecentralquestioninthisfilmseemstobe "Isitmorallyacceptableforagovernmenttosavenumerouslivesandpreventcrime usinganewtechnologythathasbeenshowntobeoccasionallyfallibleandpresents violationsofbasichumanrights?"Themoviethusexploresthemessuchasexcessive governmentcontrolofindividuals,andconflictsbetweenindividualrightsandgroup safety.Motifsseenthroughoutthemovieincludepervasiveandpersonalizedadvertising, identityrecognitionandvalidationtechnologies,andvarioussymbols(eyes,glasses)

representingomniscientorallseeingbeings. 3. AnalyzingtheStory Analyzingthestoryisoftenmucheasierthananalyzingthethemeofafilm.Astoryis presentedinfilmthroughtheplot(simple,complex,timeless,believable),thecharacters (appearance,dialogue,interplaybetweencharacters,actions,names),andsymbolic elements. 3.1Plot Usuallytheplotisoneoftheeasiestthingsaboutamovietodescribe.Ratherthanjust rehashingastoryline,however,acriticwillinvestigatespecificelementsoftheplotand whethertheyworktomakethemoviebetter.Examplesofsuchplotdevicesincludethe waytimeishandledinthemovie(linear,nonlinear)orhowtheimportantscenesof climaxanddenouement(ending)arerevealed.Anotherinterestingaspectofplotisits senseofbelievability:doestheplottellauniversaltruth(theworldasitis),aninternal truthabouthumannature,orafantasticversionoftruth"asitneverwillbe"[1]?No matterwhetherthestoryisabiography,oraheartwarmingromanticcomedy,orthe latestfilmadaptationofachildren'sfantasynovel,themoviemustbebelievableorat leastallowtheviewertosuspenddisbeliefinordertoenjoythemovie. ConsidertheexamplefilmMinorityReport,whichissetinthenearfuture,in WashingtonD.C.2042.Inthismovie,therearenumerousscenesincludingthephysical landmarksofthecitythataviewerwillrecognize(monuments,Metrorail,publicspaces), aswellasnewphysicalfeatures(verticalroads)thatdonotexisttoday.Themoviealso presentsa"futurevision"ofcontemporarysocialproblems(crime,drugs)thathave escalatedovertime.Thatcrimehasescalatedandthatnewdesignerdrugsareavailablein 2042arenotunbelievabletoapresentdayviewer. 3.2Characters Thewaycharactersarepresentedinamovieisessentialtotheanalysisofthestory.A viewerlearnsaboutcharactersprimarilythroughtheappearanceanddialogueofthe character,andthroughcharacterinteractionsinthemovie.Clothing,hair,mannerisms, accent,andspeechpatternscanbeimmediatecuestotheaudienceforhowacharacteris tobeinterpreted. Maincharacterscanalsobecategorizedintoprotagonistsandantagonists;goodguysand badguys.Complexcharacterizationsof"sympatheticbadguys"or"goodguyswhodo badthings"areinterestingandcanmakeformoreinterestingviewing[2].Charactersare oftendescribedinotherdimensions,suchasround(complex)orflat,mythic(underdogs, messiahs),orintermsoftheirrelationshipstoothercharacters("thefemaleloveinterest", "thebuddymovie",etc).Othertypesofcharactersincludethestockcharacterand

stereotype.Stockcharactersarethosewithverysimplerolesthatdonotrequirecharacter development(taxidriver,bartender).Likewise,stereotypicalcharacterscanberelied upontobehaveinaneasilyunderstoodway,thoughtheymayhavemoredialoguethana stockcharacter.Stereotypicalcharactersmovetheplotalong,withoutthewritershaving tospendalotoftimeoncharacterdevelopment.Criticsareoftenunimpressedwhena maincharacteremergesasastereotype. InMinorityReport,themaincharacterThomasA.Andersonisbelievableasacitypolice detectiveintheDepartmentofPreCrime.Itishisjobtoorganizethearrestsofpeople whowereabouttocommitcrimes.Becausethecharacterismadeimmediatelylikable, theviewerisinitiallymadetosympathizewiththemissionofthedepartment.Astheplot revealsthattheprotagonistismuchmorecomplexthaninitiallypresented(i.e.theviewer isshownhisdepressinghomelife,hisnightmarishmemoriesofhisyoungson'sdeath, andhisdrugproblem),theDepartmentofPreCrimesimilarlybecomesmorenuanced andtheissuessurroundingthearrestsmorecomplex. 3.3Symbolism Afilmcanusesymbolismtoreinforceitsthemeortoadddepthtothestory.Symbolscan berepeatedforemphasisorcanbemetaphoric,insuchawaythattheirvalueinthestory exceedsthevaluenormallyrepresentedbythatobject[1].Anobjectcanalsobegiven specificvaluebyacharacterinordertoincreaseitsworthtotheviewer.Critical acceptanceofsymbolisminfilmwilloftendependonwhetherthesymbolisnewand originalorwhetheritisaclich[1].Whethersomefilmelementhassymbolicmeaning canalsobeoveranalyzedbyviewers,socareshouldbetakennottomisconstrue everythingintoasymbolwithdeepermeaning[2]. InMinorityReport,thethemeofgovernmentcontrolofindividualsisreinforcedby repeatedreferencetoeyes.Thevieweristreatedtoobviousandintrusiveshotsof eyeballs,eyesight,glasses,opticalscanning,eyesurgeryandamadeyedoctor.Oneof thesynonymsforunjustifiedgovernmentcontrolincontemporarystorytellingisthe notionthat"BigBrotheriswatchingyou"fromGeorgeOrwell'snovel1984.Thesymbol oftheeyecanthusreferbothtothecharacter'sownblindnessaboutwhatishappeningto himinthestoryandhisownroleinthedownfalloftheDepartmentofPreCrime,aswell asthemoreobviousmetaphorofgovernmentcontrolofindividualsthattheDepartment ofPreCrimerepresents. 4. AnalyzingtheGenre Thegenreofafilmcanbeveryimportantinacriticalanalysisofafilm.Ifamovieisa "gangstermovie"ora"western",thatgenreclassificationbringswithitanimmediate recognitionofcertainacceptedtruthsaboutthemovie.Thegenrefilmcanbeasuccess eitherbyfollowingtheseconventionsorbybreakingthem.Aswithsymbolsand metaphors,agenrefilmthatreliesheavilyonclichesanddoesnotofferanythingnew

willbeunsatisfyingtothecritic. Somefilmscannotbedescribedasbelongingsolelytooneparticulargenre.Manyofthe filmsinthesciencefictiongenre,forinstance,havemajorcinematicelementsborrowed fromothergenres:thecharactersandtoneofBladeRunnerareheavilybasedonthe 1940sfilmnoirgenre;Gattacaisafuturisticbiothrillerwithasetreminiscentofa1930s romance;StarWarsisasortofscifiversionofaclassicwestern,completewithsaloon scenesandspacecowboys. MinorityReportisasciencefictionfilm,becauseitissetinthefutureanddealswiththe ethicsofatechnologicalprobleminsociety.Assuch,italsoexhibitsanotheraspect commontosciencefictionfilms:theabilitytocauseviewerstoquestionand"catalogue ourculture'smajoranxieties"[4],whichitdoesbypresentingasociety'sblind(metaphor) acceptanceoftechnologyandresultinglossofhumanrightsatthehandofgovernment. MinorityReportalsoinheritscertainotheraspectsofthesciencefictiongenre,including anexpectationthattheaudiencewillsuspenddisbeliefaboutthepaceoftechnological change,andtheintentionalinclusionof"geewhiz"technologiesspecificallytogeta reactionfromtheaudience.Themovieissuccessfulinthisgenrebecauseitpresentsa believableandscientificpictureoflifein2042. 5. ConcludingRemarks Thisessaypresentsthreenontechnicalelementsoffilmthatcanbeanalyzedbyaviewer newtomoviecriticism:theme,story,andgenre.Themesdescribetheoverarchinggoals orbigpicturequestionsthatamovieattemptstoanswer.Thestoryofamovieis comprisedofdramaticelementssuchasplot,characters,andsymbolism.Thegenreofa movieisadescriptorofhowthemovierelatestoothermovieslikeitselfwhatdoesthis moviehaveincommonwithothermovies,andwhatdoesittakefromothergenres?The newcriticwillbeabletousethesedescriptionsandtheexample(MinorityReport)to makecarefulcritiquesofothermovies. 6. References [1]Boggs,J.andD.W.Petrie.(2004).TheArtofWatchingFilms,6thEd.McGrawHill: Boston. [2]Piper,J.(2001).GetthePicture?TheMovieLover'sGuidetoWatchingFilms. AllworthPress:NewYork. [3]Spielberg,S.(Producer).(2002).MinorityReport[MotionPicture].Twentieth CenturyFoxFilmCorp. [4]Telotte,J.P.(1995).Replications:ARoboticHistoryoftheScienceFictionFilm. UniversityofIllinoisPress:Urbana,Illinois.