Everyone is guilty of it. Cozy in a home theater seat, it’s so easy to drift off while watching a movie. It’s also easy to just consume movies without thinking about it. Films are as much of an art form as books or paintings. Just like people have to put in some effort to form good literary or art critiques it also requires a bit of effort and study to be able to critique a movie. However, once someone has learned how, it fundamentally enriches the experience of sitting in dark theater.
Watch a Film At Least Once Without Distractions
It’s hard to devote two or more hours to anything. Phones buzz, friends want to talk, the dog wants to go outside, and these are just some of the distractions that can come up. Sometimes people want information about the movie they are watching, and end up searching up facts to find out if the film was based on a true story or how they recognize the actor playing the priest. All of these actions mean missing things happening up on the screen. Most movie makers realize that they are competing for the attention of an audience and try to work around that. However, being distracted still means missing beautifully composed shots and carefully hidden clues. Stay in your seat and pay attention to the movie.
Watch Movies More Than Once
After watching a movie while giving it undivided attention, the next step in learning how to analyze a movie is to watch it over and over again. It’s not necessary to give it rapt attention after the first time. In fact, watching a film in different ways helps a person learn to focus on different things. Watching a movie on mute lets the imagery and camera work of the film become the focus. Having a movie on while doing other things sometimes lets the mind make new connections. It’s also okay to do some research while watching a subsequent time in order to appreciate the costuming or locations used in the film.
How Does the Theme Intersect With the Plot?
Some basic themes show up in film after film and aren’t contained in any one genre. For example, the love of family drives films as diverse as The Godfather and The Family Stone. Films that go directly to streaming are just as likely to have themes as the highest-brow art house flicks. However, some filmmakers are better at subtly entwining themes with plot than others. Sometimes the theme is wielded like a hammer used to beat against the audience’s heads. Sometimes a filmmaker takes a classic theme and story and updates it in fresh ways, and sometimes it just comes off as an uninspired re-read. After all, both The Godfather and Lion King have elements and themes of Hamlet at the core of their plots!
Why Is the Film Enjoyable (Or Not!)?
It doesn’t take a trained critical eye to know if a film was enjoyable or not. People often assume they enjoy good movies and dislike bad ones. That’s not necessarily true! Sometimes a clumsily made movie is still enjoyable, while a real work of art is more challenging to watch. It’s important to move critique beyond a simple, “I liked it!” to understand the building blocks of a successful film and be able to identify why a film isn’t good. For example, the script might have been promising but the leads were badly miscast. Or perhaps the actors were all charming, but the movie was a disjointed mess.
Light, Sound, and Production Values
Some movies transport the entire theater into another world. The costuming, set design, locations, lighting, and cinematography all work together to create a specific time and place that’s a delight to look at. Even the music works to help support the plot and characterization. Other movies aren’t as successful. There are few things more jarring than a movie set in the 19th century where the leading lady has a Valley Girl accent. Music can reach soaring heights at the wrong moment and ruin the building dramatic tension. Learning to watch for and appreciate these parts of filmmaking is vital to being able to analyze a movie.
Look at an Entire Body of Work
One way to learn how to more deeply watch a movie is to enjoy someone’s entire body of work. For example, following Martin Scorsese’s directing career from 1974’s, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore to 2019’s, The Irishman. Watch how the same themes pop up or how the director uses locations and costuming to support their visions. It’s also possible to do this with actors and writers. How have different directors filmed Shakespeare? How do actors fare in different films? These are great ways to build critical thinking skills when it comes to movie watching.
Remember that All Criticism Is Subjective
Even professional film critics disagree about movies. After all, how many fights have broken out in entertainment journalism over Best Picture winners? Do two famous critics disagree about a film? Watch it, and try to understand both of their views while still doing a unique analysis. People bring their own life experiences and personal taste to watching movies. Marvel movies aren’t bad just because they are based on comic books, and dramas aren’t necessarily superior to romantic comedies! The most important thing about movie watching is enjoying the entire experience.
