Do film critics still have the power to influence filmgoers?

It could once be said that film critics were one of the most powerful figures in the film industry. Their word alone could decide with a good review virtually guaranteeing box office success whilst a poor review resigned a film to obscurity and financial failure. Peeping Tom was universally panned upon its release in 1960 by critics who despised the use of violence, pornography and the sympathetic representation of the villain Mark Lewis.  While it is now considered a classic horror film with a large cult following, at the time of its release the critical exodus not only led to the distributors pulling the film from cinemas, but also destroyed the career of director Michael Powell, an indication of the level of power the critics held in the film industry.

However, things have changed since the 1960’s with marketing and promotion now reining supreme when it comes to persuading viewers to see a film. The voice of the critic has been quietened by the well financed and invasive advertising strategies, in a power shift that has left the impact of a film critic debatable.

In recent times films have been able to post huge financial gains despite receiving little praise from film critics. Alice and Wonderland released earlier this year was able to gross over $1 billion at the box office to become the 6^th highest grossing film of all time. This was all achieved despite the film receiving mixed reviews at best from the film critics who failed to warm to Tim Burton’s post-apocalyptic interpretation of the Lewis Carroll classic.

It is easy to see the impact marketing has on films when considering the ridiculous fan fares generated by blockbuster film series like Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga, and it seems the word of a film critic can no longer put a viewer off going to see a film. The most recent Twilight release managed to break the $600 million mark and the next instalment is sure to at least match that figure especially given to popularity of its male leads Robert Patterson and Taylor Lautner. Perhaps then, the only element needed for a successful film is an attractive lead to reel in viewers too busy fantasising to be engaged in the story and notice its obvious flaws.

And it is not only the successful films that forget the critic’s opinions; Superman Returns was praised as a superman for a modern audience by critics but did not provide sufficient box office returns (apparently $390 million isn’t a lot of money) and has been branded a failure by Warner Bros. proving that financial gain is now the only criteria for a successful film, artistic vision seems to have gone out the window.

But there is one shinning light that pulls film critics back from the depths of insignificance and reminds us of the power they once yielded: the independent film.  Whilst critics may no longer have the power to influence the tent-pole blockbusters that dominate our screens, they still have the ability to pick out the overlooked and shove them into the lime light. Take last year’s surprise sleeper hit The Hurt Locker which not only managed $40 million at box office, despite only being released in 4 US theatres and being up against heavy hitters like Harry Potter 6, but also beat Avatar to the best picture Oscar. This came only a year after Slumdog Millionaire rose from obscurity due largely to the universal praise of the film critic, showing they are not going down without a fight.

Despite this, the film critic is still in decline, and the reason for their ever diminishing power may simple boil down to a loss of prestige. In the past the a film critic was trained in the craft of writing but now the rise of reviewer websites like Rotten Tomatoes allows not just journalists to post reviews but also members of the public who are fans of the film. The fact is, with so many different opinions the real critics cannot be heard, their voice lost in the irrelevant views of part timers making it almost certain that the critics power will be forever forgotten.