Chief Rum
05-28-2007, 04:12 PM
I read a couple things in the Last Movie You Watched thread that made me think there might be a checklist we could put together on how to judge a movie.
Doug5894 (or whatever) said if he wanted to see the movie again, it was higher than in 8. JIMG said it didn't feel as long as it was. I think those are two strong indications of how good a movie is. It still comes down to the subjectivity of each individual, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.
So some questions I might ask myself after watching a movie:
Do I want to see it again...immediately?
Will I want to see it again eventually (let's say within a year or two)?
Did it seem as long as it was (or did it seem longer than it was)?
Did I see anything I didn't expect to see?
Was I surprised by any twists? Positive or negative?
Did it make me cry or get emotional?
Did I really, really want the bad guys to lose or the good guys to win?
Did I know who the bad guys and good guys were?
Was I riveted to the screen the whole time, or were there times I was saying "get on with it and go to the next scene"?
Did I see anything I never thought I would see in a movie?
Was anything the best of something I have seen that year? Ever? In that genre?
For instance, I saw Pirates last night. Let me put it through the above. I will enclose it all in a spoiler tag.
Do I want to see it again...immediately?
No.
Will I want to see it again eventually (let's say within a year or two)?
Yes.
Did it seem as long as it was (or did it seem longer than it was)?
It seemed shorter than it was.
Did I see anything I didn't expect to see?
Not really.
Was I surprised by any twists? Positive or negative?
Truly surprised? No. Saw it coming. Not really. I had one flight of fancy that I thought would have been cool if they did it, but I don't hold it against the filmmakers for not doing it. Spoiler desired: Bootstrap kills Davy Jones' heart and becomes captain of the Flying Dutchman, allowing Will and Elizabeth to be together.
Did it make me cry or get emotional?
No.
Did I really, really want the bad guys to lose or the good guys to win?
I did want the good guys to win, but other than Elizabeth and Will on the side of good and Beckett on the side of bad, it was hard to tell who was on what side.
Did I know who the bad guys and good guys were?
See previous question. I like a little ambiguity, but thought there might have been too muich ambiguity with some of the characters, particularly Jack Sparrow, Calypso and Davy Jones.
Was I riveted to the screen the whole time, or were there times I was saying "get on with it and go to the next scene"?
There was a couple times I had this, but it was rare. I would say less rare than in most movies
Did I see anything I never thought I would see in a movie?
Well, two tall ships fighting in a maelstrom was new, and well done I thought. Actually, the whole trip to the world's end was cool, too. And the pirate city of Shipwreck Cove, along with Singapore, both looked neat.
Was anything the best of something I have seen that year? Ever? In that genre?
It's already not the best of what I have seen this year, making the first two questions moot. Several Pirate movies are better, including the first one, so it doesn't qualify there either. Still, this is a high standard to expect anything to meet.
Doug5894 (or whatever) said if he wanted to see the movie again, it was higher than in 8. JIMG said it didn't feel as long as it was. I think those are two strong indications of how good a movie is. It still comes down to the subjectivity of each individual, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.
So some questions I might ask myself after watching a movie:
Do I want to see it again...immediately?
Will I want to see it again eventually (let's say within a year or two)?
Did it seem as long as it was (or did it seem longer than it was)?
Did I see anything I didn't expect to see?
Was I surprised by any twists? Positive or negative?
Did it make me cry or get emotional?
Did I really, really want the bad guys to lose or the good guys to win?
Did I know who the bad guys and good guys were?
Was I riveted to the screen the whole time, or were there times I was saying "get on with it and go to the next scene"?
Did I see anything I never thought I would see in a movie?
Was anything the best of something I have seen that year? Ever? In that genre?
For instance, I saw Pirates last night. Let me put it through the above. I will enclose it all in a spoiler tag.
Do I want to see it again...immediately?
No.
Will I want to see it again eventually (let's say within a year or two)?
Yes.
Did it seem as long as it was (or did it seem longer than it was)?
It seemed shorter than it was.
Did I see anything I didn't expect to see?
Not really.
Was I surprised by any twists? Positive or negative?
Truly surprised? No. Saw it coming. Not really. I had one flight of fancy that I thought would have been cool if they did it, but I don't hold it against the filmmakers for not doing it. Spoiler desired: Bootstrap kills Davy Jones' heart and becomes captain of the Flying Dutchman, allowing Will and Elizabeth to be together.
Did it make me cry or get emotional?
No.
Did I really, really want the bad guys to lose or the good guys to win?
I did want the good guys to win, but other than Elizabeth and Will on the side of good and Beckett on the side of bad, it was hard to tell who was on what side.
Did I know who the bad guys and good guys were?
See previous question. I like a little ambiguity, but thought there might have been too muich ambiguity with some of the characters, particularly Jack Sparrow, Calypso and Davy Jones.
Was I riveted to the screen the whole time, or were there times I was saying "get on with it and go to the next scene"?
There was a couple times I had this, but it was rare. I would say less rare than in most movies
Did I see anything I never thought I would see in a movie?
Well, two tall ships fighting in a maelstrom was new, and well done I thought. Actually, the whole trip to the world's end was cool, too. And the pirate city of Shipwreck Cove, along with Singapore, both looked neat.
Was anything the best of something I have seen that year? Ever? In that genre?
It's already not the best of what I have seen this year, making the first two questions moot. Several Pirate movies are better, including the first one, so it doesn't qualify there either. Still, this is a high standard to expect anything to meet.