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Since everyone can see what movies we have watched, it is sometimes natural to think whether our favorite films fit the “cinephile standard” shaped by film culture. There may be some people who feel insecure when they have just logged cartoons like Bee Movie or low-rated films like The Kissing Booth, and then see their friend writing a review of an Oscar-winning film like One Battle After Another. This is what distinguishes high culture from low culture. Certain movies are often treated as more prestigious, while mainstream films are commonly associated with popular culture rather than intellectual. In movies, Hollywood films and TV thrillers are often considered popular culture rather than high culture. Film culture also creates its own hierarchy through canon formation, where some movies are seen as more important and worthy of attention than others. This is influenced by critics, festivals, and awards that shape which movies are considered “serious cinema” and which are seen as only mainstream entertainment.
However, movie reviews should still be genuine because they represent our honest reactions and personal experiences after watching a film. It does not matter if the reviews we make are shallow, out of context, or as short as just one adjective. It will not change the feelings we felt while watching the movie. An honest review shows how we enjoy the film or yawn throughout it and cannot wait for it to be over. Unfortunately, since Letterboxd has become a social media platform, users have started to become conscious of the reviews they write. Is this critical enough for people to see me as someone who admires movies? Am I being too subjective? Will I be able to influence people to watch this movie? Those thoughts make the movie-reviewing activity harder than it should be. As crazy as it sounds, the writer once found a Letterboxd review written by AI. Why do you have to go the extra mile for writing movie reviews? Writing reviews should be easy and fun as you pour your after-watch thoughts into them. It is not like you should not do any further review after watching a movie, but you should know that even one-line reviews are as good as those written by movie experts.
After realizing that all films are just the same, and that how good or bad they are is influenced by many factors, including movie critics, you should feel relieved and not need to think too hard about choosing what movie to watch this afternoon. You do not need to understand the plot of Tenet by Christopher Nolan if what you like are rib-tickling rom-coms like She’s The Man. You do not need to ask AI whether your choice of words is good enough to be put into reviews on Letterboxd. Watch movies you like, and write the reviews just like how you enjoyed them.
References:
Stein, D., & Werber, N. (2023). Reassessing the Gap: Transformations of the High/Low Difference. Arts, 12(5), 199. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12050199
Stelmach, M. (2025). Canonization/Quantification: Film Canon as an Empirical Matter. Eastern European Screen Studies, 16(1), 136–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/2040350X.2024.2430798
Journalist: Aurania Adhyaksa
Editor: Aissah Nindy Putri Krisdianto
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