Following the growth of Geek Pride and the great mix of followers the inevitable mix of conflicting opinions is going to happen. This isn’t really geeky, but I would like to write to you about our opinions and feelings (no hippy stuff, I promise).
Now personal opinion and freedom of speech is the cornerstone of most civilised societies; however, the one thing to cause more arguments than almost anything else, is an opinion. Below are my opinions, some you may agree with and some you may not (we will all agree later on, just you wait… can you spot it?) No doubt like the rest of this article, you will form an opinion yourself, I hope you do and you comment on it, but, and this is a big but, we should respect each other’s ‘opinions’ and not shout another down.
Many reviews out there are well written and many are not, but what a review needs to be is honest and about the subject’s quality and content. A review should be partly impartial to the reviewer’s feelings; giving the good and the bad, and contrasting the two. Your personal feelings and tastes are then added to give the review flavour and style; however, they should be clearly identifiable to the reader. Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean everybody else will agree.
What gets me are so called reviewers and critics who state “I don’t like”, for example, shoot ’em ups and so give every shoot ’em up a bad review. Or a fan of RomCom’s slates horror movies they are made to watch because “it’s not my thing”; that’s not a review that’s a personal opinion and you are not helping the reader make an informed choice. Hell, I cannot stand Sex in the City; however, I can give you a review on an episode I’ve seen (ok a few, there’s nothing on television at 2am and if it comes on and I can’t be bothered to turn over.. Okay?). I can tell you why its popular, how it rates to it’s genre (yes I’ve seen other pap chick television shows as well, forgive me) and I can also say in my personal opinion I’d never watch it if it can be helped, but having watched the second movie (yes there was a second, and yes I have watched it) I can say hand on heart… it was PAP with a capital P. A. P. It was a clear money-spinner with actresses who didn’t like each other and writers that had no more to write after tying up the story lines in the first movie. Personally I don’t like it, but I can honestly say with reasonable, impartial accuracy, that it was a money-spinner etc. with little to offer beyond what the first gave us.
Yes I watched both… but I also watched the first two Harry Potter films (and parts of some of the other or others, I honestly don’t know). I have also watched the first Twilight film, this was because people I worked with (mostly the women I worked with) said I couldn’t slate what I have not watched because it’s ‘not my thing’. Well I watched Twilight and I will never get that part of my life back, but I am now full qualified to slate it to kingdom come. Poor script, poor acting (calling it acting is an insult to acting) and a mockery on what a vampire is. Yes there was personal opinion there but I gave a review of the acting to my colleagues, can you honestly say Kirsten Stewart will win a best actress Oscar? They were basing there opinion on the love of their favourite books becoming films, but to review it, you’d have to agree there is wooden acting. Okay… moving on, any kudos I had I have just lost with the SATC admissions…
When reviewing I could destroy some of my favourite games and on the other hand, I could heap so much praise on a game I despise, it could win game of the year (if they listened to me). No game/film etc. is perfect and we will always have those moments when we think, “why have they done that”. But that’s not what a review is for. It’s taking that balanced opinion and then adding a bit of yourself. If I said something was so great and wonderful and ignored the obvious, however minor the problems, just because it’s my thing, you’d soon stop listening. But at the end of the day, if you enjoy it, just enjoy it, no matter the review.
When I write, I give some personal feelings and opinions, that’s why you read my reviews and not someone else’s (you do? I feel cheated on). Though I must point out that I do try and make my reviews impartial, but there is always that 10-15% biases that comes in some times even more, I’m are only human… for now. Look at my review of Disney’s John Carter… Some good, some bad. I personally liked it, but I can see why others wouldn’t, and that’s what I wrote. But please don’t attack someone for his or her review or opinion, it would be a boring world if we all thought the same. Just give them your opinion and your reasons why. You are welcome to rib someone for an opinion but always respect them.
Peace, love and all that jazz.
Oh the part we all agreed on? Kirsten Stewarts acting obviously!
