One sometimes wonders what makes some movies better than others. There can be multiple reasons behind this simple question.

The Utensils & Tools of a Piece:

Like painters, a movie director’s art takes time to produce; their artistic creation can’t come to life with just one stroke of a brush. A true piece of work takes time, reflection, and quite a bit of effort. Personally, I find it easy to spot a lousy movie. Sometimes a director chooses actors who just can’t connect to the audience. Or maybe he or she loses interest, goes over budget, or production takes too much time, and they have to race to the finish line regardless of the result. There are so many factors to making a movie; like how a painter uses various types of brushes to achieve a particular effect; some short, some thin, fat, or with fanned bristles. An artist carefully considers which brush to use, and which shade of a color best achieves what she or he is trying to portray. Making decisions, deciding on which canvas to paint the masterpiece on, etc., it’s all significant to the overall outcome.

The Details:

Often it’s not the overall story, but the small details in a work of art that I appreciate the most. The details are what make a piece unique. They reveal the hidden message, or clarify the work itself. Nothing is a coincidence when it comes to a movie. Every small aspect is placed there for a reason. Whether it comes down to a frog leaping across a small driveway or the main character’s carefully crafted outfit and hairstyle, it’s all been meticulously planned and presented that way for a reason, perhaps to create a certain feel, or sense of time or place.

The director wants to create a world that you can comfortably accept whether it’s a futuristic environment, or an ancient Jurassic world, without skepticism and certainly without recognizing the hard work that went into creating the atmosphere. Looking back on the recent Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, it opens with a group of storm troopers in a ship waiting to land. The light is flickering, reflecting off of the soldiers’ shiny armor and their polished masks as they all stand united and straight. These dramatic yet subtle details reel the audience in as they wait for what will happen next. Once the storm troopers have landed, they endeavor on a bloody massacre. One of the main characters, later revealed in the film as Finn, stands before a dying victim.

The hand of this victim, covered in blood, is smeared across Finn’s mask. This bloody hand print on Finn’s mask may seem like a simple action to most people, but if you look closer, it may reveal an alternative meaning. Personally, this marks the beginning of the end for the story, something dramatic and serious, emphasizing how Finn has become involved in something from which he can’t return. This scene is also significant to Finn’s character development throughout the movie. Little details like these can significantly impact the movie overall as a whole, whether it’s the actors and actresses playing a certain role, the lighting of a set, the outfits that some of the characters are dressed in, they all play a role in the overall outcome.

Make Me Care:

When I say this I simply mean, make me care. I watch plenty of movies and think, “That was entertaining,” but I won’t have taken something away from it that was meaningful. Relatable characters make it easy for one to feel sympathy for him/her. You may have been in similar shoes, or understand what the character feels to a certain extent. That relatable connection is truly significant, especially when something occurs to that character. To be able to make the audience feel something for a character is a powerful talent. The director can put the audience on an emotional roller coaster and then let them tread for a few moments to catch their breath. This will make the audience feel invested in the piece, anxious to learn what happens next. Even if the movie is one that takes place in an impossible place, like space explorers in a far off galaxy, the actors may have relatable problems and emotions. Present a motif, something the audience can take away from the movie that can even be applied in everyday life.

Movies are art, just like paintings. Each one reflects the director’s unique vision and perspective. At the end of the day it’s up to critics like you and me to look for the flaws, but also for the good in each one. We owe it to the directors to give each movie a fair shot. Next time you walk into a movie theater, grab a water and some popcorn; don’t just let the movie past by you in an hour and a half. Really examine the movie like you’re almost testing it in a way to see if it qualifies as an exceptionally good movie. Look at the details, try to put yourself in the shoes of a certain character, try to find a motif if there is one. People spend an immense amount of time gathering the right tools and people to create a film. Watch it closely, for movies are a piece of art and deserve the chance to be viewed and understood.