It’s strange watching what has happened to film criticism, but honestly, we allowed it to happen.
Studios allowed the fate of movies to be reduced to a Fresh or Rotten score while, at the same time, opening the door for virtually anyone to enter the space without any real standards or requirements. Today, anyone can wake up and decide they want to be a film critic, and I believe that has fundamentally changed the industry.
I also strongly believe that while critics can absolutely be fans, they still have a responsibility to be critical, even of filmmakers, actors, and franchises they love. The job is not to blindly support everything from people you admire. It’s to evaluate the work honestly.
A good critic should be able to say when something doesn’t work, explain why it doesn’t work, and back up that opinion with thoughtful analysis. If you can’t be honest about a bad film because you like the people involved, then you’re acting more as a fan than a critic.