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What makes a movie good? Is it the actors? Is it the script? Is it that awesome sequence where the train derails and makes you think that you just lived through the crash?
The answer is...Yes.
The problem with judging a movie is not finding its good parts, the problem is deciding which parts have more influence on the movie as a whole.
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Acting - 30 points
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Lets face it, actors carry a large load in making a good movie. Was he believable as the movie's villain? Was she too quirky to seem like the queen? A good actor can take a good script and make a decent movie. And everyone knows how a bad actor can spoil a gem of a script. But by the same token, a great actor can take a below average script and turn the movie into a classic by the strength of their performance.
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Story - 30 points
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The story in a movie is critical. As with the acting, a story can make or break a movie. If the script is great, bad actors can do little to ruin the effect. But there are some scripts that even Spencer Tracy could not save. Acting and story go hand in hand, and are weighed on equal footing in my reviews.
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Creators - 20 points
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Would Saving Private Ryan be the same epic if anyone but Spielberg directed it? What about Producers? Generally, when you leave the theater, you remember the story and the acting above all. But the directors and producers place a distinct mark on a movie that can also leave its impression on the viewer.
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Impact - 10 points
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What did you think as you walked out of the theatre. Would you see the movie again? Would you buy it? How consistent was it? Did you agree with the message? These are things that usually remain in the subconscious. But ask yourself these questions next time you leave a movie theatre. It will say a lot about the impact the movie had on you.
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Modifiers - +10 points - -20 points
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Have you ever walked out of a movie saying "That movie would have been great...if only they didn't ________"? That would be a modifier. You can see a great movie but it could be marred by a myriad of things that might give it a negative modifier. Likewise, you could see a movie that might not get high marks for the Creators category, but they made the movie on $15,000. You have to give them credit for that...right? Good always outweighs bad so if there are mofiers both ways, the good have more influence than the bad.
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Summary
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As you can see, this method is a bit complicated but I believe it gives a fair balance to different aspects of a movie. But wait...it only adds up to 90 points without modifiers?? That's right. A great movie in my book will rank 90. To get higher than that they have to have done something very special. But I doubt you will see many movies nearing the 100 mark.
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