Influential movie critics and their lasting mark on cinema
For more than a century, written and broadcast commentary about films has shaped what audiences choose to watch, how studios market their releases, and even the direction of cinema itself. A single review can revive a forgotten independent feature, dent the opening weekend of a costly blockbuster, or push a small film toward awards-season recognition. In a country like Australia, where local productions sit alongside Hollywood heavyweights and a strong appetite for international cinema, critics often decide whether a particular title finds its way into suburban cinemas in Parramatta, Hobart, or suburban Perth.
The relationship between reviewers and the industry has never been static. It began in trade publications and daily broadsheets, expanded through television platforms, exploded across the internet, and now plays out across podcasts, YouTube channels, and social feeds. Understanding the figures who shaped this arc helps explain why film culture looks the way it does in 2025, from the way animated films are promoted to how streaming algorithms treat critical consensus.
Early voices who defined film journalism
Film criticism took shape almost as soon as moving pictures became a public pastime. In the silent era, writers for newspapers and trade magazines offered readers guidance about which shorts and features were worth the price of admission. As the studio system matured in the 1930s and 1940s, critics grew into something resembling cultural tastemakers, with their verdicts influencing everything from Academy campaigns to the marketing of musicals and westerns.
Across the Pacific, Australia developed its own parallel tradition. Sydney publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald ran daily film columns, while Melbourne's The Age carried reviews read across Victoria. Local critics often championed homegrown productions and helped build audiences for early Australian features. Their work laid the foundation for later figures who would carry criticism into broadcasting.
Critics who shaped Hollywood's golden age
The mid-twentieth century produced the names most film lovers still recognise. Pauline Kael, who ran The New Yorker's film desk for decades, became famous for her sharp, personal prose and her willingness to challenge studio hype. Across town, New York Times critic Bosley Crowther set a more institutional tone during a forty-year tenure that helped legitimise cinema as an art worthy of serious attention.
In Australia, critics such as the Sydney Morning Herald's long-time film writer and Melbourne reviewers working for The Age helped readers navigate Hollywood's golden age while keeping local productions in the conversation. The country's classification system, later refined into the Australian Classification Board categories familiar today (G, PG, M, MA15+, R18+), relied heavily on the language and framing that journalists had already established. Critics effectively explained to families why a particular film deserved a Friday-night trip to the local cinema in Brisbane or Adelaide.
Television critics and the public conversation
The arrival of television changed criticism from something readers encountered in print to something families watched together. In the United States, the pairing of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert turned thumbs-up and thumbs-down into a national ritual. Their accessible, often argumentative style made reviewing a form of entertainment in its own right.
Australia produced its own beloved television critics. Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton hosted At The Movies on SBS for nearly three decades, becoming fixtures in Australian living rooms. Their on-screen chemistry and willingness to disagree gave Australian viewers a local equivalent of the American model, and their reviews helped steer audiences toward films they might otherwise have missed. Critics like Margaret and David also helped legitimise smaller arthouse releases at festivals including MIFF, the Melbourne International Film Festival, which remains one of the oldest film events in the Southern Hemisphere.
| Critic | Era | Medium | Signature contribution | Australian link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pauline Kael | 1953–1991 | Print (The New Yorker) | Personal, argumentative prose that reshaped American criticism | Influenced Australian readers who imported US cinema culture |
| Bosley Crowther | 1940–1967 | Print (The New York Times) | Institutional authority over a generation of releases | Set the standard for long-form reviews that Australian broadsheets followed |
| Siskel & Ebert | 1975–1999 | Television syndication | Brought criticism to prime-time families | Inspired the model later adopted by Australian TV reviewers |
| Margaret Pomeranz & David Stratton | 1986–2014 | Television (SBS At The Movies) | Made disagreement entertaining for general audiences | Direct local connection through SBS, MIFF, and Australian film launches |
Digital era critics and the rise of online voices
The internet dismantled the gatekeeping power that print critics once held. Aggregator sites, audience scores, and individual bloggers began publishing reviews the moment embargoes lifted, sometimes hours before a newspaper review could hit the streets. Audiences in suburban Sydney or Perth can read a critic's verdict on their phone while still in the cinema foyer.
This shift produced a more diverse critical landscape. Long-form blogs, podcasts, and YouTube essayists now compete with traditional outlets. Critics such as Mark Kermode in the UK found global followings through video, while Australian writers publish newsletters and Substack columns read across the country. Online platforms also changed how viewers find niche genres, and curated pages that let audiences browse animation titles now rely on reviewers as much as algorithms to shape which features get promoted across specialty categories.
Streaming era critics and curatorial influence
Streaming has rewritten the rules once more. With thousands of titles available at any moment, viewers rely more heavily on recommendation lists, curated collections, and the aggregated wisdom of trusted reviewers. Critics still matter, but their influence now runs through algorithm-friendly language, social sharing, and inclusion in editorial lists on streaming platforms and free streaming hubs.
In Australia, where household streaming subscriptions continue to climb and the local market embraces both Hollywood and a growing slate of Australian features, critics help determine which titles rise above the noise. They shape coverage of local festivals in Sydney and Canberra, advise on cultural conversations regarding representation, and influence which films get promoted to wider audiences. The next wave of influential reviewers will likely come from podcasts, short-form video, and AI-assisted curation, but the underlying role remains unchanged: telling readers, viewers, and families whether a film is worth their evening.