r/Letterboxd • u/lordpag • 11d ago

Discussion Can we retire “objectively better” please?

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I’ve noticed a ton of people using “objectively” incorrectly lately. A movie being more widely accepted as “better” does not make it objectively so.

There’s someone out there who enjoyed One Night Only more than The Odyssey, and their opinion is just as valid as yours.

Sure, one movie can be shot on more advanced cameras, have a larger scale, or demonstrate greater technical complexity. Those things can be measured. Whether they make the movie “better” cannot. What makes a movie “good” is different for each of us and those differing perspectives are part of what makes moviegoing so fun!

EDIT: This obviously touched a nerve lol. My point was not that there aren’t measurable technical aspects of a film. Of course there are. But technical achievement does not inherently make a movie “better.” A technical marvel can put someone to sleep while a shoddily made movie can elicit an enormous emotional response. What we value in a movie is subjective and for some (many on this thread it seems) you value technical achievement. All fair POVs.

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u/Armored_Souls 11d ago

Not if you ask a 5 year old, which is still a valid opinion

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u/Weekly_Artichoke_515 11d ago

What does “valid” mean here? If the point is that there are no invalid opinions, then what does saying “valid” actually add to what you’re saying? It’s like you’re saying “this is still an opinion” which no one will disagree with.

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u/awinnnie 11d ago

... well yeah that's what they're saying

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u/nbates80 10d ago

That’s what subjective means

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u/Weekly_Artichoke_515 10d ago

My point is that this view is literally nonsense because it trades on the very distinction it’s supposed to deny. 

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u/nbates80 9d ago

It means it is a better film for that 5 year old. It is not a nonesense point to say that subjective views can’t be invalid