Even as we’re living through one of the softest eras of arts criticism, celebrities are still finding ways to be huge babies about it. Most recently, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods star Rachel Zegler called those who have negatively assessed the film “senselessly mean.”
“Some people out there and just being… senselessly mean,” Zegler wrote on Twitter. “And it’s unnecessary. And I know, I know, ‘If you can’t handle the heat…’ and all that nonsense, and you’re right. But our film is actually very good, it’s just cool to hate on fun nowadays. That’s okay. We’re good.”
People don’t hate fun, but a lot do hate actors getting paid millions of dollars to appear in formulaic, bad movies with little to no substance. Especially when these movies are currently choking out the industry and giving audiences few viewing alternatives. Fun movies are applauded and adored all the time, but critical consensus suggests Shazam! Fury Of The Gods is not one of them.
The general vibe concerning criticism as of late feels like actors wanting applause simply for being in something, without any consideration for the art and industry at hand. Things aren’t “good” simply because they’re made. To say that the Shazam sequel is “actually very good” not only flies in the face of recent reviews, but is a discredit to actually very good films.
Leveling professional criticism with any random negative post on social media is a disservice to what critics actually do and its importance in cultivating truly great work. Any proper evaluation comes from a place of love of the art itself and knowing the joys of arresting, interesting, and even fun films. To reduce critique as simply coming from a place of hatred is not only inaccurate, but beyond boring.
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We can’t live in a world of participation prizes and back-patting for cash-grabbing works that come at the cost of $125 million, especially when they are often poorly written and look like CGI sludge. While sometimes time affects the lasting evaluation of a work, it seems unlikely that Shazam! Fury Of The Gods will be seen as an overlooked masterpiece in ten years. It’s okay Rachel, you got the check you needed, now take the criticism and move on.
