Since the first film was produced in 1888, just over 500,000 feature films have been made. The streaming services have access to half, around 250,000 films. It’s no wonder viewers need help finding their way through the jungle. A new survey shows that Norwegians are largely helped by international rating services such as Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb or Letterboxd. The Norstat survey commissioned by news shows that 45 per cent of Norwegians use international rating services. In the 18–39 age group, the figure is sky high: 77 percent state that they use Rotten Tomatoes and similar services. This causes the Norwegian review corps to react strongly. – That’s a huge number, says film reviewer Brita Møystad Engseth. – It is extremely high. In a way, it’s a somewhat gratifying number, since it shows how interested Norwegians are in film. But it is most depressing, says film reviewer in Dagbladet, Einar Aarvig. Paying for positive reviews The big problem with rating services like Rotten Tomatoes is that they can be bought. Earlier this year, the American culture magazine Vulture revealed that Rotten Tomatoes has deliberately not published negative reviews about new films. It has also been possible for PR people to buy positive reviews for films they are going to promote. Brita Møystad Engseth does not use international rating services. Photo: Karen Sveen / news – It is not difficult to buy clicks and score better on Rotten Tomatoes, says Brita Møystad Engseth. She has worked as a film reviewer since the late 90s, when she had heroes such as Pål Bang-Hansen and Aud Berggren. Now Møystad Engseth believes that she represents the last generation of Norwegian film critics. – We have had a solid generation of film reviewers. Now it has been left to rating services. It’s a shame, says Møystad Engseth. To war against their own newspaper In the country’s largest newspapers, the reviewers have been shouting about crisis situations for several years. The figures from news’s survey show that they have every reason to shout. Film reviewer Einar Aarvig attacked the “cultural newspaper Dagbladet” for publishing too few reviews. A month ago, three film reviewers in Dagbladet came out against their own newspaper and said it had given up on culture. Christopher Pahle, Adel Kahn Farroq and Einar Aarvig pointed out that “Kulturavisa Dagbladet has not published a single new film review since mid-July”. – The justification I have received is that people do not want reviews. People are largely encouraged to write an obituary or a tribute, to get attention, says Aarvig. A few weeks later, film director Jan Vardøen attacked VG, and asked what it really takes to get a film review anymore. “Will Norwegian films be reviewed at all in the future in VG or will only blue-chippers from the USA get a mention”, asks Vardøen. – I believe that this is a question of freedom of expression, in the extreme, says Einar Aarvig. One of Norway’s most famous film reviewers of all time, Pål Bang-Hansen. Photo: news – Tran er sunt Brita Møystad Engseth has a clear answer to people’s reluctance to click on online newspapers’ film reviews. – People say they don’t want it? But people don’t know what they want! People have no taste. You get a taste by having someone teach you. – Cod liver oil is not good either, but it is very good for you.
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Norwegian film reviews are drowning in rotten tomatoes – news Culture and entertainment
