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"Hey, this movie came out this weekend! It looks pretty awesome, let's go check it out!"

"No, it actually sucks. Don't waste your time or your money."

Conversations like this happen on a constant basis. What makes that movie "super awesome" or "absolutely terrible"?

First off, this shouldn't be a generic topic about movies. There are so many different kinds of movies in all sorts of categories. There are funny movies, and scary movies. There are dramas and musicals and romantic movies. 

I personally like the darker movies, especially those associated with Tim Burton. One of my favorite movies from him is Corpse Bride. I would classify it as a good movie because of all the elements it combines effectively. There is always the need for visual appeal, especially in animated films, and Corpse Bride has some great graphics. As an artist myself, I know how difficult it can be to make an art detailed while trying not to clutter it. The artwork in this is very detailed, but it does not give any sense of clutter to it visually. A movie like this also needs a good storyline. While Corpse Bride is a completely fictional tale (there's no way a corpse could talk in real life!), it ties in realistic elements. For example, the corpse bride, Emily, was betrayed by a lover before her death. The betrayal led her to wait for the marriage vows. This is a natural human emotion of hope. I believe that hope is one of the main themes of the movie.

On the contrary, there are elements that can make a movie "terrible". For this, I will use the film The Last Airbender as an example. The Last Airbender is a film based upon an animated series, "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The previews tricked many viewers into thinking that high tech special effects could be the basis for a great movie. Personally speaking, I felt that the special effects were the only part of the movie that was worth watching. This film had many actors that I had never heard of before, and their lack of experience showed. With a film based on a series like this, it leads a lot of viewers to have high expectations, and this movie did not meet those expectations. The Last Airbender's viewers expected the film to move along the same plot as the series, but were disappointed when so much from the series was left out of the film. There were some viewers who were mad about the mechanical details in the film, like the name pronunciation. The names are Asian-based, so it's easy to see how they could be difficult to pronounce, but viewers believed that the actors should have watched the series to get into character better.

The movie industry is a serious business, and there is always a risk involved when making a movie because of the public opinion. However, as long as they put forth their best effort and make the best movie they could make, hopefully the public will appreciate it.