When someone says that they think it's overrated... Uh, why split hairs man? That is what they personally think. You know, despite the RT scores, the polls, the BO numbers, we all should please remember, that this is ART it is not SCIENCE. No one can argue with the math of a boiling point or the fact that every time you certain chemicals together that you will get a certain reaction. That's science. This is art. It is subjective as hell, and before the usual gang of first year film students chime in... NO. No, the supposed objectivity you think can be applied like straight jacket rules? Yeah, that's just you trying to shape a pound of water. Maybe if you freeze it you can do it but then, it's no longer a liquid that can creep or flow. It's gone from being alive in the moment to actually becoming inert and solid, so it's unresponsive and cannot adapt. So too with this idea that film has RULES instead of GUIDELINES learned over the course of a century of film making (outside of course the technical know how of running a set, camera and sound operations, ect., though even there, we are dealing with ARTISTS operating the equipment. Yeah, that's right... The sound crew, the cinematographer, the set designers? All artists. Because it is an art to execute their parts well. It's why some cinematographers are more in demand than others. Cinematography is an ART in the sense that it's not a math equation or formula that can be recreated by just anyone.) There is no objective way to PROVE that when someone says that they think something is overrated that it's a FACT anymore than the reverse. You can point out that Ledger won an Oscar, point to the RT scores and if anything it goes more towards the other person's opinion since to their mind they think that all that data is evidence of exactly what they are talking about.
Finally... Why is this a problem exactly? No, I know, people are gonna say "I'm not saying it's a problem just something I noticed yadda yadda..." But let's be serious. People online and even in real life express themselves on these sort of topics as though some great betrayal is taking place. "I just knew people were gonna turn on the Nolan series and Ledger." "People are dissing Ledger if they think Leto is going to be as good." "I can't believe people would forget about the Nolan series already" Can you say that such sentiments have not been seen around here, folks? But why? Well I think it's just the nature of these characters and how our belief in them is far closer to religion than anyone cares to admit. There's always the scent of "true believers" feeling slighted by the "apostates" liking something new. Granted the reverse is true. There are those that feel the need to drag down something from an earlier time too.
Still, that feeling of people "turning their backs on XYZ" that we hear so often has always been a curious one.
Dracula is the best vampire movie EVER.
