It’s Easier to Be a Critic Than a Creator

Seven years ago I watched one of the worst movies I have ever seen.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Most of the internet agreed with me. Many long-time Star Wars fans who fantasized about being a Jedi and living in this great universe absolutely despised this movie.

It undermined the character of Luke Skywalker, ruined many of the enticing “mysteries” from its predecessor, and had an ending that made me care less about seeing the next movie.

While I didn’t splatter my opinions about this movie all over the internet, I was the biggest critic of it in my own mind. I was so let down and held a lot of anger towards the director, Rian Johnson, who also wrote the film.

But the longer I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t have done any better. In fact, I would’ve made the worst movie ever, probably, if it were up to me.

And that’s the point: It’s much easier to be a critic than a creator.

You Don’t Have To Spend Much Time As A Critic

How long does it really take to be a critic of something?

For many critics of The Last Jedi, they spent two hours watching the movie, and a maximum of 5–10 hours writing a detailed article about what they thought.

That’s 12 hours of work.

Director Rian Johnson worked on the Last Jedi every single day for at least two years. That’s like 10,000 hours of work right there.

Oh wait, there was probably a crew of a couple thousand who worked on the movie for a long time, too. It’s not crazy to think that a total of 100,000 hours were spent creating this movie between all of the cast and crew.

From a sheer time perspective, it’s easy to see how lopsided it is.

Critics Never Create Anything New

What I really want to say with my 800 words here is that true creators are meant to redefine reality.

Ironically enough, Rian Johnson’s depiction of Star Wars was so maddening for me because he did a lot of things differently. He took the characters to places the fanbase wasn’t ready to go to yet — which is what artists are supposed to do.

He wasn’t just creating, he was pushing the boundaries.

And critics hardly ever push the boundaries. They simply comment on what’s already been made.

The critics aren’t the ones who are progressing society, it’s the creators who are. Why create at all if you didn’t think it could alter the course of the conversations society has?

Sometimes Things Should Be Critiqued

I don’t mean to say critics are useless — far from it. Critics were right about The Last Jedi. It sucked.

However, all critics should remember that while their voices are needed and that we appreciate them, they’re not the ones who are in the arena.

A common rebuttal to the Last Jedi hate was “Well, I would’ve loved to see what you would’ve done with the franchise, Mrs./Mr. Director.”

I can’t say anything to that. I can hate Rian Johnson and be right about my critiques of the movie but at the end of the day I know I couldn’t have made a better movie.

We Should All Give Massive Respect To Creators

So many people email me saying they’re afraid of writing online. They’re terrified of what people might say.

Think of all the great would-be creators we’d get to read if they weren’t so afraid. My insights into the world aren’t nearly as sophisticated as many other’s insights would be.

But I’m not afraid to hit the publish button. For many, that little publish button might as well be the clown from It.

It’s the “No turning back” point where they go from casual critic to creator. They have made something, maybe it’s something that’s profound, but they’re scared to unleash it to the terrifying critics who’ll eat it up at first glance.

The truth is, there are fewer critics than you think in this space. Most people just say thank you for writing this and move on with their day. Many of my fiercest critics are creators, actually.

I listen to the critics a good bit (I should listen more), but at the end of the day, I’m the one who’s trying to progress the conversation, not them.

And that’s something that critics who want to be creators need to remember, too.

It’s easier to be a critic. It’s harder to create. It takes guts and work and patience to stand up for something and push the boundaries of art, society, and even politics.

We need critics just as much as creators, but I would say, remember the person in the arena.

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