Reviews of “Messiah” and “Dracula”

Why am I reviewing two series at the same time? To illustrate an interesting point.

* * * * A

Messiah is a Netflix series in which a man claiming to be the messiah appears out of the Syrian desert. Watched by the CIA, he builds followings in Syria and America. The series walks the knife edge: is he for real, or is he a con man and a terrorist.

I really enjoyed this series, and am hoping that it is renewed for a second season. When I checked it out on Rotten Tomatoes, I discovered that 90% of the audience agreed with me. Yet what rating do the critics give it? 40%, rotten.

* * C

BBC and Netflix have released a new version of Dracula that tries to take a fresh take on the Bram Stoker classic. Jonathan Harker, the hero of Bram Stoker’s novel, becomes a victim in this remake, and Dr. Van Helsing is replaced by Sister Agatha Van Helsing. There are some interesting ideas, particularly that Dracula can absorb the knowledge of his victims and that his brides are ghouls.

Unfortunately, the writing is terrible. After watching the first two episodes, I’ll probably give up on it. Again, checking out Rotten Tomatoes, the audience agreed, giving it a 55% rotten rating. Yet what do the critics give it? 70% fresh.

The Point

Film critics have always been rather out of touch. Often in the past they would rate things 20% higher or lower than the audience. Usually I would agree with the audience and occasionally with the critics. But now, the majority of critics seem to have lost touch with what makes film good.