Artsy movies are great... sometimes, and unartsy movies are also great sometimes.
Sometimes I want to watch the Seventh Seal and sometimes I want to watch Die Hard - both movies have their place but a lot of critics tend to lean strongly into arthouse movies and sell them well above their actual appeal. I think one of the hardest parts of being a genuinely good critic is being able to leave your own tastes at the door when walking into a new performance - and those tastes are generally ones that have been honed by an education in classic works. Some movies use extremely bold cinematography choices to add a lot to their work (I'd point out Sin City and Schindler's List both of which made extremely good use of high contrast black and white (mostly) filming to add heaps to the story) but then you've got so-so art-house pieces that play into those familiar tropes without delivering anything of real value.
It takes a really good critic to watch a movie they really personally enjoyed and tell everyone that it's probably not for them - please do talk about what you liked to inform like minded people - but don't give a 5/5 just because it appealed to your specific tastes.
I think the most valuable thing a critic brings to the table is a wide breadth of experiences to compare new experiences to - you're watching all the crappy movies to pick out the good ones to recommend so that people don't waste their time on something flat.
Sometimes I want to watch the Seventh Seal and sometimes I want to watch Die Hard - both movies have their place but a lot of critics tend to lean strongly into arthouse movies and sell them well above their actual appeal. I think one of the hardest parts of being a genuinely good critic is being able to leave your own tastes at the door when walking into a new performance - and those tastes are generally ones that have been honed by an education in classic works. Some movies use extremely bold cinematography choices to add a lot to their work (I'd point out Sin City and Schindler's List both of which made extremely good use of high contrast black and white (mostly) filming to add heaps to the story) but then you've got so-so art-house pieces that play into those familiar tropes without delivering anything of real value.
It takes a really good critic to watch a movie they really personally enjoyed and tell everyone that it's probably not for them - please do talk about what you liked to inform like minded people - but don't give a 5/5 just because it appealed to your specific tastes.