Explain the nature and the challenges of eclecticism as used by film critics, and the challenges and weaknesses such a theoretical perspective presents with interpreting a film like Independence Day

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Eclecticism is the favored approach of many film critics in the United States. Such critics place a movie in whatever context seems most appropriate, drawing from diverse sources, systems, and styles.
2. Eclecticism is sometimes called the tradition of sensibility because a high value is placed on the aesthetic discriminations of a person of taste and discernment. Such critics are often urbane, well educated, and conversant in the other arts.
3. Eclectic critics reject the notion that a single theory can explain all movies. They regard this as a cookie-cutter approach to criticism. Most of them insist that an individual’s reaction to a film is deeply personal.
4. Because personal taste is the main determinant of value in eclectic criticism, these commentators often admit to their blind spots—and all critics have blind spots—so if they don’t like big-budget science fiction films, they will most likely dismiss a film like Independence Day. To guard against personal eccentricity, they implicitly place a film within the context of a canon, a tradition of masterpieces. This great tradition is constantly under reevaluation.
5. This movie was a huge commercial hit, earning $300 million domestically and close to $490 million in foreign markets. The film’s special effects constituted its main box-office appeal. Most film critics either ignored the movie or dismissed it as drivel. So who is right, the public or the “experts”? It depends on how you look at it. The mass audience tends to seek escapist entertainment. The film critic, who endures many of these blockbusters, is often looking for something unusual, challenging, and daring. Independence Day did not meet these expectations.