When people think of movie reviewers, they tend to think of stuffy, pretentious film experts who use complicated vocabulary and critique everything from the shoes the characters wear to how the camera moves for even just a second. Film critics make the world of film exclusive to only experts. People feel as if they cannot enjoy a film if a single film critic who is more knowledgeable about film dislikes it.
Letterboxd is the social media site changing that stigma behind film reviews. Created in 2011, this website caters to all film lovers. You can post reviews, create lists of movies such as watchlists and log the films you watch in a diary. You can give a film you love a 5/5 star rating or a like. You can follow your friends to see what they’ve been watching and what they want to watch, and you can also follow users you may not know in person because of their funny reviews or similar movie tastes.
Letterboxd’s Homepage
The best part of Letterboxd is how casual the community is. Every user has a love for movies, and while you might run into some wordy, pretentious reviews here and there, many of the reviews are simply inside jokes for viewers of the films. Typically, you think you’d read the reviews before watching a film to gauge if it is worth a watch, but with Letterboxd, I recommend reading the reviews after the movie to get some jokes related to the film. Some people are actually film reviewers for publications. They leave a short and sweet review on Letterboxd with a link to their full review. This keeps the social media site lighthearted and fun. Others are just fellow movie fans who’d like to share their diverse opinions – on Letterboxd, no one’s opinions are wrong. The community is highly collaborative as you can comment on other people’s reviews or leave film suggestions on someone’s lists.
An example of a Letterboxd user’s humorous review
Another way Letterboxd users show humor is through the use of lists. You can make lists of any kind, from a list of fall movies to every superhero movie ever made. There are also all sorts of oddly specific lists, such as a list of films where the actor looks into the camera during the final scene. For those who like to make everything in their lives aesthetically pleasing, there are numerous lists where movies are sorted by color. If you love challenging yourself, check out lists formatted as challenges such as the Birth Year Challenge, in which you have to watch the same amount of movies as your age that were released during your birth year. Regardless of what you’re into, there’s a list on Letterboxd just for you. When viewing a list, Letterboxd will also let you know what percentage of the movies you have already seen.
An extremely specific Letterboxd list
Letterboxd is a site worth trying out as it caters to all film lovers. It has a user-friendly interface, and in no time you’ll be logging films and creating lists. You can sign up on the website or on the app to begin documenting “your life in film.”
Images via Google Play Store, Filmmaker Magazine,and Best of Letterboxd
