Film criticism gets a bad rep, but throughout the history of this beautiful art form, it has proved to be a noble and incredibly important profession. Truly great film critics have a unique capacity to drill deep into the core of a film and dissect it insightfully and eloquently, evaluate the history of cinema and contribute to its study, and prove that film analysis is just as meaningful as any other kind of artistic analysis.
Though Chicago film criticRoger Ebertis arguably the most popular and best-known,plenty of other critics are just as great and historically significantin the history of the profession. Some, likeGene Siskel, dedicate their careers mostly to reviewing films. Other critics, likeRobin Wood, also go into film scholarship and book authorship. Others, likeFrançois Truffaut, even became filmmakers themselves. There are a wide array of ways to be a movie critic, and plenty of the greatest and most noteworthy of all time aren’t called Roger Ebert. These ten critics are listed in no particular order.
10Gene Siskel
Work to check out: Review of ‘Hoop Dreams’ (1994)
Those who are familiar with the world and history of film criticism are guaranteed to be familiar with Roger Ebert, and those who are familiar with Ebert are guaranteed to be familiar with the other side of that coin: Gene Siskel. For years, he was Ebert’s foil on the duo’s movie review show,Siskel & Ebert. He’s just as iconic as his longtime partner, and for good reason.
Siskel isn’t without his detractors, and the fact that he didn’t write any books certainly makes it hard to call him a truly top-tier critic,but he also tends to get a lot less appreciation than he deserves. He was a uniquely passionate, direct, and intelligent critic, capable of diving deep into the minutiae of any film to evaluate both its logical qualities and artistic merit. When he hated movies,Siskelreallyhated them, but when he loved a film, listening to him speak about it was an absolute delight.
Siskel & Ebert
9Leonard Maltin
Work to check out: Review of ‘Isn’t It Romantic?’ (1948)
Leonard Maltinholds the record for the shortest movie review in history. When reviewing the Classical Hollywood rom-comIsn’t It Romantic?, hesimply wrote “no.“If that’s notas perfect an encapsulation of a critic’s style and voice as you could ever hope for, nothing could possibly be. As an avid lover of film history and one of the first-ever mainstream critics to take animation as a serious aspect of the cinematic art form, those who love film criticism also tend to love Maltin.
Like all great critics, Maltin has never shied away from becoming a part of pop culture. He has voiced himself inSouth ParkandThe Simpsonsand appeared (also as himself) in movies likeGremlins 2: The New Batch, one of the most notorioushorror flops that deserved to be hits. He’s one of the currently working critics with the most encyclopedic knowledge of the history of film, and reading his work is clear evidence that he absolutely loves the art form.
8Robin Wood
Work to check out: “Return of the Repressed” (1978)
Though usually critically underrated among those who enjoy film criticism, Robin Wooddeserves as much praise and recognition as any of his peers. His career was primarily comprised of two halves. During the first, he was one ofthe leading intellectuals in the analysis of auteur theory, writing some of the best books one can find on filmmakers likeAlfred HitchcockandIngmar Bergman. After he came out as gay, his work became much more focused on Marxist, Freudian, and gay theories.
Wood is certainly much more scholarship-driven than the majority of the most popular film critics, buthis work is nevertheless surprisingly accessible and exquisitely enjoyablefor anyone who considers themselves a cinephile. He seriously and profoundly analyzed the careers of several great directors and studied the progressiveness of the horror genre as a subversion of societal and political norms, going so far as to call movies likeMeet Me in St. Louisbona fide horror films. Wood constantly proved that thinking about film in conversation with history’s smartest thinkers is not just productive, but a necessity.
Meet Me in St. Louis
7Bosley Crowther
Work to check out: Review of ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967)
Though sometimes seen as a controversial figure (largely due to his infamously vitriolic hatred forBonnie and Clydeand the historied backlash that this hatred generated, which included him losing his job over it),Bosley Crowtheris nevertheless one of the mostimportant authorities in the 20th-century history of American film criticism. When reading material on any great classic from the ’70s or prior, reading up on some Crowther is always time well spent.
Crowther was one of the first critics towrite reviews in a more serious, almost scholarly manner, as opposed to the tabloid-y style of Hollywood’s Golden Age. He was also an avid advocate of foreign cinema and vocally opposed to censorship right in the middle of the U.S. McCarthyist era. Some feel that his highly polished writing style was sometimes too negative, but his impact, legacy, and level of influence can’t be understated.
Bonnie and Clyde
6Mark Kermode
Work to check out: Review of ‘Sex and the City 2’ (2010)
One of the most popular contemporary critics,Mark Kermodeis a critic, musician, podcaster, writer, and radio & television presenter. Such a large curriculum wouldn’t be all that impressive without the quality to back it up, but fortunately,Kermode has talent to spare. He’s oftencalled a modern-day Roger Ebert, and it’s an easy parallel to see.
Kermode has a uniquely insightful and incredibly passionate way of talking about movies, no matter how he feels about them. There isn’t a more fervent lover ofThe Exorciston planet Earth, just like there’s no negative review of films likeMamma Mia!andSex and the City 2more hilarious, eloquent, or surprisingly fair than Kermode’s. Many of history’s greatest film critics lie in the past, but if there’s any modern-day critic whose opinions are worthy of being followed, it’s Mark Kermode.
5André Bazin
Work to check out: Review of ‘Citizen Kane’ (1941)
The mind of the French film critic and film theoristAndré Bazinisone of the greatest things that has ever happened to discourse on filmand film history. His untimely death at 40 years old in 1958 meant that he missed out on some of the most exciting periods in film history, but the work that he did leave behind is essential reading for those interested in film theory.
Without Bazin,Citizen Kanewould probably not be considered the greatest film of all time by so many people today.
Bazin wrote about some ofthe most essential French films ever, was perhaps the most important of the French critics who brought praise forCitizen Kaneinto the mainstream (without him, it would probably not be considered the greatest film of all time by so many people today), and argued that realism should be the primary goal and focus of the Seventh Art. He’sone of the smartest and most fascinating intellectualswho have ever graced film criticism, and reading up on his work is essential for movie fans.
4B. Ruby Rich
Work to check out: “New Queer Cinema: The Director’s Cut” (2013)
Throughout history, there have been many film movements that have defined the history of cinema as an art form and a storytelling tool. One of the most important of the modern era is New Queer Cinema, a movement in queer indie filmmaking during the ’90s. The term was coined byB. Ruby Rich, and this alone would be enough to count her among the greatest film critics in history.
That’s not all that Rich has going for her, though.Her writing in both her reviews and her publications is rigorous and compelling, so that even when she’s engaging super deeply with queer, feminist, and Latin American cinemas, it always feels like she’s warmly welcoming the reader into her analysis. Rich has reviewed some ofthe best LGBTQ+ films of all time, but it’s in reading her books that one can get the best sense of why she’s one of the most important and impactful critics in modern history.
3François Truffaut
Work to check out: “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (1966)
Many may know François Truffaut better as a filmmaker, and for good reason. He’s one of the most popular, important, and influential figures in the history of French cinema, responsible for some of the country’s best movies, likeThe 400 BlowsandJules and Jim. He also wrote one of the best books about cinema in history, the subject of one ofthe best documentaries of all timefor cinephiles:Hitchcock/Truffaut, based on a dialogue between the two directors.
An apprentice of André Bazin and one of the founders of the French New Wave, Truffaut had his break in the industry as a critic working for Bazin’sCahiers du Cinémamagazine, by far one of the most historically significant film publications in history. He wasone of the most important proponents of the auteur theory, which states that a movie’s director is its true author, and his reviewing style could often be famously brutal. He was a great director, sure, but he was justas masterful a writer and critic.
Hitchcock/Truffaut
2Pauline Kael
Work to check out: Review of ‘Last Tango in Paris’ (1972)
It’s no understatement to say that film criticism wouldn’t be the same withoutPauline Kael.Praised by some as the greatest critic in history, she could be absolutely ruthless when she disliked a movie, not fearing speaking her mind about it in the slightest. Butwhen she loved a film, her writing on it was usually some of the richest and most fascinating, such as her love forBonnie and ClydeandLast Tango in Paris.
In her obituary, Roger Ebert stated that Kael “had a more positive influence on the climate for film in America than any other single person over the last three decades.” It’s hard to disagree with the master. It’sthe divisive nature of her witty, opinionated stylethat made her such a charming critic, proving just how personal and subjective an endeavor film criticism could be. Kael also wrote several books and essays that are must-reads for wannabe movie critics, as well as anyone who loves cinema.
Last Tango in Paris
1Andrew Sarris
Work to check out: “Notes on the Auteur Theory” (1962)
It was the French critics of theCahierswho came up with the idea of auteur theory, but it wasAndrew Sarriswho coined the term and brought the theory to the English-speaking world. Critics like him and Kael pretty muchredefined the profession of film criticismas the serious profession that it deserves to be seen as today, proving how rewarding and important it can be to read a film deeply and in conversation with history’s greatest art intellectuals.
Sarris wrote some exceptional reviews, essays on some ofhistory’s greatest auteur directors, and some excellent books, most notablyThe American Cinema. He’s another side of the Pauline Kael coin: While Kael’s writing was heavily individualized, Sarris' was more detached, formal, and systematic. He wasone of the smartest, most resourceful, and insightful movie critics in history, and his contributions to the art form of film criticism are invaluable. For those looking to get into reading more critics outside of Roger Ebert, Sarris is a fantastic place to start.
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