On Thursday, 4/4, the news of beloved film critic Roger Ebert's passing hit me like a sledgehammer. Over the course of his long and prestigious career, his reviews have inspired countless individuals, entertaining and informing in equal measure in a way that no one else ever has. He opened the doors for so many of us to view films critically and to express those opinions often and with as high a level of enthusiasm and intellegence as we could muster.
As much as I loved the man, there were times when his reviews could be rather frustrating. As long as I live, I'll never understand how or why anyone could possible give Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace a higher rating than The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. But, when one read Ebert's critiques, it wasn't driven so much by the need for his personal opinions to mesh with your own; (Though that was always an added bonus) it was because it was just so damn enjoyable to see/hear what he had to say. Even in his most baffling critiques, he wrote with care and an eloquence that seemed to know no bounds. I may not have always agreed with him, but I always enjoyed reading his thoughts. And, to this day, no one can rip a movie to shreds quite like he has time and time again. (His review for M. Night Shyamalan's dreadful The Last Airbender is still a personal favorite of mine. Check it out:
Regardless of whether or not we saw eye to eye on everything, Ebert's reviews always challenged me to develop my own reasons as to why I might have disagreed with him. In every review he composed, he always seemed to be saying, "Look, I liked the film and this is why I did. Plain and simple." Unlike some other critics, he never gave the impression that he was better than you. He just wanted to explain why he enjoyed a particular film or, in the opposite case, to try to save you from dishing out the $12 for something you might regret spending money on. It is something that has provided limitless inspiration as I continue to develop my voice as a writer and a critic.
The fact that in the last year of his life Ebert produced a higher amount of reviews than in any other year of his long-running career speaks volumes about his unshakable passion and his immense courage. Though he may no longer occupy the same physical plane, his voice will live on in every word he has ever written and will continue to provide his unique brand of wisdom for film lovers everywhere. Rest in peace, Mr. Ebert. You rule. So hard.
