What is your *ONE* sole criteria when selecting a movie?

[_____V_____]

...to watch, obviously.

Some of us select a film basing purely on feedback from others, specially like-minded friends/contacts. Others decide by the director/makers, or the actors involved, performances, story/script, etc.

But if you had to select just ONE feature associated with a movie, which would it be?

For me, it's the story/script/premise. If it appeals to me, then I will select the film overlooking other crucial things listed above. Of course, weak direction and cardboard actors/characters can take away vital viewing interest, but I usually ignore those and favor a strong script.

Maybe that's the reason why I try to find even the least good things in a bad movie.

But then, there's stuff like The Village, North, The Item...oh boy...

[neverending]

Story for me as well, because a first and foremost a film should be trying to tell a compelling story. After that, the director & actors are what attract me.

[newb]

Definitely the story/script/premise

you can put the best actors with top notch special effects in a movie, but if the script sucks...so does the movie.

hmmm.....could be a good thread

[Bizarre]

Story for sure - it's what the film is about that makes it what it is. If I'm not interested in the premise, I don't care who is in it usually.

Other things I'd use to recommend it to someone else by saying "so and so directed it/stars in it etc" but for me, it has to be the story that draws me in.

[Nini_luv5]

Definitely the story/script/premise

you can put the best actors with top notch special effects in a movie, but if the script sucks...so does the movie.

hmmm.....could be a good thread

absolutely couldnt agree more.

[roshiq]

Recommended film with a good or interesting Story but then, again, I have a tendency to check out any new genre film that either haven't reviewed yet properly or got a mixed reaction. Sometimes I felt it's my "duty" to warn or let others know here about a new bad/good film.:D

Favorite directors & actors also influenced me often but I really don't care about much about effects, technical aspects (unless they left a irritating/mind blowing impact on my viewing experience while watching the movie) & BO performance.

[Sistinas666]

It is impossible for me to select 1 criteria when picking a movie. Sometimes its a director I like, sometimes it is the writer or actor. I find that 75% of the time I watch a movie based on a recommendation but it is impossible for me to pin it down to one sole criteria...In a way I think I would get bored if I chose movies based on 1 sole criteria...

[MichaelMyers]

Movie box/poster artwork.

[Elvis_Christ]

Entertainment Value for me after all that's what movies are for. Entertainment value for me encompasses most of the other aspects like director, story etc. But yeah if it's not going to entertain me I'm not going to sit there for it's running time.

Never really gave a shit about how much money a flick made at the box office. 99% of the big money makers were rubbish films.

Reviews do tend to sway me into seeing something I might not have bothered with initially.

[Sweet Lemon]

I always check out the reviews first. I hate getting psyched by a creepy trailer and then sitting there yawning through the entire movie. That's pretty much what happened to me when the Blair Witch Project came out.

Don't get me wrong it has aspects that I definitely liked but I didn't find it scary. I made the mistake of going to see it after I heard people in the USA were fainting in the cinemas. Bloody Americans :p

The news report failed to mention that those people who fainted were probably in dire need of motion sickness pills.

[bwind22]

Entertainment Value for me. Most of my favorite films are hurting in the story, acting and special FX dept. (Evil Dead series rings all those bells and is still amongst my faves simply because they are so fun to watch.)

[Elvis_Christ]

The news report failed to mention that those people who fainted were probably in dire need of motion sickness pills.

:D LOL

Good call I think you're right there!

[fortunato]

It is impossible for me to select 1 criteria when picking a movie.

Yeah, this is where I am. I can't imagine having a single criterion to guide me in selecting a movie. Sometimes it's a recommendation, sometimes it just interests, sometimes it's a total blind watch. It just depends on the situation.

I used to work at a video rental store, and it would floor me that people would only watch what happened to come out that week. They didn't care about anything else in the store; nevermind the huge selection of classics, etc. And, 9 times out of 10, their favorite movie would just be the last one that they saw. Sometimes it could be pretty bad. Like one time, a guy came in and asked me to recommend a movie. At the time, Pan's Labyrinth had just come out, and I recommended that. He went over and inspected the case, and then came back to the counter.

"Now that movie Pan's Labyrinth, is that in Spanish?"
I replied, "Well, yes. It's in Spanish with English subtitles."
And then he looked at me, completely bewildered, and said, "You mean they made it that way?"

I didn't know what to say. And, of course, he ended up renting something else. In English.

[CJ Steak]

I voted for story as well.

Coincidentally, this is also how I choose books. :)

[Elvis_Christ]

"You mean they made it that way?"

Hahaha holy shit that's awesome :D

Straight out of Clerks or something.

[Despare]

Entertainment Value is the sole reason I revisit a movie. I've enjoyed (and still do) movies with bad stories, actors, special effects (not all these things in one film mind you... usually) but sometimes there's an intangible element to a film that just hooks me and I end up really liking that movie. As far as picking a movie, I think most of the time I go because I hear about the story and it intrigues me so I go see it, either that or it's based on a book or comic that I already enjoy the story from which also draws my attention. Anyway, I'd say MOST of the time it's the story, but a lot of these things can grab me. For instance, I'm going to see the next Christopher Walken movie, or the next Bruce Campbell movie. Do I know what these are? Nope, but I'll be there. Combinations like A Dangerous Method are great too, I heard Cronenberg was making a new movie so I was excited to see it and then I read what it was about and could hardly contain my excitement.

[fortunato]

Hahaha holy shit that's awesome :D

Straight out of Clerks or something.

Haha, totally. It's so absurd, I couldn't believe it.

[_____V_____]

Wow...I expected Story to start off and gallop to a commanding lead, but that is not the case. Good to see people give preference to other things in a movie as well, the second most preferred choice being Entertainment Value.

Let's make this a Sticky and see some more opinions and votes come in. This should be very interesting.

[leezuki]

most of the time i go for the story by word of mouth or an advert, sometimes just take a chance. i have enjoyed a good story in movies before and the actors have sometimes just ruined the whole movie with bad acting.entertainment i find it dont matter about a story or bad acting as long as it has a bit of a story i dont mind like braindead, evil dead, bad taste there all just entertainment for me.

[wizard of gore]

yeah i dont mind the acting either unless a new hyped up or expensive movie.for example the bad acting in "human centipeide" or "the Happening is just sad where the bad acting in a low budge movie like "red neck zombies " makes the movie,and i preffer those kinda movies.Which would also mean i dont care about special effects or story line

[GregSisco]

I don't have a "sole" criteria, and I imagine most of us don't, but I would say that director is most important to me. Can't wait to see Francis Ford Coppola's new horror flick.

[FreddyMyers]

Special EFX.....Movie special effects are what i plan on doing for a career eventually so movies have been basically homework for me for the past year or so. Movies as homework....im ok with that.

[ZombieDrone]

I tend to watch horror films based on the acclaim that they get. Most of the horror films I watch are from the 70's and 80's, so I already know how people feel about most of the films before I see them.

Actors don't play much of a role about films I watch, but directors often do.

[Fearonsarms]

Like zombiedrone I watch mostly films from the 70s and 80s but for "sole" criteria-it's real life feedback for me as I tend to want different things from a film at different times and what people say about a film let's me know what to seek out when I'm in the mood for a particular type of film. I think personally what people actually say about a movie is more important than story or entertainment value etc.

[lovelybones]

Story is usually the number one thing that draws me to a movie ... I'm also a sucker for a really good soundtrack. For example, I don't really have an interest in seeing Girl with a Dragon Tattoo (the remake), but Trent Reznor and Karen O are doing the soundtrack -Sold!

[Elvis_Christ]

I really like Trent Reznor's soundtrack work.

[wizard of gore]

I really like Trent Reznor's soundtrack work.

oh yeah what sort of tracks does he put in his films