Decline of Quality and Prestige? Czech Film Reviews in the Digital Era

The rise of digital media shook the sphere of film criticism because not only professional journalists but also fans and common users got the opportunity to write film reviews. Under these conditions, the shape of reviews changes and becomes more diverse. This article deals with the issues of structure, functions and language of contemporary Czech film reviews published on the internet in comparison with reviews in the press. The reviews posted on websites vary in many aspects, but some characteristic features and tendencies are evident. While reviews in the press often give prominence to description and interpretation of examined films, reviews on the internet accentuate the evaluation. This evaluation is mostly based on the reviewer's emotional experience with the film and uses simple oppositions as amusing (thrilling) - boring, pleasant - unpleasant. Further, the textual manifestation of communicating subjects (author, recipient) and of their mutual contact comes to the fore. The recipient is directly addressed and influenced; the author reports on his mental confrontation with the film and creates his image as a unique personality. The language used is characterized by preference for informal and emotional terms on the one hand and, on the other, for striking and unusual wording.

Keywords: digital communication, film reviews, evaluation, emotional experience, author, recipient, language use