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They Review Movies on TikTok, but Don’t Call Them Critics

On MovieTok, reviewers can reach an audience of millions and earn tens of thousands of dollars per post. “Critics,” they say, are old news.

By Reggie Ugwu

Maddi Koch loves to spread the gospel about a good movie. Her favorites are little-noted thrillers with few stars but juicy concepts or dig-your-nails-into-the-sofa plot twists.

On TikTok, where Koch has three million followers (and goes by Maddi Moo), her review of “ What Happened to Monday ,” about a dystopian world where seven identical sisters share a single identity, has drawn over 24 million views. “If I were to die tomorrow, I’d watch this tonight,” she raved.

Koch, who is a senior at Virginia Tech and is sometimes paid by film companies to promote their work, says she makes videos to connect people and to spare them “the pain of arguing over finding a movie or not knowing what you’re really looking for.” (Most of her videos, including the “What Happened to Monday” review, are not sponsored.) When asked, she’ll describe herself as a “random girl” who loves movies, a “content creator,” or, sure, even an “influencer.”

But one title that she would never use might be the most obvious: “Critic.”

“I just don’t see myself in that light,” she said.

Koch, 22, is among dozens of personalities on TikTok, along with peers like Straw Hat Goofy and Cinema.Joe , who reach millions of people by reviewing, analyzing or promoting movies. Several earn enough on the platform — from posts sponsored by Hollywood studios (many have taken a break from working with them since the actors’ strike), through one of TikTok’s revenue sharing programs or both — to make their passion for film a full-time job, a feat amid longstanding cuts to arts critic positions in newsrooms.

But the new school of film critic doesn’t see much of itself in the old one. And some tenets of the profession — such as rendering judgments or making claims that go beyond one’s personal taste — are now considered antiquated and objectionable.

“When you read a critic’s review, it almost sounds like a computer wrote it,” said Cameron Kozak, 21, who calls himself a “movie reviewer” and has 1.5 million followers . “But when you have someone on TikTok who you watch every day and you know their voice and what they like, there’s something personal that people can connect to.”

On MovieTok — as the community is known — the most successful users generally post at least once per day, with videos typically ranging between 30 and 90 seconds. Many attempt to capture the viewer’s attention within the first three seconds (“This movie’s perfect for you if you never want to sleep again,” begins Koch’s review of the hit horror film “Barbarian”) and speak directly to the camera, with screenshots from the film in the background.

Many creators, most in their 20s or early 30s, specialize within a particular niche. Joe Aragon ( Cinema.Joe , 931,000 followers) is known for his breakdowns of coming attractions; Monse Gutierrez ( cvnela , 1.4 million followers) and Bryan Lucious ( stoney_tha_great , 387,000 followers) demystify and rank horror films; Seth Mullan-Feroze ( sethsfilmreviews , 256,000 followers) leans toward art house and foreign cinema.

Unlike film departments at major metropolitan newspapers or national magazines, individuals on MovieTok generally don’t aspire to review every noteworthy film. And while most expressed admiration for traditional critics’ grasp of film history, they tended to associate the profession as a whole with false or unearned authority.

“A lot of us don’t trust critics,” said Lucious, 31. He was one of many who pointed to the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, where the scores of “Top Critics” often differ widely from those of casual users, as evidence that the critical establishment is out of touch. “They watch movies and are just looking for something to critique,” he said. “Fans watch movies looking for entertainment.”

MovieTok creators are not the first in the history of film criticism to rebel against their elders. In the 1950s, François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and other writers of the journal Cahiers du Cinéma disavowed the nationalism of mainstream French criticism. In the 1960s and ’70s, the New Yorker critic Pauline Kael assailed the moralism associated with Bosley Crowther, a longtime movie critic of The New York Times, and others. And movie bloggers in the 2000s charged print critics with indifference or hostility to superhero and fantasy films.

“There’s always this denigrating of those so-called ‘other’ critics as somehow elitist and old-fashioned while presenting yourself as the new avant-garde,” said Mattias Frey, head of the department of media, culture and creative industries at the City University of London and the author of “The Permanent Crisis of Film Criticism.” He defined criticism, by any name, as “evaluation grounded in reason,” citing the philosopher Noël Carroll.

Juju Green, a 31-year-old former advertising copywriter, sees himself as on a “mission to combat film snobbery." Known as Straw Hat Goofy , Green is the most prominent member of MovieTok, with 3.4 million followers and an emerging side career as a correspondent and host. His most popular video , in which he identifies Easter eggs in Pixar movies, has nearly 29 million views.

Seven years ago, Green started a movie-themed channel on YouTube — which favors longer, more produced videos — but abandoned it after the birth of his first child. On TikTok, he found that he could reach an enormous audience with relatively little effort. He said one of his first videos on the platform, a post from January 2020 about Tom Holland’s performance in “Avengers: Endgame,” received over 200,000 views in about an hour.

“I had a feeling like I was meant to do this,” he said. Green quit his advertising job last year.

Without the salary of a news organization, MovieTok creators earn money by partnering with entertainment companies. A sponsored post promoting a film or streaming service can be worth anywhere from $1,000 to $30,000.

Green’s clients have included Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros., among others. In January, Universal paid him to create a post at an N.F.L. game promoting the movie “M3GAN” that received nearly seven million views — part of a marketing campaign that helped the film earn $30.2 million in the United States and Canada on opening weekend, about 30 percent more than box office analysts had predicted.

It is impossible, of course, to make a direct link between TikTok influencers and ticket sales. But there are signs that the impact can be considerable. Sony executives have cited MovieTok campaigns as one reason for the strong performance of “Insidious: The Red Door,” which cost $16 million to make and has taken in a surprising $183 million worldwide.

Being paid by the studios presents an obvious conflict of interest. Creators may be reluctant to speak negatively about the products of a company that pays them (or might). While traditional news organizations, including The Times, sell ads to movie studios, they do not allow critics, reporters or editors to accept compensation from them and generally keep editorial and business operations separate.

Carrie Rickey, who was the film critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1986 to 2011, said she refrained from working too closely with studios to avoid even the “appearance of impropriety.”

“It would mar my reputation as an independent writer,” she said.

Many on MovieTok have evolved an ad hoc code of ethics — accepting payment only for trailer announcements or general recommendations, for example, rather than true reviews — but recognize accusations of bias as an occupational hazard.

“I always try to be super transparent with my viewers,” said Megan Cruz ( jstoobs , 535,000 followers), noting that she is careful to identify gifts and sponsorships in her videos. “We do exist in this in-between space and I think it’s important to clarify whenever you’re getting any kind of advantage.” (By law, paid endorsements on TikTok must be labeled; but gifts, including swag boxes and travel to red carpet events, are not always disclosed.)

Cruz, 34, echoed other MovieTok reviewers who said they dislike doing sharply negative posts and would be unlikely to slam a movie whether they were in business with the studio or not. She said she generally prefers to deliver negative opinions in the form of a “compliment sandwich,” preceded and followed by more positive remarks.

“It pains me to say that this movie, by and large, did not work for me,” she said, in a review of the horror-comedy “Renfield.” Cruz then added: “There are a lot of individual elements of this film that really do work.”

Another source of income is TikTok itself. Since 2020, the platform has shared revenue with accounts that meet eligibility requirements. Gutierrez said that between sponsored posts and payouts from TikTok she has made as much as four times the salary of her previous job as a substitute teacher.

After Hollywood actors went on strike in July, many creators stopped working for the studios in solidarity. SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, issued guidelines for influencers last month discouraging them from accepting “any new work for promotion of struck companies or their content.”

Green, who had previously implied that he would continue working as usual, subsequently walked back those comments. He said in a recent interview that he had turned down eight proposals to work with struck companies and would continue to do so for the duration of the strike.

“It was a mistake that I made and I completely own that,” he said.

The lack of Hollywood work has prompted many creators to pivot to other subjects, such as independent films and anime.

But with or without the studios, those interviewed for this story said their obsession with dissecting movies would remain.

“I like to call it professional overthinking,” Green said.

Brooks Barnes contributed reporting from Los Angeles.

An earlier version of this article misspelled the surname of a philosopher who formulated a definition of criticism. He is Noël Carroll, not Carrol.

When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at [email protected] . Learn more

Reggie Ugwu is a pop culture reporter covering a range of subjects, including film, television, music and internet culture. Before joining The Times in 2017, he was a reporter for BuzzFeed News and Billboard magazine. More about Reggie Ugwu

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10 Movie-Review TikTok Accounts to Watch

Rotten Tomatoes isn’t the only website for movie reviews anymore; many are heading to TikTok.  TikTokers have plenty to say on new and old movies alike — the hashtag #moviereview has over 932.7 million views. If you’re a movie-lover, a brand looking to work with movie buffs or an influencer hoping to step into film reviews, there are plenty of opportunities to share new and exciting content on TikTok .

10 movie-review TikTok accounts to watch

Madi Koch, or Madi Moo as she goes by on TikTok, has created an audience of 3 million film buffs with her movie reviews. She’s been invited by brands like Netflix to see and review new films before they come out to the public. If you’re looking to work with a film reviewer or you want to focus your own TikTok around movies, check out Madi’s videos.

@maddikoch THE LIE. Spoiler posted ! #movierecommendation #movie #moviesuggestion #movieclip #scarymovie #moviescene ♬ original sound - Maddi Moo

Cameron Kozak

Dubbed “Your TikTok Movie Guy,” Cameron Kozak on TikTok has built a following of almost 790,000 followers by sharing his movie reviews. Most of his videos share a scene from the film with his own voiceover giving his opinion, like this one in the movie, “ Encanto ,” or this one about what he’s looking for in the “ Batman” movie. Don’t worry, though — Cameron always lets you know if he’s giving away any spoilers so the film doesn’t get ruined for you!

@kodak_cameron Come back every week for a new mystery waiting to be solved, stream POKER FACE today! only on @peacock streaming now. #pokerfacepeacock ♬ original sound - Cameron Kozak

J Buck Studios

With 393,000 followers, J Buck Studios is another favorite film and movie review TikTok account to work with or follow. Equipped with sarcasm, J Buck gives fun, in-depth movie reviews on new films and some of his favorites. He’s even started a YouTube channel where he can give even longer reviews on upcoming films.

@jbuckstudios Did you know this about Clue? #cluemovie #clue #moviedetails #jbuckstudios #jbuck #eastereggs ♬ original sound - JBuck

TikToker J Stoobs (aka Megan) shares in-depth movie and comic reviews with her 420,000 followers. She’s even worked with brands and gone to the red carpet event for the new “Batman” movie. Megan also dives into social injustices and likes to show scenes from movies to help change the conversation.

@jstoobs Also it’s genuinely funny as hell #tv #movies #girls ♬ original sound - stoobs

Let’s Watch That

With 173,000 followers , Let’s Watch That is another TikToker sharing movie reviews, but this channel has a slight focus on horror films . Love ‘em or hate ‘em, horror movies have quite the following and this TikToker shares her feelings on the horror films you should watch despite their bad reviews. If horror films aren’t your thing, don’t worry — she also throws in movies that will boost serotonin levels .

@letswatchthat The Pale Blue Eye is on Netflix now #fyp #newmovies #review #film #thriller #christianbale #harrymelling #thepaleblueeye #filmtok #letswatchthat #films2023 #2023 ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono - moshimo sound design

Cinema Nation

Cinema Nation is a group-run TikTok about all things movies and television. They’ve grown their following to almost 150,000 other movie lovers with their in-depth movie reviews and letting their followers know which movies to watch out for in the upcoming month .

@cinemanation It’s About Drive. It’s About Power. #fyp #blackadam #dc #movie #moviereview #filmtok #cinemanation #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Cinema Nation

Muny Rags, a Toronto-based TikToker , is a movie writer and director who likes to not only give reviews, but show his followers why certain aspects are important in filmmaking. He also likes to show films that aren’t brand new and even explains why props are important in films. Muny Rags’ unique take on film reviews has helped his TikTok grow to almost 80,000 followers.

@muny_rags #smilemovie #smilemovie2022 #horrormovie #movieanalysis #filmanalysis #learnontiktok ♬ Smile - Lily Allen

Anime and movies are two genres that sum up Cinemonika on TikTok. If you’re looking for anime movie recommendations or funny skits on popular TV shows, Cinemonika has plenty of short TikToks for you to scroll through. While she only has about 16,000 followers on TikTok, you can also find Cinemonika on YouTube with a subscriber base of 138,000. Her YouTube videos show even more in-depth recommendations on anime movies she recommends.

@cinemonika the most wholesome show i’ve seen in a while 🥹💗 #themakanai #netflix #netflixrecommendation #tvshow #japanesetvshow #koreeda #hirokazukoreeda ♬ End Theme of “The Makanai” 舞妓さんちのまかないさん エンドテーマ (feat. キヨ) - Yoko Kanno

With just under 18,000 followers on TikTok, Vidz by V is an 18-year-old filmmaker who shares movie and TV reviews. Because of her love for filmmaking, she has a unique take on watching films and TV shows. She even did a roundup video on what she believes were the best films of 2021 .

@vm_b Just some of my fav films #film #filmtok #movies #spidermannowayhome #animatedmovies #marvelmovies #filmtokers #movieindustry #movietoker #gonegirl #ladybird #intothespiderverse #midsommarmovie #jojorabbit #womeninfilmmaking #womeninfilm #tiktikboom #andrewgarfield ♬ Boho days from tick tick boom Netflix - JameCur

Lindsay Shannon Joyner

Lover of all things film, Lindsay Shannon Joyner shares relaxing reviews of movies with her 25,000 followers. As a “film fatale” as she calls herself, Lindsay joins in on different TikTok trends to share 50 films set in the 50 states and even film ideas to watch on a first date .

@filmlinds movie tag! 🎞️✨ #a24 #filmtok #movietok #moviereview #everythingeverywhereallatonce #greenscreen ♬ sarahs movie tag - sarah ! 🦕

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Screen Rant

10 best tiktok accounts for film buffs.

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With the latest trailer drops for movies like The Fabelmans and White Noise, film buffs can rejoice for another packed season of arthouse crafts and blockbusters as the year soon comes to a close. While cinema fans wait for these films to hit the big screen, there are many content creators out there to provide their expertise and discuss their love for the cinema on TikTok.

Some of these creators tend to focus on a certain franchise more than others, such as Star Wars or The Lord Of The Rings , but that doesn't mean they don't discuss or tackle other subjects involving cinema. Others don't even talk about the films themselves but rather the making of the projects.

Critiquegeek

As her account name might suggest, Amber is a proud geek and content creator who covers various genres and franchises. Her biggest subject that many of her TikToks focus on is the Middle-Earth franchise. This can range from the Tolkien books to discussing theories about The Rings Of Power , including a parody video on theories about The Stranger.

This creator also showcases her love for Disney movies, Marvel, Star Wars , and more. Critiquegeek gives her opinions in calm and pleasant manners, but she is not afraid to face off against toxic behavior in fandoms. As a bonus, Critiquegeek also has several cosplay videos that are nothing but entertaining.

Bstarrcinema

Bryan Starr is an endearing creator who goes out of his way to showcase different entertainment media stores, from video rental stores to comic book stores to actual film-related museums. He even featured VHS tapes with their original covers in some locations. His upbeat energy makes it easy to want to find these kinds of stores since something is charming about actual media stores.

That's not all since Bryan also posts TikToks about film news, reviews, and more. Even a video talking about unique slipcovers for steelbook cases is enough to hook a viewer into watching his content. Each video shows a lot of effort as he uses multiple angles and gives rather eloquent narration that keeps the viewer engaged.

CodyLeachReviews

A very down-to-Earth creator, Cody Leach is as enjoyable to watch on TikTok as he is on YouTube, with his main focus being the horror genre. His YouTube gives much longer and more detailed reviews on films, games, and shows, while his TikToks are essentially a much quicker version of that. Cody Leach makes his TikToks as companion pieces to his longer videos, posting reactions to movies he just watched as he leaves the theater.

He also does movie rankings on his TikTok, such as all the films he's seen within a month. Typically, Cody Leach backs up all of his opinions with jokes that are sure to leave a lot of people's sides hurting. On top of it all, he has plenty of other videos on his account that isn't about cinema but is still entertaining.

The Matman Show

For those looking for a variety of pop-culture content, The Matman Show provides just that with his highly energetic videos. One video will have Matman discussing a new movie or show, and the next could be a voice impression video, with a few skits where he cosplays Lucifer Morningstar, given his many looks in the show. However, some of his best content is when he goes after calls out the negativity in fandoms in humorous ways.

There are so many trolls on TikTok who simply try to put creators down, and Matman always fights back in clever and often hilarious manners. Matman's TikToks showcase his love for Star Wars , the DC universe, and many other franchises. Like Cody Leach, his videos are usually mixed with humor to make them even more enjoyable.

Props To History

This account focuses on many kinds of films, but not in the typical sense. Instead, it's more of an educational account of the history and importance of props in filmmaking. Props to History will showcase how certain props are made, how they work, and more.

Some of his most fascinating TikToks are the ones that focus on famous props from iconic films , with the creator giving a detailed history of what happened to that prop and where it currently is if it still exists. It's a nice change in content that focuses on the behind-the-scenes as well as the creator's views on different movies, new and old.

People can name any franchise in pop culture, and Megan Cruz, AKA JStoobs, has covered it in some way via her TikToks. She keeps a bright attitude and gives her opinions on everything going on in the world with the likes of new horror films, such as Barbarian, the MCU, Disney movies, and more. She also has talked about older films, including the original star-studded Clue , and ranked her favorite movies from the 90s.

JStoobs also reports on movie news, reviews new episodes of TV shows, and will even have her own personal hot takes on subjects. The entire time JStoobs is never disrespectful to others and makes every video entertaining, informative, and pleasant to watch, whereas a lot of critics tend to fall into the trapping of making their videos negative and filled with bitterness.

Maceahwindu

This quickly rising content creator is the definition of a Star Wars fan that the community should use as an example. The Star Wars community has gained a poor reputation for being toxic and backbiting filmmakers. Joshua Johnson, AKA Maceahwindu, puts those kinds of toxic fans to shame and provides some of the most charming and enjoyable Star Wars content on TikTok.

He gives both positive and negative opinions without being too hypercritical or rude. He also makes a plethora of humorous skits and will cover other films, such as Marvel. Recently, he even made videos focusing on the new adaptation of The Little Mermaid . Maceahwindu has also made other forms of content, such as his own covers of famous songs, to show off his talented vocals.

Amandajustvibin

Due to her dozens of Marvel-related videos, Amanda Castrillo has quickly become known as one of the best comic book-related content creators on TikTok . However, that is far from her only content source, considering she has made videos on other movies, including Prey , Jurassic World: Dominion , The Invitation , and more.

It is easy to watch much of Amandajustvibin's content since every video is filled to the brim with charm and humor. One of her funniest ongoing skit series is when she plays herself chastising the personification of Marvel itself.

Similar to Cody Leach, Cris Parker delivers content in unison on both YouTube and TikTok. 3CFilms on TikTok will cover movie news in a more condensed format on the platform, giving his quick thoughts and even doing some reaction videos to trailers occasionally.

Cris will also throw in some skits, such as parodying Owen Grady's hand maneuver from the Jurassic World movies and the major spoilers for Pixar's Lightyear . His main content, however, is his updates and breakdowns on movie news, and they are always enjoyable to watch since Cris is a positive and lively creator who always knows how to make viewers laugh or smile.

Straw Hat Goofy

With over three million followers, Straw Hat Goofy has gained the reputation of "The Movie Guy" on TikTok since he will give his opinions on anything out there in theaters or streaming. From horror to family films to simply making videos showing love to Powerline's songs from A Goofy Movie , he gives his honest opinions in upbeat videos keeping things constructive, entertaining, and charismatic.

He also gives more than reviews, such as when he'll make different editorial video series on his account, movies he thinks deserve a sequel, praise great movie posters, and combines two movies to surmise another film. With a warm smile present the whole time, Straw Hat Goofy never slacks when it comes to his content.

NEXT: 10 Best Marvel Cosplayers To Follow On TikTok

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• Entertainment

TikTok influencers wield moviegoing power

Together with

The Future. Influencing has taken over film criticism, with the “MovieTok” community turning up awareness of new releases (on pause during the actor’s strike). While youth-oriented movements usurping the old guard is a tale as old as time in film criticism, the current iteration’s focus on positivity (and sponsorship) may be more effective at simple promotion than actual critical appreciation. But considering how they’ve already helped recent titles go viral online and at the box office , they may still be embraced by filmmakers hoping to reach a new generation.

Gatekeepers of hype For young audiences, film criticism is being remade on TikTok .

• MovieTok influencers like Straw Hat Goofy , Cinema.Joe , and Maddi Moo have amassed millions of followers reviewing movies typically in 30-to-90-second videos, focusing on a specific genre.
• The “movie reviewers” (they avoid the label “critic”) put an emphasis on positivity, acting as a recommendation resource rather than aspiring to join the critical community of professional publications, which they view as having “unearned authority.”

A major reason for the focus on positivity is because they’re often paid by studios to promote movies, earning anywhere between $1,000 to $30,000 for a sponsored post. And even if they’re not paid (which is required to be disclosed on TikTok), they may be gifted swag boxes or tickets to red carpet events (which don’t need to be disclosed).

While that conflict of interest would be a major ethics violation for professional critics ( just look at the controversy surrounding Rotten Tomatoes ), MovieTok influencers don’t have the same limitations… or standards, depending on your viewpoint. But some have drafted their own code of ethics, only taking payment for trailer announcements or more general marketing.

Authenticity is a fine line.

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