Good films, bad films

"So, did you think that was a good film?" When someone asks me that question these days I'm increasingly hesitant to answer. Perhaps it is a sign that I'm back in academia where suspending judgment is a virtue. I'd like to believe that there are at least three other reasons for my hesitation (I betray my academic interests at the moment). First, there just so many "lenses" through which films are critiqued these days, including feminist, ideological, mythological and theological approaches. Second, I'm still a relative novice at critiquing the technical aspects of films, like lighting, points of view, editing and the quality of a script. Third, the matter of a film's aesthetic quality plays a large part in the overall experience of a film, and that judgement can vary from one viewer to the next. Finally, however, there is the matter of morality, usually signalled by questions of content: Was there too much skin? Did the hero of the film break the law in order to overcome lawlessness? How many times was the name of Jesus thoughtlessly invoked?

Here's my dilemma. With regard to the first three categories, most people are willing to allow for a certain amount of personal preference or take into account another's degree of immersion in film studies. In the latter case, I sense that something else is at stake--my character.

Do you agree? How do you respond to the question, when asked?