Elijah Wood Slams 'Personal Attacks' From Movie Critics

Elijah Wood has had it with the personal attacks dealt out to actors by movie critics.

Well, some movie critics, at least.

The ‘Lord of the Rings’ star was asked in an interview with the Comic Book Resources website about his experiences with criticism, recalling a particularly scathing notice he received from the late Roger Ebert, who slated the 1994 Rob Reiner comedy 'North’, made when Wood was just 14.

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Ebert quite famously hated the movie. “I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it,” he wrote. “Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it.”

And having been on the receiving end, he’s having his say on the matter.

“The Internet has allowed for anyone to be a critic. I think that has had both good results and negative results in the sense that anybody can say anything,” he said.

“Film critics get a lot of flak, and there are certainly some filmmakers who have had some very negative things to say about critics. My perspective is as long as there isn’t a personal attack - I think that’s where I really struggle with some of the informality of the way criticism is now.

“The notion of pulling someone out and singling them out in a personal way in the context of a film review I think is poor journalism. I think it’s unethical and I think it’s unnecessary. You don’t need to attack people.”

He then went on to cite a recent incident where film writer Jeff Wells of the Hollywood Elsewhere website slated '10 Cloverfield Lane’ star Mary Elizabeth Winstead personally on Twitter for her performance.

“Now that’s f**ked up for two reasons: One, as a journalist what the f**k are you doing engaging with someone directly on Twitter and calling them out and sh***ing on them for?” said Wood.

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“Two, it totally denigrates your job as a journalist, and the standards which you should have, and the ethics I think you should try to uphold within the context of film criticism and film journalism. It’s so gross and so improper, and completely unnecessary.”

Wells has form in this area, making personal remarks about Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy and Lena Dunham in the past.

Image credits: Getty/Rex Features