I remember there was an infamous review by Kotaku that was Sorry The Minecraft Movie Isn’t For You where it basically posited that the fans are angry unreasonably because the movie seems to be fun for the kid demographic especially the writers own son had fun with it.
And while its obvious how out of touch he was, I think it actually gives an oppurtunity to point this hot take out.
Reviews are meant for the adults. Or specifically the discering adult.
Kids will love anything. Actually some for adults who often can easily love what can be considered trashy entertainment (like many adults probably liked Grown Ups 2).
My point is that the audiences love for something isn’t always a sign of quality. The critical viewers have a job that no other audience member has the burden of.
The staff who makes this stuff are adults after all and I know not everything they do is just to play their audience but to also show their own filmmaking skills.
Lets be blunt. Writers can make any movie and kids would love it. So its the job of a writer to make it good. Not just for the kids, not just for the adult fans, but also for their own reputation and just for the honor of filmmaking.