I don't have an authoritative opinion here... but I agree with the last sentence:The simplest and best criterion for judging the effectiveness of narration will always be its facility to complement the moving pictures themselves.
Hm. Or, alternately, the ultimate story that narration tells is that the director/actor couldn't manage to tell the story in pictures, so they threw in the towel and took the easy way by adding narration. I'm not highly opinionated about the use of narration, myself. I've enjoyed it. I've hated it. It's just another tool, to me. Like choosing to shoot in black and white, or the framing choices made by the cinematographer in Mr. Robot. But like any tool in the kit, overuse it, and it gets worn and tired-looking. And, it isn't always the right tool for every job.
agreed? I think? Perhaps I'm reading the sentence wrong - or perhaps I'm reading your comment wrong. Narration is a tool. Sometimes narration works, and sometimes it doesn't (although it looks like kb falls into the "doesn't" camp). And one measure (in my mind) is if it complements the film or not. Does it add or detract?