How to Write a Movie Review (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

If the audience watches a film, it is worth writing criticism, regardless of whether it is a masterpiece or a B-movie. A good review should entertain, convince and inform, providing an original opinion without revealing much of the film's plot. A great review could be a work of art in itself. Read this article to learn how to analyze the film, formulate interesting theses and write a review as compelling as the subject of your study.

Steps

Part 1 of 1: Main Points

Step 1. Start with a convincing fact or opinion

Your goal is to engage the reader right away. This sentence should convey to the reader a clear idea of what you think about the film - good, fantastic, terrible or just plain good? - and have him continue reading. Here are some examples:

• Comparison with a major event or another film: "Leaders, politicians and experts seem to aspire to revenge every day, whether it is ISIS, a rival team or a political opponent. However, only a few are able to taste the cold and detached taste of this feeling like the characters of Blue Ruin ".
• Concisely and straight to the point: "Despite Tom Hanks' gripping performance in the lead role and a fantastic soundtrack, Forrest Gump fails to emerge from the weak plot and questionable premise."
• Contextual: "Boyhood could be the first film where knowing how it was produced - slowly, over twelve years, with the same actors - is as important as the film itself."

Step 2. Make a clear and concise opinion in the first part of your review

Don't leave the reader in doubt whether you liked the movie or not. Let them know in the first part of what you write, so that you can invest in the rest of your paper to clarify the reason for your opinion.

• Using stars, a 10 to 100 rating, or a simple thumbs down are all quick ways to express your thoughts. So you can explain your reasons.
• Great: "American Hustle is one of those rare instances where all the elements (every actor, scene, costume and line) converge together to create a viewing experience worth reviewing."
• Ugly: "47 Ronin. Regardless of how much you like Karate movies, you risk wasting time and money by going to see this."
• Good: "While I liked it a lot more than I expected, it doesn't mean Interstellar is a perfect film. All in all, the entrancing spectacle of photography allowed me to overcome the heaviness of plot and dialogue."

Step 3. Explain your opinion in detail

This is the stage where taking notes while watching the movie becomes really useful. Nobody cares about your opinion if you can't show your reasons.

• Fantastic: "Next stop Fruitvale Station, a film in which the chemistry between Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer would be enough to make it great even if the script was horrible. Particularly the prison scene, mid-film, where the camera doesn't never moves away from their face, it shows how the two actors are able to excite using nothing but the eyes, the tension of the neck and a hiss of voice."
• Ugly: "The most serious flaw of Jurassic World is the absolute lack of a female character with whom one can identify, especially in the laughable scene in which the protagonist runs away from a dinosaur … wearing heels".
• Good: "At the end of the day, Snowpiercer doesn't seem to be able to decide what kind of movie he wants to be. The attention to detail in the action scenes, where every weapon and every more infinitesimal element seems to have its own why, does not translate well. effective in a finish that seems so powerful but at the same time almost devoid of substance."

Step 4.

Go beyond the obvious plot analysis.

The plot is only part of the movie and you shouldn't base your review simply on that. In some movies it's not even that great, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're bad. Other items to focus on include:

• Photography: "Her is a world immersed in colors, a mixture of soft and bright reds and orange tones together with relaxing whites and shades of gray, which manages to create and slowly discover the love between the two protagonists. Each frame looks like a painting in which it is worth getting involved."
• Tono: "Despite the immense loneliness and extreme consequences of being stuck on Mars, The Martian's brilliant script keeps the excitement and humor alive in every scene. Space can certainly be dangerous and terrifying, but the joy of scientific discovery is absolutely. exciting."
• Music and sound effects: "The rather daring choice not to use music in the film No Country for Old Men proved compelling. The almost surreal silence of the desert interrupted by the rapid and violent accents of the prey and hunter sound effects keep you glued to your chair throughout. the duration of the film ".
• Acting: "While he's fantastic every time he appears in an action scene, using his contemptuous stoicism to counter the runaway bus, Keanu Reeves can't quite match the tension conveyed by Speed's co-star's expressionless gaze in the seemingly calmer moments of the game. movie".

Conclude your review with an all-round closure. Finish your writing by perhaps returning to your initial opinion. Remember, people read reviews to decide whether or not a particular movie is worth watching. Then conclude with a clear sentence that tells them what to do.

• Fantastic: "Eventually, even the protagonists of Blue Ruin realize how senseless their feud makes sense. The thirst for revenge, however, just like every minute of tension in this thriller, becomes an impossible thing to give up … until to the final bitterness."
• Ugly: "Although it has happened in the past that a plot based on the behavioral interactions of grandfather and grandson has led to good results, Grandpa unleashed does not seem destined to fall into this category. The only unforgettable part of the film is the feeling of bitterness it provokes. from the waste of a talent like Robert De Niro."
• Good: "Boyhood does not tell a story, but the mother of all stories: life. The one that flows over us, the one that time carries with it, the one made up of moments we don't realize - moments that it was only possible to capture over the course of 12 years of filming. All of this makes Linklater's latest film an essential work for anyone interested in the art of cinematography."

Study the Source of the Material

1. Gather basic information about the movie. You can do this before or after you see it, but you certainly should do it before writing the review, as this is data that you need to include in your article. Here's what you should know:

   

   • Title
   • Director
   • Main actors
   • Type

2. Take notes while watching the movie. Before getting ready to watch, grab a notebook or turn on your laptop. Films are long, and you may forget important details. Taking notes will help you remember everything.

   

   • Write a note whenever something hits you, whether it's good or bad. This can be the costumes, makeup, set design or soundtrack, etc. Think about how these details fit in with the rest of the film and what they mean in the context of your review.
   • Take note of the patterns you begin to understand as the film develops.
   • Pause the movie very often, so you don't miss any sequence, and come back to the scenes whenever you feel it necessary.

3. Analyze the dynamics of the film. During or after the viewing, ask yourself what impression it left on you in each of these aspects:

   

   • Direction. Evaluate how the director decided to explain and portray the events of the story. Think about how the facts were presented to the public. Evaluate if the film was slow, or did not include elements in your opinion necessary. These defects could be due to the direction. If you've seen other films from the same director, compare them and determine which one is your favorite.
   • Photography. What techniques were used in the film? What elements of the scenography and setting contributed to create a certain atmosphere?
   • Film script. Evaluate the script, including dialogue and interpretation. Did the plot seem original and unpredictable, or boring and uninteresting? Did the characters' dialogues seem believable?
   • Assembly. Did the film progress smoothly from scene to scene or did it seem to consist of multiple clips? Take notes on the use of lights and other environmental effects. If there are CGI effects in the film, consider whether they looked realistic or stood out too much from the rest of the images.
   • Costumes. Was the choice of costumes appropriate for the style of the film? Did they help create the right atmosphere?
   • Scenography. Consider whether the design added something to the film or distracted from the dialogue and events. If the film was shot on a real set, was the location chosen well?
   • Soundtrack. Was it appropriate for the scenes? Did it stand out too much or too little? Did it create tension? Was it funny or annoying? The soundtrack can decide the fate of a film, especially if the songs have a particular message or meaning.

4. Watch the film a second time. It is impossible to fully understand a movie by looking at it once, especially if you stop and take notes. Check it out at least one more time before writing your review. Pay attention to the details you may have forgotten on your first viewing. Choose other aspects to focus on; if you took a lot of acting notes the first time, focus on photography now.

   

   Compose the Review

   1. Develop an original thesis on which to base your analysis. Now that you've studied the film thoroughly, what unique perspective can you offer? Think of a central idea around which you can develop your discussion, and upon which you can base your observations on the various elements of the film. You should state this idea in the first paragraph of the review; in this way you can not express an opinion in the summary phase of the plot. Ask yourself these questions to organize a compelling thesis for review:

      

      • Does the film address contemporary topics or events? It could be a director's technique to strike up a broader conversation. See how the contents of the film have been related to those of the "real" world.
      • Does the film want to leave a message, or is it just trying to arouse a reaction, an emotion in the audience? You can analyze if this goal has been achieved.
      • Does the film affect you on a personal level? You could write the review based on your feelings, and weave it with your personal stories to make it even more interesting.

   2. Follow up your thesis with a brief summary of the film's plot. It's always a good idea to give readers an idea of what you've seen so that they can decide whether or not to follow your lead. In the summary, identify the main characters, describe the setting and give an idea of the main story. Never forget the number one rule of the film critic: don't reveal too much! Don't spoil the movie for your readers!

      

      • When naming the characters, indicate in brackets the names of the actors who play them.
      • Find a space to mention the director's name and the full title of the film.
      • If you feel compelled to give information that could "ruin" the ending to readers, put a warning at the beginning of the review.

   3. Start analyzing the film. Write several paragraphs in which you analyze the salient points of the film that support your thesis. Talk about acting, directing, photography and set design. Use clear language that keeps the reader's interest high.

      

      • Make your words clear and simple to understand. Don't use too technical language or cinematic jargon, your review must be accessible to most people.
      • Present both the facts and your opinion. For example, you could write: "The Baroque soundtrack clashes with the setting of the film in the 20th century." This sentence gives much more information than "Music is strange compared to the movie".

   4. Use many examples to confirm your ideas. If you make a statement about the movie, follow it up with some descriptive examples. Tell how the scenes look, how a certain actor acts, describe which camera angle the director has chosen and so on. You can cite snippets of dialogue to be even more precise. This way you convey to the reader the feelings that the film aroused in you and at the same time express your criticism.

      

   5. Infuse your paper with personality. You can treat your review like a school assignment, but it's a lot more interesting if you give it a touch of personality. If your style is usually witty and fun, the review shouldn't be an exception. If you are serious and dramatic, that's okay anyway. Make the language and style reflect your personality and perspective - all of which is enough to entertain the reader.

      

   6. Finish the review. The closure should end the review and provide the reader with a key to the film, so that they can decide whether or not to see it. The conclusions should also be interesting and compelling as they are the final part of your article.

      

      Refine the Article

      1. Edit the review. Now that you have completed the first draft, reread it to see if it is fluent and if it has the proper structure. It may be necessary to move or change a paragraph, delete sentences or add other material to expand on concepts that seem unclear. You will have to reread your writing two or three times before you are sure it sounds good.

         

         • Ask yourself if the review is consistent with your thesis. Does the conclusion lead back to the initial idea?
         • Evaluate if the text contains enough details about the film. You will need to reread and add other descriptions where they are useful for understanding the film.
         • See if it's interesting as a stand-alone article. Does it contribute to the discussion around the film? What can readers get from your review that they couldn't get from just watching the movie?

      2. Check and correct any errors. Make sure the actor names and data are correct. Eliminate typos, grammar and spelling errors. An accurate review is much more professional than a puddle of errors.

         

      3. Post or share the review. Post it on your blog or in a discussion on a forum, share it on Facebook or email it to friends and family. Cinematography is the main art form of our age, and like all art forms it arouses controversy, reflection and has a great influence on our culture. All of which means that it is always worth discussing, even if films are sometimes colossal fiascos or genius works. Thank you for contributing your valuable opinion to the discussion.

         

         Advice

         • Always remember that just because you didn't like the movie doesn't mean it's bad. A good critic helps the reader to understand if they like the film.
         • Read a lot of reviews and think about which ones you find most useful. The value of a review can often be found in its usefulness (i.e. how much the writer will be able to predict whether the film will please the reader) rather than in its accuracy (how much the reader will agree with the writer).
         • If you didn't like the movie, don't overdo the negative comments. Avoid reviewing movies you know you won't like.
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