How to Write a Movie Review Like a Professional Critic – Writing a movie review though challenging for some students can be quite easy. What you should know is that the format of presenting a review are the same which makes it an interesting task. Here we offer a step-by-step process of how to write a good film review or how to write an introduction for a movie review that any student can follow:
Watch the movie: Before you can review any film, you must watch it. You cannot review a motion picture you have not watched. Therefore, for success watch the film at least twice. Note: do not watch it like you’re a regular moviegoer or movie enthusiast. Be focused and conscious through the film. Take notes if necessary.
You will need to take notes hence have a notebook and pen handy. Record all events and characters (major and minor). Try to be meticulous do not overlook anything.
Research the movie: Watching the film should give you the overview and feel of the movie. With that, it should be easy and exciting to research the movie. The research augments what you have watched in the movie. In your research, you should find out who the filmmaker is, what prompted the making of the movie, the characterization, historical events the lead to the film, location, plot and so on.
If you are aware of the details behind the movie, the movie will be more understandable and engaging. Note also that if you do not understand the movie you cannot move to the next step which involves analysis. Try not to proceed to the next step unless you vividly understand the movie.
- Genre
- Title and year
- Names of the lead actors
- Name of the director
- Title of the book (if based on a book)
Draft the review outline: Draft an outline with which you will write the review. The overview will help you organize your review concisely and logically. The outline is more like the skeletal frame on which the whole study will stand. A good draft will yield a perfect report, and the reverse is also true.
An outline enhances the quality of the film review, and it is essential you have your outline before you start writing. A sample outline looks like this: 1. Introduction
- Title
- Date released
- Background info
- Cast
- Director
- 2. Summary of the story
- 3. Analysis of the plot elements (read also: guide about a for movies)
- 4. Creative elements
- 5. Opinions (add examples to back up your claims)
- Characters
- Camera techniques
- Dialogues
- Colors
- Mood
- Tone
- Symbols
- Costumes
- Special effects and so on
6. Conclusion
- Analyze the movie: After fully understanding the movie, you can start its analysis. Critically evaluate the film from the beginning to the end, noting every detail. While analyzing, if you observed any confusing part, re-watch to grasp the idea portrayed there fully. After you fully understand it, then you are set to write the movie review. To write a decent analysis, you need to know how to write a film critique.
- Augment Your Review with Examples : While watching the movie, your observations should be supported with examples, i.e., mention scenes the event took place. If the plot is faulty, mention it but state examples to support that claim. You can also mention poorly developed characters evident in the movie and others. Everything you observed in the film must be noted.
Examples of notables include locations, faulty or beautiful dialogues, quotes that appeal to you, poorly made speeches, bloopers, editing errors and so on. Do take note that it is not enough to make general statements about how awesome or awful the movie is, you must support your claim with evidence in the film.
- Comment on the originality of the movie: Finally mention the uniqueness of the film which you noticed in the one you’ve watched. But even if the movie happens to be a standard feature with conventional approaches, you can still mention this as well. A regular film is still a film.
- Write Your Review: With all the fact gathered above, you can now use the outline to write your film review. Make every part easy and enjoyable to read. Importantly, make the introduction engaging and captivating. You should go for a grand opening that will grab the attention of any reader. A good opening keeps the reader on the article.
Let us assume your introduction is watertight and engaging; any sloppy body will lose your reader. Hence, make the body informative and engaging. The review aims to reveal as much information as possible. Therefore, do your best to give all the details in the film to the reader.
Edit Your Final Draft: After writing your first version of the review, you can re-write the final one after editing. Also, you should check the final draft for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and so on. Ensure sentences connects logically to each other and watch the format used. Make a final comparison of your work with the requirement by your professor or lecturer.
With the help of check the number of words required and cut them if more than needed but if not, add relevant information to make them up. Do not add irrelevant details for the sake of space. Ensure your final submitted draft is well edited, polished, plagiarism-free and presented in the recommended format or style. Reviews.io 4.8 /5
What is good to say in a movie review?
A must-see/a smash hit a box-office success/failure an audience pleaser well worth seeing not to be missed a moving production/an emotionally strong film a truly great piece of filmmaking a skilful piece of filmmaking an impressive debut a very moving portrayal I definitely recommend this film to everybody
What are the three parts of a movie review?
Your review should start with an introduction, then a summary of the book/movie, then your analysis and finally your conclusion.
What are the 5 elements of a movie?
Elements of Film: The Graduate:, 936 words Elements of Film is a way to compose every scene in a film and constitute the essence of film. There are five elements of film which is narrative, cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene, and editing. These five elements help determine the film and a way to judge a film.
In the group of The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols, can be determined and judged upon using those five specific elements that constitutes elements of film. Every movie can be determined by it as it also helps analyze a scene of the movie. In this case, The Graduate will be judged upon and explained through the elements.
Professional Writers that Guarantee an On-time Delivery experts online The first Element of Film is the narrative. A narrative is similar to the plot of the movie but a narrative is talking about what the movie is, the characters and the world. The whole film follows the protagonist, Ben who is a recent college graduate that doesn’t really know what to do with his life.
- The whole film is basically portraying the struggles of Ben as he tries to find his purpose.
- He undergoes serious relationship struggles as he has an affair with a fellow family friend, Mrs. Robinson.
- Soon after he meets her daughter Elaine; he falls in love with her.
- A conflict is risen at this point as the relationship with Mrs.
Robinson is known to both families. Elaine intends to marry another man but Ben arrives and steals her away from the altar. At the end, they both sit in the bus and the look on their faces is the reality of what happened. A narrative is more like story telling as it shows character development.
Second Element of Film is cinematography, which is basically ‘writing in movement’. It is the way the film was framed, toned and colored in its own way of photography. Examples of cinematography that was seen in the film and one of them is The Party. In that scene, the camera gave a response to the audience as it used claustrophobic close ups to the main character, Ben.
It gives the audience the ‘suffocation’ feel that the character itself is feeling throughout the scene. Another example is the Bus scene towards the end. In that scene, the camera takes a long take where we get to see the actor’s performance (Dustin Hoffman who played Ben).
The is able to take in the switch of panic as Ben still at the end of the movie, still doesn’t know what to do. Although earlier, Ben was eager to find Elaine and the way the cameras portrayed that made the audience feel the pressure and the time of the wedding clicking, as his he struggles through his journey.
The cinematography in the film is great example of showing the audience and connecting them to the character. The cinematography also leans heavily towards point of view. The scene in which Benjamin is floating in the pool on a sunny day and his parents and the Robinsons are staring down at him, the audience can see from Benjamin’s perspective as these four adult figures loom overhead and obstructing their expression.
It depicts Benjamin’s lack of interest in becoming an adult. He is uncertain about life after college and is unwilling to come into terms with it. On Benjamin’s birthday party, he is standing in the kitchen wearing scuba diving suite with a mask and oxygen tank in which his father had purchased for him.
As he is walking out toward the pool, the audience sees shots of Benjamin’s perspective as he looks through the goggle and all that can be heard is his own rhythmic breathing. You may also be interested This scene illustrates that Benjamin finds the advices, requests and demands of the elder to be incomprehensive, meaningless and boring.
- The partial view through the goggle is an indication of who Benjamin is as a person.
- He is an immature young man who only sees what is merely in front of him.
- The image of his father encouraging him towards the pool is reflective of his adolescent being steered to a purpose of accomplishment.
- Although unwilling, he is walking toward the pool not wanting to disappoint his parents.
He is somewhat obeying his parent’s wishes, but in fact, Benjamin refuses to hear or comprehension what the adults has to say conveying his dissatisfaction with his comfortable sheltered life. His idea of living in a fish tank or under water is somehow comforting to him.
- The sound is one of the most powerful aspects in film that has three components to it.
- Sound in film has sound effects, dialogue and music.
- Music usually shapes the feelings and the perceptions of a scene in a film to the audience.
- Dialogue and sound effects go together in a way that they are essential that helps us bring us to the world of the film itself.
In The Graduate, it has a song called “The Sound of Silence” as it is used many times throughout the whole film. It helps us understand the character, Ben, as he tries to find himself in the film. The sound in the film mainly relates to Ben as it translates to his behavior, especially when he goes to search for Elaine.
- Mise-en-scene is practically everything that appears in the films’ frame.
- Everything in the film counts for mise-en-scene.
- We can see it throughout the whole film of The Graduate.
- WHen Ben is in his car and when it stops out of gas, that signifies his search is over but he doesn’t give up.
- There is a motif in the film which is the song, “Here’s to you Mrs.
Robinson” as it is played in the movie. That is another part of the mise-en-scene in the film. What I have noticed in this film, was that the director worked hard to put and try to incorporate ‘real’ life events in the film. The last part of Elements of Film is editing.
A editor of a film works hard to put the whole movie together from all the scenes. Editor is also responsible for cuts being made in the film; scenes as an audience don’t see. An example of editing is during the montage of The Graduate. There you can see how all the scenes connect to each other and how the music goes along with it.
The whole scene shows how the film has captured Ben’s mood the whole time, how he’s drifting from one thing to the next. Its an example from transitions from one scene to the next.100% Customized to Your Need with Expert Writers Using Elements of Film to analyze films, makes us understand their true structure and how they incorporate a big part in the film industry. It is essential for us to understand them in order to understand the film most of the time. In this case, The Graduate was one of the films that was a bit easy to see and understand these elements.
How do you explain a good movie?
A good film is one that entertains, educates, and inspires. It should be well-made and thought-provoking, with a strong plot and believable characters. A good film can make you think about the world in a new way, and leave you with a lasting impression. Also read – Hollywood Filmmaking Tips to Inspire You.
What are the two types of film reviews?
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets; and academic criticism by film scholars who are informed by film theory and are published in academic journals.
Academic film criticism rarely takes the form of a review; instead it is more likely to analyse the film and its place in the history of its genre or in the whole of film history, Film criticism is also labeled as a type of writing that perceives films as possible achievements and wishes to convey their differences, as well as the films being made in a level of quality that is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
Film criticism is also associated with the journalistic type of criticism, which is grounded in the media’s effects being developed, and journalistic criticism resides in standard structures such as newspapers. Journal articles pertaining to films served as representatives for the film critics who desired to increase the amount of communication about movies to a high degree that ascended above content that was normally featured in popular publications.
The critics who work in the media are normally commissionaires who affect culture, since the judgments and choices of critics have the effect of influencing what audience members perceive about objects that are supplied to them, and critics are also able to influence how the audience members choose to think about objects that are supplied to them.
In the current era of history, film criticism is rich in having digital devices that allow films to be analyzed through visual and auditory methods that involve critical strategies of creativity that allow people to become immersed in film criticism.
What are the three elements of a movie?
What are the 3 stages of film production? – The film production process can be divided into countless steps to take a film from concept to a finished piece. However, there are three key stages that take place in the production of any film: pre-production (planning), production (filming), and post-production (editing, color-grading, and visual effects).
What is the format of review?
Outline and Template – As you progress with reading your article, organize your thoughts into coherent sections in an outline. As you read, jot down important facts, contributions, or contradictions. Identify the shortcomings and strengths of your publication.
- Begin to map your outline accordingly.
- If your professor does not want a summary section or a personal critique section, then you must alleviate those parts from your writing.
- Much like other assignments, an article review must contain an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
- Thus you might consider dividing your outline according to these sections as well as subheadings within the body.
If you find yourself troubled with the prewriting and the brainstorming process for this assignment, seek out a sample outline. Your custom essay must contain these constituent parts:
Pre-title page : here, you will want to list the type of the article that you are reviewing, the title of the publication, all the authors who contributed to it, author’s affiliations (position, department, institute, city, state, country, email ID) Optional corresponding author details : name, address, phone number, email, and fax number. Running head : Only in the APA format. It is the title of your paper shortened to less than 40 characters. Summary page : Optional, depending on the demands of your instructor. The summary should be maximum 800 words long. Use non-technical and straightforward language. Do not repeat text verbatim or give references in this section. Give 1) relevant background 2) explain why the work was done 3) summarize results and explain the method. Title page : full title, 250-word abstract followed by “Keywords:” and 4-6 keywords. Introduction Body : Include headings and subheadings Works Cited/References Optional Suggested Reading Page Tables and Figure Legends (if instructed by the professor.)
How is a movie review done?
Frequently Asked Questions about how to write a review about a movie – ⛲️ What should be in a review? A movie review should contain a brief summary of the film, several paragraphs of analysis that focus on form and content, and a concluding paragraph that sums up your reaction.
an introductory paragraph that tells the reader what movie you’re reviewinga paragraph that summarizes the movieseveral body paragraphs that explore significant formal elements and how they relate to the contenta concluding paragraph that discusses your overall reaction to the film and whether or not you would recommend it to others
? What is the tone of a movie review? The tone for a movie review should be critical, yet objective. The goal of most reviews is to persuade a reader to either see a film or not. ? What makes a good film review? The best film reviews balance plot summary with critical analysis of significant formal elements.
What is a movie review assignment?
Assignment Guidelines for Writing Film Reviews Film Reviews Apply the vocabulary and concepts presented in class to the actual circumstances of a film viewing. The evaluation provides an opportunity to express informed and intelligent opinions about a films construction and its contents.
- The Assignment Evaluate the way in which cinematic elements (acting, directing, cinematography, editing, scenery, costumes, and sound) either contribute to, or detract from, the overall production and the story line.
- You will also want to address the course “rubric” which is attached.
- Do not spend an inordinate amount of time on a synopsis (we have all seen the movie).
The film review is an important assignment because it allows you to apply the principles and concepts that you have learned in class: analyze your own reactions in order to understand your perceptions of the film; express yourself with clarity, style, and effectiveness; and develop and use good standards of film criticism.
- The superior film evaluation is an expression of your thoughts and emotions.
- The superior film evaluation is thoughtful, honest, and careful.
- The superior film evaluation is a well-composed, reasoned, and supported argument.
- Writing a Review for Credit (Some Hints): Critical film responses, whether professional or casual, ultimately involve these three major questions: What was attempted? How fully was it accomplished? Was it worth doing? Be alert to the following: Both male and female performers are referred to as actors there are no gender specifications.
Be careful to distinguish between the actors (the performers) and the character (the roles they play). Be careful to distinguish between the films plot (the story line as written by the author) and the production (the way it was made). It is extremely advisable that you keep a copy of your paper as insurance against its accidental loss or destruction.
Form & Style Instructions Form of the Review: Must be typewritten, using 8 x 11 unlined, white bond paper. Must be double-spaced with 1″ margins all around. Must be stapled in the upper left-hand corner. No paper clips, tape, or torn & turned corners. Must be in a 12 point, readable font ( New Times Roman, Ariel, or Courier).
How to Write a Film Review
A Cover page is unnecessary. Your name, the date, and the title of the film review should appear at the top of the first page. Papers that do not adhere to this assigned form will be penalized. Cite your sources MLA Style! Length of the Review: Four pages maximum.
With 1″ margins all around, there should be 25-27 lines per page. Proofing the Review: The paper must be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Anyone turning in a paper that has not been proofed (fresh out of the typewriter or printer) will undoubtedly turn in a paper full of grammar, spelling and typographical errors.
Use friends and peers to help you proofread the paper. Mistakes in spelling, grammar, usage, and sentence construction show careless writing. This will result in less than maximum credit for the assignment. Expressing, Explaining, and Defending Your Opinions: You are not graded down for expressing and defending your honest opinions.