How To Write A Movie Review

What is Movie Review?

Movies and films are increasingly popular among many people of all age. They are the source of entertainment that help people relax after a tiring day. They, moreover, add excitement and thrill to our lives, as well as many other aspects that impact our perception of society. With all the things that a movie provides us with, we can come to a conclusion some movies are worth a review after watching. Needless to say, movie reviews will differ greatly, as people have different opinions on the same subject and/or work of art. The movie ratings usually range from great to good or sometimes even bad. Currently, there are many sites on the Internet, such as Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, that offer movie reviews. However, reviewers may have different stances toward certain qualities presented in a movie which make the reviews vary accordingly. Different reviewers offer a different outlook on a movie. While everyone can review a film, it is important to note that there are differences in a review done by experts and one done by amateurs.

We have to understand that movie review is very important because its main purpose is to give readers a general idea of what happens in a movie and what the movie is all about. Movie review helps a person to decide if the movie is worth his or her time to watch it. Therefore, a movie review should not be vague. It ought to contain components that offer detailed information to readers so that they can make an honest decision to watch the movie or keep their time and money for other films that are more worthy. Reviewers are not to ever reveal the movie plot to readers as doing so will certainly make it less enjoyable. You have to state your opinion clearly while writing a movie review, no matter if the movie is good or bad. To make your reviews clearer for the reader, you can choose to rate the movie with scores or stars as such stats are always used by many other expert reviewers on various sites on the Internet. It is obvious that a good reviewer needs to have basic knowledge of how to write a movie review.

Structure of a movie review

Just like basic essay writing, a movie review should contain an introduction, body, recommendation, and conclusion. The guide to movie review writing paves the way for writers to have some steps on how to make their reviews more captivating. So, those reviews will worth the time to read. The following steps are the instruction that most writers should follow.

Introduction

The same as ordinary essay writing, you should start your movie review with an introduction. The introductory paragraph is a hook that makes your review more appealing to readers. It ought to contain a brief summary of the movie; however, remember that this hook should include any spoilers. Hooks in movie review writing offer readers a chance to have a feel of what will be discussed in the review. Reviewers have to make the introduction captivating. This would ensure that the readers would keep reading on.

You can go on to the thesis once you have completed a brief illustration of what you will discuss in your review. To hook the readers to your review, you can state some facts or opinions about the movie in. There are various ways to achieve this effect; comparing that movie to other similar movies or recent events taken place in the society is usually a nice start. The argument should be beyond the plot and focus on the movie criticism. A short summary of the plot can be included in the thesis paragraph just to make your review more compelling. Remember that a thesis is a central idea that would be used to discuss and support your claims on various aspects of the film. It also builds bridges to what will be discussed in the body paragraphs.


The Body Paragraphs (detailing the analysis)

Body paragraphs are where your analysis is going to appear. Your analysis discusses the failures and accomplishments of the movie. Writers can also express their feelings toward the work in question. You have to be sure that your writing is easy to understand and smooth to read. To make the plot look vivid, you should try using descriptive examples and give facts and opinions on the same page so that your review writing would look professional and realistic.

Things that should be discussed in body paragraphs are usually based on your own analysis. The cinematography is about filters, lens, camera movement, and lighting techniques that are used in the movie. The soundtrack is also the best way to go while analyzing the quality of a film, as music can also alter viewers’ perception of the film. For example, in addition to great acting and storyline, Guardians of the Galaxy is also famous for its soundtracks that keep fans waiting hopefully for the new sequel to the film. Still, the acting and storylines of the movie are the most important parts, so it is crucial that you pay close attention while analyzing the two. Note, that to analyze the movie fairly, you should better take a positive (more or less, at least) viewpoint. Other factors that can also be discussed in your body paragraphs are the direction, the setting, tone, and so on. Because there are several paragraphs in your analysis parts, there is no need to worry that your review may be too long to read.

Besides knowing what to write in the body paragraphs, you also need to be sure that you do not use too many technical words used in the movie industry. Keep your writing clear and easy to understand because most of your readers are not professional film directors or actors. They are just those who watch movies for fun, and they seek your review just to make sure that the movie is worth their time. So, make your language clear and accessible. Moreover, you have to present both facts and your opinions.

Descriptive examples are important because they play a role in backing up your statement when you analyze the movie. You can give examples by describing the way a person acted in the movie, camera angles, lighting, or the way scenes are interpreted. You can also quote dialogue from a particular scene that would help in making your statement stronger. This is how you give readers the feeling of the movie and go on to convey your message about it at the same time.

The Recommendation

The recommendation can also be a part of a movie review structure. The recommendation from the reviewer gives readers a final feel of how the writers want to describe the film as a whole; that is, it is a verdict whether the movie it is worth the time and money or not. It becomes significantly important because writers need to come to a conclusion after everything they have described and mentioned in the previous paragraphs. Writers can give comment on the film that if it is great, good, or bad, and people should go and watch the movie or just do not waste their time and money.

The Conclusion

You should wrap up your review with a conclusion. It should in any given situation be tied up to its original thesis. While some writers choose to include their final decision on the film in the conclusion, it is also possible to have your comment in the conclusion part. Different writers have different ways of finishing their concluding paragraph. However, you have to be sure that your conclusion is compelling and at the same time entertaining as well.

Polishing Your Work

You have to edit your review no matter what because no one is that really good at writing. People make mistakes, and so do you. So, edit your work. Once your review has been completed, read it through and decide whether your writing follows the structure, described above. Is the writing as smooth as you expect? Sometimes you may need to shift paragraphs around, erase some sentences, or add more if needed just to make your work seem better and ensure it has a good flow from one sentence to another. Check grammatical and vocabulary mistakes because you need to be precise and accurate in your movie review writing. Any mistakes that could be avoided (both grammatical and spelling ones) should be corrected so that your readers would not be puzzled about the odd sentence structure in your writing. After all, odd structures could lead to misunderstanding with your analysis. Your review should be edited thoroughly two or three times until you are sure that it is sound.

To be sure that your review does follow the structure and contains the necessary information, you should ask yourself some important questions. Is your conclusion tied up to your thesis or original ideas you proposed in the introductory paragraph? Did you present your original opinions in your review writing? Did the readers gain anything from reading your work (that they would not find out for themselves by simply watching the film)? You ought to review the contents of your writing so that you would find some points that you have unintentionally left out. You can then go back and add more description here and there to give your readers a better sense of the movie.

There is another thing that can make your review more promising. You should rewatch the movie one more time after you have done writing. This way, you can make sure that you did not misinterpret or misrepresent anything from the movie. No one could remember every scene or tone used by actors, so it is important that you focus on the details rather than take notes and pause the movie. Pay attention to nuances and compare them to your review. This would help you interpret the messages from the movie correctly.

After everything is completed, it is time to share your brilliant work with your friends, family members, and colleagues to see if they have the same opinions about the movie as you do.