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How to Write a Movie Review with Free Samples | EssayPro

How to start a movie review

everyone can find what they need in a movie: humor, adrenaline, drama, love, time travel or an alternate reality. therefore, writing a movie review seems to be one of the most interesting tasks for most students. however, enjoying a good movie at night and watching it solely for the purpose of writing a review are not quite the same thing. This article aims to teach you how to avoid common mistakes and how to write a great movie review. read the guide to our college essay writing service.

what is a movie review?

A film review is generally a genre of art criticism and journalism. is a complex description, usually done by a professional critic, about movies that have just been released, to help you decide which movie to watch.

professional reviews differ from amateur reviews; they are more structured, sharper, more detailed, but at the same time more compact in their writing. In a professional movie review, you will always find knowledge of the film’s director(s), their previous works, and the footage of previous filmmakers, as well as an in-depth understanding of the different film genres and classics for each of them, and filmmaking techniques. and modern trends.

However, you can find many reviews by regular movie buffs, and sometimes they can end up being more informative and helpful than a professional review.

purpose of the movie review

The key to writing a great movie review is understanding its purpose. so keep your goals in mind when writing:

  • briefly discuss the plot of the film. share information about characters, relationships, and events, but do not tell the whole story. reading the review should not replace watching the movie. however, you are free to mention the most important moments or turning points that make the movie worth watching.
  • analyze the movie in general and in certain aspects, such as the acting, the work of the director, theme, music and special effects. reach a conclusion if the main idea of ​​the film was properly implemented. try to be objective and detailed in your evaluations.
  • share your opinion. describe your feelings during and after watching the movie and specify what you liked and what you didn’t. I like it. provide your general impression of the film based on examples, descriptions, and comparisons so that readers can make their own decisions.
  • give a recommendation. try not to be categorical, but allow that your readers know what to expect from the movie and who might find it interesting. tell if it matches an official movie description and stated genre, why it might be worth watching, and what its weaknesses are.
  • entertain the reader. read movie reviews it’s actually kind of funny in itself. As a society, we have become accustomed to using this option before choosing a movie to watch. try to make your review easy to read and write in an interesting way.

step by step guide on how to write a movie review

Writing a movie review may not be as difficult as it seems. This type of academic work is by no means the most complicated. however, it still has its own quirks, and if you can get it right, you’ll succeed.

To start your article, you need to know and understand the main characteristics of a good film review:

  • provides bibliographical information;
  • shares a clear but concise characterization of the film in question;
  • includes a description of the plot, which, however, does not reveal spoilers;
  • identifies the key characters and actors;
  • identifies the setting, themes, conflicts, and other details present in the film and evaluates them ;
  • compares the film to similar ones;
  • identifies the film’s key strengths and weaknesses;
  • gives an overall assessment of the film.

Also, another important thing to keep in mind in understanding how to start a movie review is the proper format of such an assignment. The key to success in handling your movie critics is decent organization. Just like any other academic article, a good film review essay must follow a specific structure, style, and most importantly, a specific format.

These are the key takeaways on how to format your document:

  • use 1-inch margins on all sides;
  • choose a clear, readable font (preferred fonts are times new roman, courier, and bookman);
  • set the font size to 12 pt.;
  • center the article title along with your name.

Finally, to be successful in writing a movie review, all you need to do is follow the correct sequence of actions that will gradually lead you to the desired result. In this section of our article, we are going to share a detailed step-by-step guide on how to write a movie review.

choose a movie

If you have a choice, think carefully about which movie you’d like to review. surely most of us would choose one of our favorites. however, it is not mandatory to write a review about the tone of the movies you like, you can write about one you don’t like and explain why. such an approach might be different and refreshing, and might earn you extra credit.

watch the movie

Even if you’ve seen it a hundred times, watch it again to discover new details and better understand the characters and their motives. we recommend watching a movie at least twice, or better yet, three times. while seeing it for the first time, we usually focus on the main heroes, their story and emotions. the second time usually helps you notice the details of the secondary characters and their stories, such as music, timelines, costumes, decorations, and locations. all of these things contribute to how you perceive the film and your review.

take notes

Keep a piece of paper and a pen close to you to write down the things you see in the movie, or to jot down your ideas while watching, or right after. write your notes immediately once an idea occurs to you.

investigate the movie

Filming is a long and complicated process that involves many people, which usually makes the filming process an interesting story in itself. find out as much as possible about him. Is it an original scenario, a new version or a new version? Is the plot based on a book? what was the available budget? How has the cast changed in the process? select two or three of the most impressive facts about the production and share them in your work.

analyze the movie

Think about everything you saw in the movie and determine your impressions of the movie. Does the image imply any social context? what was the original idea for the film and how successful were the producers in implementing it? pay attention to how it was filmed and what techniques were used. for example, in psychosis, produced and directed by alfred hitchcock, we can definitely notice an unusual zoom effect called vertigo. Think about which actor impressed you the most and why. Compare this role with previous works of his. Discuss the movie you have chosen with your friends or family to get new ideas to support your opinion or for another point of view.

the vertigo effect in psychosis by alfred hitchcock

draft revision outline

A plan is always a good idea and could lead to half of your success. Before writing the movie review, make a summary of your work to structure all your thoughts and arguments. Read on for an example of a movie review outline.

devise a catchy title

“my titanic review” sounds boring. Think of an intriguing or impressive headline, like “why taking a cruise isn’t always a good idea.” make your readers want to keep reading.

write your review

Now, after you’ve researched and prepared your paper, it’s time to put it all together and write a review. Gather all your thoughts and arguments and stick to the outline you wrote earlier. Give an overview of the movie so that readers can understand what issues may come from it, but don’t spoil the outcome as they may not have seen the movie yet. Write down the main points you liked and disliked. reinforce your thoughts with evidence and examples. Comment on the originality of the movie and compare it to other movies in the same genre, movies with the same theme, or movies directed by the same person.

edit your final draft

Once you’ve written your review, take a break. a little pause before a final reading and editing will help you look at it with a new perspective. read your work several times. check for spelling errors, grammatical errors, the sequence of presentation, compliance with the outline and demands of the teacher, and the format and style.

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film review outline

Structuring is extremely useful in any type of role, and a movie review is no exception. a written outline will help you organize your thoughts correctly, so you don’t forget anything and end up writing faster. here is an example schema you can use:

  • introduction: in this part you should provide general information about the image: title, release date, main actors, filmmakers, film company and filming budget.
  • story summary: this is a brief overview of the film’s plot, characters, and their interaction.
  • film analysis, which includes:
  • ~ analysis of the elements of the plot: starting point, rising action and climax.
  • ~ analysis of the elements creative: dialogue, characters, use of colors, camera techniques, mood, tone, symbols, costumes, or anything that adds to or detracts from the overall plot.
  • ~ analysis of the theme and its implementation: viewers’ understanding of the theme, relevance of the theme and comparison with other similar works.
  • opinion. your point of view supported or with examples and facts from the story.
  • conclusion. announce if the filmmaker was successful in his purpose. explain how the film was helpful in providing a deeper understanding of the course topic.

short film review form

If you’re writing a movie review, reading our full guide and following the tips and steps mentioned here should be enough to earn you an excellent rating. however, what if you know you’ll be writing a lot of reviews in the future? In this case, we recommend that you create a standardized movie review form (also known as a template) that will help you save time and be successful in your future tasks.

Format and structure your template according to the general rule of thumb for writing movie reviews and leave the text boxes empty. Alternatively, you can search for a template online and save even more time.

If you need a starting point to get going, here’s a basic movie review template you can use to outline your own review:

sample documents

Now, once you know how to review a movie and learn the most valuable tips to handle this type of task, it’s time to see some examples of movie reviews so you can get on the right track.

Check out the pieces below to see which of these movie review essay examples you’d like to have on hand when working on your own assignment:

mistakes to avoid

Here are some common mistakes among students that we recommend you avoid.

  • Retell the plot of the movie in detail. As we mentioned earlier, the idea of ​​a movie review is not to put the movie on paper; nobody likes spoilers. share the general plot to pique your reader’s curiosity about watching the movie to get their personal opinion.
  • give too general an opinion of the movie. remember that things are weird are sometimes unequivocal. even if you don’t like the content and quality of the movie, don’t forget to mention if the music was pretty good or if one of the actors managed to play a believable character.
  • lack of evidence. present your opinion without any explanation of why you think it will not be considered trustworthy in that way. baseless statement is not a good resource for making a decision, even if we are talking about choosing which movie to watch.
  • lack of film research. don’t force your readers to make their own research, or to look up another review to find the background information of a movie.
  • lack of structure. if your work is not structured correctly, it will be really difficult to follow your thoughts and understand your points. reviews should be useful to readers, and a good structure helps get the message across.
  • No conclusions or recommendations. As we mentioned earlier, giving movie recommendations is a must. one of the main purposes of writing a movie review. don’t deprive readers of your findings and thoughts. By recommending a good movie to watch, you can brighten someone’s night.

FAQs about movie reviews

Am I required to write a movie review in a specific format style?

The format style of the movie review is usually determined by the specific assignment instructions provided by your teacher. on some occasions, a movie review may be free of academic formatting. however, you should verify this with your teacher.

Can I copy a movie review from the internet and submit it as my own?

no: If you simply copy an existing review and submit it as your own, your teacher will detect plagiarism in your work and penalize you for it. however, you can still search the web for sample movie reviews for ideas on how to write your own. Rather than take the risk, entrust your movie review to one of our professional academic writers. This way you will save time, without giving up your success!

How do you write a film review?

Simply put, a film review is a peer-reviewed scholarly article that analyzes and evaluates films and the film medium. this concept is often used interchangeably with that of a film review. therefore, while writing a movie review, you can also follow the same steps and tricks as outlined in this article on how to write a movie review.

Which movies are good to write about?

Basically, you can write a movie review on just about any movie. however, we recommend being very careful with these options. it is important that you choose a film that you can analyze and evaluate. Typically, for a movie review, students choose movies they like or don’t like.

what makes a movie great?

There are several key things that define whether a movie is good or not, these are: the plot, the visual aesthetics, the quality of direction and acting, the impression it makes on the audience, etc. In general, a specific movie can be said to be excellent when it keeps the audience interested and able to follow the story, and then leaves them with a powerful impression and then something to think about once the credits roll.

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