How to Write a Movie Review
Any movie, whether brilliant or not, will be watched by people. As such, it earns itself a chance for analyzing. You can make a movie review very interesting, entertaining, persuasive, and informative when you provide an original opinion without revealing much of the plot. Movie review can be taken as a work of art in its own right. If you want to learn movie analysis, formulating a fascinating thesis and write an interesting movie review, you need to go through this piece.
1. Drafting your movie review
Start your review with a fascinating and compelling fact or opinion on the movie. This will get the attention of your reader and hook them. They need to feel what your review will be, as they get an idea if the movie is terrible, great, good or it’s just there. Some of the ideas you can look at include:
- Comparing to relevant events or movie
- Review in a nutshell
- Background information or context
You can provide a well-established opinion early on. The reader is not supposed to guess whether you like the movie or not. They need to know from the onset so that you can prove to them your point. You can use starts or a score out of 10 or 100 as a quick way to show them your thoughts. Explain your reasons for the rating.
Great movies succeed in almost every level, be it in character, costumes, scenes, and joke firing to make the film worth repeating. In bad movies, it does not matter how much karate you enjoy. It is better off saving your money for something else. You can also make recommendations for an ‘okay’ movie.
Write your review
If you were taking notes as you were watching the movie, they go along the way now. The reader does not care about your opinion if you do not have supporting facts for your arguments.
Transcend the obvious plot analysis
The plot is just a piece of the entire movie and should not be the basis of your review. Some of the movies do not have the best plots, but that doesn’t make the movie bad. Some of the things you can touch on include:
- Cinematography
- Tone
- Music and sound
- Acting
These aspects go beyond the plot to give an all-around movie review.
- Bring your review full circle in your conclusion
You have to give some closure to your review by revisiting your opening fact. Remember you are writing the review so that the audience makes the best decision concerning the movie. You could end with a sentence that tells them if the movie was great, bad or okay.
2. Studying your sources
You need to have the basic facts about the movie, something that you can do before or after watching the movie. This ought to happen before you start writing the review since you need facts in the process. You need to know the title of the film and the year of release, director’s name, the name of the lead actor (s) as well as the genre of the movie.
As you watch the movie, take important notes. Movies are long, which makes it possible for you to forget some vital details or plot points. Taking notes helps you in revisiting them later. If something sticks out in the movie, not it down, whether good or bad. It can be about the costume, set design, makeup and so on.
Note any patterns that you deem important as they unfold. You can also pause the movie frequently to ensure you do not miss anything. Rewinding is also necessary because you want to write an informed critique of the movie.
Analyze how different components of the movie relate or come together. You can do this during or after you watch and consider the impression of the movie in the following areas:
- Direction
Look at the director and his choice of explanation of the events within the movie. If the movie was slow, incorporate the things you think are necessary and attribute them to the director. Compare them with his previous works.
- Cinematography
Examine the techniques used during filming. Show how setting and the background helped in creating a certain tone in the movie.
- The script
Evaluate the script without forgetting the dialogue and characterization. Ascertain if the plot was inventive and unpredictable, boring or weak. Were the character’s words credible?
- Editing
Did the movie flow smoothly or was it choppy? Did the montage help in building the story?
- Costume and design
Tell the reader if the clothing choices fit the movie style or not. Let them know if it contributed to the overall tone of the movie.
- Soundtrack
Did it blend with the scenes? Was it over or underutilized? Did it build suspense? Did it have a particular meaning or message?
3. Composing the review
Your analysis should help you in coming up with an original thesis. Having studied the movie thoroughly, you need to know the unique insights you can bring to the table. Provide a short plot summary and identify the main characters. Describe the setting and the central conflict or the movie. When you mention character names in the plot summary, follow them with a list in the parenthesis. You also have to mention the director and if you have to discuss spoiler information, warn the audience first.
Now analyze your movie by discussing interesting elements in the movie that support your thesis. Your writing should be clear and easy to understand. Both facts of your opinions ought to be presented. Back up your ideas with examples from the movie and ensure you give your review some personality. In another word, you can write your review as a formal college essay.
Conclude your movie review with a statement that ties back to your original thesis. Be sure to provide some guidance as to where the movie is worth watching or not. Make your conclusion compelling and entertaining because it is the need for your movie review.
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