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It often happens that after a movie you want to express your emotions. But you don't know what to start your writing from. Film can be delightful or frustrating, addictive or hopelessly dull. You can express your overwhelming emotions with the help of written reviews. StudyCrumb prepared this guideline, so you know how to write a film review!
What Is Movie Review: Definition
A movie review is your personal assessment of what you have seen in a movie. Students can be asked to write a film review at school. Or they can just basically do it for themselves, their friends, or some audience in their blog about movies.
Anyway, a movie review should be short and express your opinion about recently watched movies. Sometimes it is not for further publication but simply for your personal analysis. Also, you can post it for other viewers. For example, one time you watched a good movie and sincerely want to recommend this film for viewing or just criticizing it.
How to Write Movie Review: Step-By-Step
Let’s learn how to write a movie review essay step-by-step! We are here to tell you about all aspects of a good critique, including how to cite a movie MLA. First, you must create a clear name, idea, and structure for your text. Adhere to specific writing plans. Use unique vocabulary on topic. That’s how your overview will be more colorful, emotional, and impressive. Follow some simple steps below and find out how to write this type of paper properly.
Step 1. Watch Movie or Film Twice
For a good film review essay, we recommend you watch it twice. For the first time, you will get a general impression of the film. You will already know the plot as a whole part. And secondly, you can pay attention to all small elements and details.
Step 2. Carry Out Research for Your Film Review
For your movie review essay, find out as many details as possible about the film itself. Focus not only on visuals itself and your opinion but on some other important aspects of a film. Add information from main sources. Who created this film and when? What impact has he had on industry? How popular was it? What did other film critics say? We recommend you write it down so as not to forget. All these aspects will help you in your further writing process.
Step 3. Analyze Movie for Your Review
Good movie review essays will have much factual information about given films. But you should not turn it into a dry list of facts with actors’ names. First of all, provide your personal opinion about movies you describe. When you review a film, think about the story in this way: Is the plot logical? Is there any sense in the actions of heroes? You can also think about acting. Could actors reliably reincarnate in their characters? You can also touch on special effects and musical accompaniment. Did filmmakers support the plot with all this wealth? Does abundance of effects, lighting, and soundtracks only distract from the main story? You may also include a brief overview of personal traits, just like in a character analysis essay.
Step 4. Draft an Outline Movie Review
Now that we have all needed information, it's time to write a movie review outline. Include aspects given down below in your outline.
- Title of film you watched.
- Facts about authors (screenwriter, director, cameraman).
- Main roles.
- Brief theme, idea, your opinion.
- Specific traits, achievements, discoveries that you liked.
- Negative features, shortcomings, historical inaccuracies that you did not like.
- Conclusion. Describe if it is worth watching or not.
The value of review is your opinion. So each fact should be supported with your point of view.
Step 5. Provide Examples in Your Film Review
No film review can be credible without examples. Don't use phrases like "high performance" or "bad sound." This is not evidence. Describe more specifically! For example, when you talk about a specific character, mention what makes the actor right for the role. For example, you can evaluate appearance, manner of speech, facial expressions, etc. Remember to back up any of your statements with facts, descriptions of specific scenes, how a particular actor plays. This is how we back up our words with accurate points. You can even quote short dialogue if you think it helps convey your point of view better.
Step 6. Write Strong Movie Review Conclusion
You need to finish the review with a firm essay conclusion. Describe what this film is for and about. Briefly outline strong and weak points. But the main thing you need to do is call to action! Make a great final of your essay so that the reader wants to go and see this film. Try to awaken desire and interest in the reader. Then your paper will be considered successful!
Step 7. Edit and Proofread Your Movie Review
Reread your movie review and make any necessary corrections. Correct all grammar, spelling mistakes, and wrong word choices. Delete insignificant phrases and strengthen weak points. Make sure that your work doesn't just describe the film itself but also adds your personal opinion. This is a significant point. Don't let the reader decide for himself whether or not he should watch a movie. Well, the pinnacle of skill will be called to action for watching the film itself.
You may need to write a book review for your future work. Just keep in mind, we have a special blog that will help you with this task.
How to Organize Your Movie Review
What movie review essay should look like:
- Essay introduction. In the first part of the review, provide basic information about the film. What is it called? Who is the director? What actors play leading roles? Where and when picture was filmed? First, present facts, and then continue with your opinion about the film.
- Central elements. In the main part of your review, briefly convey the film's story, its plot. Tell us about the main events in it, but do not go into too much detail. What film is about must be described in the present, not the past. Then express your impressions after viewing. If you liked the movie, tell what was most interesting from the plot.
- Conclusion. At the end of work, briefly and clearly summarize your findings. Final part contains the main concluding thought. It shows the reader of your review precisely what you wanted to say. If you recommend a movie for viewing, write about it.
Movie Review Examples
We prepared a movie review example for you! You can write your own essay based on our template. But do not directly copy examples. Use your creativity and mention interesting details!
How to Write Movie Review: Final Thoughts
In this article, we explained how to write movie reviews. Begin with a strong introduction with brief information about film. Express your mind and perspective on plot. Then, describe which experience you liked most and least. Wrap up with the primary impression of film. And in the end, summarize if it's worth watching or not.
How to Write Film Review: Frequently Asked Questions
1. Am i required to write film review in specific formatting style?
Film review format can be the same as any other essay type. Your teacher can ask you to write it in a specific style like APA, MLA, or Chicago. But anyway, a format should be provided in the task. So we recommend you to follow our format guides on how to format your review.
2. How do you write movie criticism?
In a movie criticism paper you express your opinion of what was good or bad. Evaluate what would make a movie more intriguing to watch. Describe what you like and what not. For example, point out that the plot was good, but the effects were terrible. Think about all important steps and try to look at them critically.
3. If a movie has a lot of main characters, should i write about all of them?
There is no movie character limit for you to describe. Mention ones that you think are most important to plot. However, if you don't know who to include, consider protagonists and antagonists. Describe conflict between main characters. Also, pay attention to the relationship line.
4. How many words are necessary when writing a movie review?
There is no unambiguous uniform volume for writing movie reviews. If writing an academic paper, ask your teacher for requirements. However, keep your work clear and concise. Your readers don’t want to read tedious overthinking.
Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.
Comments
A typical movie review should be at least 600 words and can reach up to 1300 words. It's about 2-4 pages long. But we strongly suggest asking your professor since the requirements for the word count may differ.
In fact, a movie review for college students is slightly different. Here, you need to follow a specific structure. Besides, you should use academic language and avoid informal words or phrases. Try to share your own thoughts and impressions from watching this movie.