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How to Write a Movie Review

Last Updated: March 13, 2024 Fact Checked

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 179 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,560,994 times. Learn more...

Whether a movie is a rotten tomato or a brilliant work of art, if people are watching it, it's worth critiquing. A decent movie review should entertain, persuade and inform, providing an original opinion without giving away too much of the plot. A great movie review can be a work of art in its own right. Read on to learn how to analyze a movie like a professional film critic, come up with an interesting thesis, and write a review as entertaining as your source material.

Sample Movie Reviews

film review essay form 4

Writing an Intro for a Movie Review

Step 1 Start with a compelling fact, quote, or opinion on the movie.

  • Comparison to Relevant Event or Movie: "Every day, our leaders, politicians, and pundits call for "revenge"– against terrorist groups, against international rivals, against other political parties. But few of them understand the cold, destructive, and ultimately hollow thrill of revenge as well as the characters of Blue Ruin. "
  • Review in a nutshell: "Despite a compelling lead performance by Tom Hanks and a great soundtrack, Forrest Gump never gets out of the shadow of its weak plot and questionable premise."
  • Context or Background Information: " Boyhood might be the first movie made where knowing how it was produced–slowly, over 12 years, with the same actors–is just as crucial as the movie itself."

Step 2 Give a clear, well-established opinion early on.

  • Using stars, a score out of 10 or 100, or the simple thumbs-up and thumbs-down is a quick way to give your thoughts. You then write about why you chose that rating.
  • Great Movie: ABC is the rare movie that succeeds on almost every level, where each character, scene, costume, and joke firing on all cylinders to make a film worth repeated viewings."
  • Bad Movie: "It doesn't matter how much you enjoy kung-fu and karate films: with 47 Ronin, you're better off saving your money, your popcorn, and time."
  • Okay Movie: "I loved the wildly uneven Interstellar far more than I should have, but that doesn't mean it is perfect. Ultimately, the utter awe and spectacle of space swept me through the admittedly heavy-handed plotting and dialogue."

Step 3 Support your opinions with evidence from specific scenes.

  • Great: "Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer's chemistry would carry Fruitvale Station even if the script wasn't as good. The mid-movie prison scene in particular, where the camera never leaves their faces, shows how much they can convey with nothing but their eyelids, the flashing tension of neck muscles, and a barely cracking voice."
  • Bad: " Jurassic World's biggest flaw, a complete lack of relatable female characters, is only further underscored by a laughably unrealistic shot of our heroine running away from a dinosaur – in heels."
  • Okay: "At the end of the day, Snowpiercer can't decide what kind of movie it wants to be. The attention to detail in fight scenes, where every weapon, lightbulb, and slick patch of ground is accounted for, doesn't translate to an ending that seems powerful but ultimately says little of substance."

Step 4 Create an original...

  • Does the film reflect on a current event or contemporary issue? It could be the director's way of engaging in a bigger conversation. Look for ways to relate the content of the film to the "real" world.
  • Does the film seem to have a message, or does it attempt to elicit a specific response or emotion from the audience? You could discuss whether or not it achieves its own goals.
  • Does the film connect with you on a personal level? You could write a review stemming from your own feelings and weave in some personal stories to make it interesting for your readers.

Composing Your Review

Step 1 Follow your thesis paragraph with a short plot summary.

  • When you name characters in your plot summary, list the actors' names directly afterward in parenthesis.
  • Find a place to mention the director's name and the full movie title.
  • If you feel you must discuss information that might "spoil" things for readers, warn them first.

Step 2 Start to talk about the film’s technical and artistic choices.

  • Cinematography: " Her is a world drenched in color, using bright, soft reds and oranges alongside calming whites and grays that both build, and slowly strip away, the feelings of love between the protagonists. Every frame feels like a painting worth sitting in."
  • Tone: "Despite the insane loneliness and high stakes of being stuck alone on Mars, The Martian's witty script keeps humor and excitement alive in every scene. Space may be dangerous and scary, but the joy of scientific discovery is intoxicating."
  • Music and Sound: " No Country For Old Men's bold decision to skip music entirely pays off in spades. The eerie silence of the desert, punctuated by the brief spells of violent, up-close-and-personal sound effects of hunter and hunted, keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat."
  • Acting: "While he's fantastic whenever he's on the move, using his cool stoicism to counteract the rampaging bus, Keanu Reeves can't quite match his costar in the quiet moments of Speed, which falter under his expressionless gaze."

Step 3 Move into your...

  • Keep your writing clear and easy to understand. Don't use too much technical filmmaking jargon, and make your language crisp and accessible.
  • Present both the facts and your opinion. For example, you might state something such as, "The Baroque background music was a jarring contrast to the 20th century setting." This is a lot more informative then simply saying, "The music was a strange choice for the movie."

Step 4 Use plenty of examples to back up your points.

  • Great: "In the end, even the characters of Blue Ruin know how pointless their feud is. But revenge, much like every taut minute of this thriller, is far too addictive to give up until the bitter end.""
  • Bad: "Much like the oft-mentioned "box of chocolates", Forest Gump has a couple of good little morsels. But most of the scenes, too sweet by half, should have been in the trash long before this movie was put out."
  • Okay: "Without the novel, even revolutionary concept, Boyhood may not be a great movie. It might not even be "good.” But the power the film finds in the beauty of passing time and little, inconsequential moments – moments that could only be captured over 12 years of shooting – make Linklater's latest an essential film for anyone interested in the art of film."

Polishing Your Piece

Step 1 Edit your review.

  • Ask yourself whether your review stayed true to your thesis. Did your conclusion tie back in with the initial ideas you proposed?
  • Decide whether your review contains enough details about the movie. You may need to go back and add more description here and there to give readers a better sense of what the movie's about.
  • Decide whether your review is interesting enough as a stand-alone piece of writing. Did you contribute something original to this discussion? What will readers gain from reading your review that they couldn't from simply watching the movie?

Step 2 Proofread your review.

Studying Your Source Material

Step 1 Gather basic facts about the movie.

  • The title of the film, and the year it came out.
  • The director's name.
  • The names of the lead actors.

Step 2 Take notes on the movie as you watch it.

  • Make a note every time something sticks out to you, whether it's good or bad. This could be costuming, makeup, set design, music, etc. Think about how this detail relates to the rest of the movie and what it means in the context of your review.
  • Take note of patterns you begin to notice as the movie unfolds.
  • Use the pause button frequently so you make sure not to miss anything, and rewind as necessary.

Step 3 Analyze the mechanics of the movie.

  • Direction: Consider the director and how he or she choose to portray/explain the events in the story. If the movie was slow, or didn't include things you thought were necessary, you can attribute this to the director. If you've seen other movies directed by the same person, compare them and determine which you like the most.
  • Cinematography: What techniques were used to film the movie? What setting and background elements helped to create a certain tone?
  • Writing: Evaluate the script, including dialogue and characterization. Did you feel like the plot was inventive and unpredictable or boring and weak? Did the characters' words seem credible to you?
  • Editing: Was the movie choppy or did it flow smoothly from scene to scene? Did they incorporate a montage to help build the story? And was this obstructive to the narrative or did it help it? Did they use long cuts to help accentuate an actor's acting ability or many reaction shots to show a group's reaction to an event or dialogue? If visual effects were used were the plates well-chosen and were the composited effects part of a seamless experience? (Whether the effects looked realistic or not is not the jurisdiction of an editor, however, they do choose the footage to be sent off to the compositors, so this could still affect the film.)
  • Costume design: Did the clothing choices fit the style of the movie? Did they contribute to the overall tone, rather than digressing from it?
  • Set design: Consider how the setting of the film influenced its other elements. Did it add or subtract from the experience for you? If the movie was filmed in a real place, was this location well-chosen?
  • Score or soundtrack: Did it work with the scenes? Was it over/under-used? Was it suspenseful? Amusing? Irritating? A soundtrack can make or break a movie, especially if the songs have a particular message or meaning to them.

Step 4 Watch it one more time.

Community Q&A

wikiHow Staff Editor

  • If you don't like the movie, don't be abusive and mean. If possible, avoid watching the movies that you would surely hate. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
  • Understand that just because the movie isn't to your taste, that doesn't mean you should give it a bad review. A good reviewer helps people find movie's they will like. Since you don't have the same taste in movies as everyone else, you need to be able to tell people if they will enjoy the movie, even if you didn't. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Structure is very important; try categorizing the different parts of the film and commenting on each of those individually. Deciding how good each thing is will help you come to a more accurate conclusion. For example, things like acting, special effects, cinematography, think about how good each of those are. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

film review essay form 4

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  • ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_film/terminology_and_starting_prompts.html
  • ↑ https://www.spiritofbaraka.com/how-write-a-movie-review
  • ↑ https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/9-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/
  • ↑ https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/writing-help/top-tips-for-writing-a-review
  • ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/summary-using-it-wisely/
  • ↑ https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/film-review-1.original.pdf
  • ↑ https://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/
  • ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_film/film_writing_sample_analysis.html
  • ↑ https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/onnyx.bei/dual-credit/movie-review-writing-guide
  • ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conclusions/
  • ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-movie-review/
  • ↑ https://gustavus.edu/writingcenter/handoutdocs/editing_proofreading.php
  • ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
  • ↑ https://edusson.com/blog/how-to-write-movie-review

About This Article

To write a movie review, start with a compelling fact or opinion to hook your readers, like "Despite a great performance by Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump never overcomes its weak plot." Then, elaborate on your opinion of the movie right off the bat so readers know where you stand. Once your opinion is clear, provide examples from the movie that prove your point, like specific scenes, dialogue, songs, or camera shots. To learn how to study a film closely before you write a review, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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film review essay form 4

Quick Guide on How to Write a Movie Review Essay

film review essay form 4

What Is a Movie Review

The internet has revolutionized the realm of film criticism. No matter a movie's level of quality, it is always worth analyzing. Despite the growing number of individuals attempting to write about movies, few are successful. Most people do not provide insightful analysis, instead simply state how much they liked or disliked the film.

A movie criticism, usually composed by a professional in film studies, takes a comprehensive look at the film from a historical, social, political, or theoretical standpoint. This is unlike the opinion or suggestion given in a movie review, which is shorter and more concise.

A remarkable aspect of a good film review is that it doesn't just rate the movie but provides explicit views that form the critique's basis. This form of writing, like crafting essays, research papers, and term papers, should be insightful and draw the reader in quickly. It's important to discuss the reputation of the lead actors and directors and to write about what you expected and if they were met. The reviewer must explain a story's development without recalling major plot points and endings. The review must be concise, engaging, and should involve metaphors, specific words, analogies, etc.

Movie Review Purpose

Most film reviews are intended to guide readers in deciding whether to view, rent, or purchase the film. They should provide the necessary information to aid readers in deciding without divulging any fundamental details, such as the storyline or any surprises. This paper is common in schools because the lecturer wants to evaluate the student's ability to think critically and report the event easily for others to understand.

Movie reviews typically present a brief summary of the film's storyline. They provide readers with an overview of the characters, relationships, and scenarios but do not convey the complete narrative. Perusing the review should be different from seeing the movie. Nonetheless, feel free to highlight the essential moments or pivotal points that make the film worthwhile viewing.

Our college essay writing service has put together some advice on composing a movie review essay like a real critic, so let's explore the article further!

How to Write a Movie Review: Movie Review Outline

The structure is key when it comes to the quality of your paper. Don't neglect the power of a good outline, no matter what paper you're writing. Outlines help you stay on track and make sure your paper flows well.

Taking the time to arrange your ideas before starting to write is an effective way to save time further down the line. With a well-structured plan already in place, you won't have to worry about other elements. This will also make the writing process less stressful. Here is a guide on how to organize your movie review outline:

Writing a Movie Review_ Step-by-Step Guide

How Do You Start a Movie Review Essay: Introduction

The introductory paragraph is the first obvious step in crafting a movie review essay outline. Here, you want to quickly captivate the reader. Deliver your viewpoint instantly and make it unambiguous. Don't leave the audience wondering whether you enjoyed the film. Tell them right off the bat so you have time to justify your assessment throughout the remainder of the process.

In the introduction movie review should also describe your thesis. Develop the main concept for your essay that you can support using your perceptions of the movie's various aspects. The reader should be able to tell from this statement if you thought the film was fantastic, awful, or simply alright. By including a thesis statement, you may move your analysis beyond the plot synopsis phase into the movie critique category, which is considered a separate creative process.

Crafting Your Essay Movie Review Analysis

According to our research paper service , film analysis is similar to building a case. You're attempting to influence the reader to follow your recommendation to watch or disregard the film. So, you must ensure your essay movie review will be convincing. Giving instances that demonstrate the validity of your personal opinion is the only method to do this. If you find any dialogue in the movie that you think best exemplifies whether the work is strong or not, utilize quotes. This also applies to all of the movie's artistic decisions. But, just because a movie's narrative isn't strong or engaging doesn't indicate the rest of the film is worthless. Carefully highlight how some factors might undermine the movie in your explanation.

The movie's plot is only one component and shouldn't dominate the overall piece. The following are the important aspects to include in your movie review structure:

Cinematography - Cinematography covers much more than simply camera angles. It includes how the picture is lit, how it moves, appears, and what lenses are used. Here you can try the following analysis: 'Warm, gentle colors are used throughout the film, combined with soothing whites and grays, to simultaneously create and gradually tear away the characters' romantic sentiments for one another. There is a painting-like quality to each image.'

Editing - The editing is arguably the absolute star of what creates a good movie review example. It affects both the duration and the flow of a movie. Without effective editing, there would be uncomfortable gaps between pictures and many errors.

Costuming - The clothing the characters wear is called a costume, but there are a number of things to consider while evaluating movie costumes. You should be able to decide if the outfits suit the characters and the movie's atmosphere.

Casting and Acting - Finding the ideal performers to bring characters to life is the goal of casting. This sometimes entails seeing performers portray both familiar personas and figures who are entirely at odds with who they are. Casting, therefore, involves more than just finding talented performers. You can assess the acting in the following way: 'Even though he excels while on the go, his stoic behaviorism causes him to fall short of his co-star during calm scenes where he keeps a blank look on his face.'

Once you have finished analyzing the acting, directing, cinematography, setting, etc., wrap up with concise, stimulating wording to sustain readers' attention. Don't forget to provide a few examples to support your statements about the film.

Concluding Your Essay Movie Review

Finalize your review by coming full circle. Close the review by returning to your introductory fact or thesis. Give your readers a refresher on the movie's most intriguing aspects. It's important to remember that before choosing a movie, viewers check reviews. Finish with a statement indicating whether it is worthwhile for them to view. Be specific about who this movie will be more fascinating to and why in your suggestions. Remember that your ending is your last shot at influencing your audience, so use it wisely.

No matter the kind of movie review you have to complete, our professional specialists are willing to help you. Directly forward your needs to our research paper service and get it done quickly.

Need Help With MOVIE REVIEW WRITING?

No matter what type of movie review you want, our qualified specialists are ready to assist you.

Short Movie Review Form

If you are currently working on a new or old movie review, reading our suggestions should be sufficient to help you earn an A. So what if you'll be writing many reviews in the future? In this situation, we advise you to develop a uniform movie review template, which will enable you to save time and complete your upcoming projects successfully.

So, how to write a movie review template, you may ask? Well, our essay helper prepared a simple yet great movie review template you may use as a foundation for your own writing if you need some help getting started:

movie review form

Example Papers

Once you know how to review a movie and learn the most valuable tips to handle this assignment, it is time to look at some movie review examples to get you on the right track.

Check out the following pieces to see which of these movie review essay examples you might want to keep at hand when working on your own assignment:

Helpful Tips on Writing Movie Reviews

Here are some extra helpful tips to keep in mind when unsure how to write a movie review essay:

Mistakes to Avoid While Making a Movie Review

  • Add Your Own Personal Feel to Your Movie Critique - You might not have much spare time for your pastime of reviewing. You won't be able to write a movie review, though, if you just wing it without reading what others have said. Make a note of the things that intrigued you, alarmed you, made you uncomfortable, or caused you to pause and consider something, and then use that list as the basis for your research.
  • Develop a Distinctive Writing Style - Have an idol—it's good for you. You must be careful not to just paraphrase and duplicate what they say without adding your own original viewpoint. Instead, in order to stand out from the throng, you must discover your own voice. When writing movie reviews, you should also have a distinct writing style.
  • Include Extensive Information -Mention the film's photographer, special effects designer, and director. Your review might be significantly impacted by this. Then you may list all the memorable movie moments that also stuck with you.
  • Voice Your Views and Back Up Your Criticism - Give your own assessment of the film. Make sure you have evidence to support your criticisms. Use the movie's details that most shocked or humiliated you. Review genuine information rather than merely expressing your opinions without supporting details.

Final Thoughts

Composing a good movie review essay sample is easy if you follow this article's main steps and techniques. Furthermore, we strongly believe that this guide will assist you in achieving remarkable outcomes and ease your writing process. The staff at EssayPro is always available to provide a helping hand if you need a little additional push with movie review examples or even if it's simply coming up with a catchy essay title .

Order an essay and await excellent results! Contact our expert writers and ask them to ' write my essay for me ' – and they will ensure your academic success!

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FAQs on Writing an Essay Movie Review

Here are the most frequently asked questions on how to write a movie review. We provided extra details on movie analysis to simplify writing film reviews.

What are the 6 Important Things to Include in a Film Review?

How long should a movie review be, what are the 5 c's in film, related articles.

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Filmmaking is the most popular department of show business. It is the world of colors, fantasy, joy, and magic. It brings a lot of entertainment material for us. We have been watching movies and dramas since our childhood. They show us all kinds of content of our interest like cartoons in childhood, fantasy fairy tales for teenage girls, social dramas, and movies that we watch in our adult age. Movies are important components of our society that describe our culture, tradition, and religion. 

We have different favorite movies that we repeatedly watch and discuss with friends at every step of our lives. Another thing that people do is write reviews about movies. A movie review is different from a thesis review or research p Paper review. Because it changes from them, so it may be a bit difficult too. The beginners seem in trouble when they are assigned to write a movie review. If you are facing trouble writing a review paper, you can get help at  writemyessayonline.com . 

We arrange a list of ten brilliant tips that can turn you from beginner to expert. 

Top ten tips for writing an attractive movie review 

1. Start your review essay with an attractive introduction:

Starting paragraph of any essay has a key value that can influence the entire paper. Start your review with a stunning introduction and add useful data to it. For example, write about the movie title, introduce the director and producer. Write the name of leading roles and releasing date. The thesis is another important piece of information that must be added in the introductory section. A thesis can help to show the link between present issues and the main idea of the film. It can also describe the similar things that you experienced in real life and the movie plot. 

2. Avoid putting your opinions into cold storage:

Most readers focus on the introductory section of the review because of the short time. However, we suggest writing your analysis and opinion in the starting part of your review. Avoid writing your opinion in dark or hidden places like the middle-end or the last part of the review. 

3. Write a summary without breaking suspense: 

Avoid spoiling the suspense of the movie in your review essay. Instead, describe the events occurring in the movie in just 3 to 5 lines without leaking suspense. But if it is the need for review to write something in your summary, then warn the readers first. 

4. Explain the overall experience of watching the movie: 

Writing a summary is required to describe the main theme of the film. When you write a summary, tell the readers about your experience. Do not write the scene as you watch on TV. Share your feelings and emotions that stir up when you see some specific scenes. 

5. Describe the purpose of producing this movie:

Describe the need to produce this film. To describe the purpose, you must know about the genre of film. For example, is it an entertaining movie or a social, political, and religious movie? After revealing the genre, find the central purpose of the film. If it is an entertaining movie, do not go deeper to spoil its purpose.  

6. Write a few details that describe filmmaking:

Avoid giving attention to formal scenes created in the film. Watch the complete movie, not for once. Repeat it to get a better level of understanding. Then extract two or three main elements around which the entire movie revolves. Here are some components that you should describe;

  • Mise-en-scene 
  • Cinematography 

7. Search for understanding the deep meaning:

A high-level film does not show superficial meanings. It always has essential phrases, repeating components, and symbolic materials. An excellent produced movie always has these components that allow deep understanding.  

8. Give examples:

A review needs a valid example to develop trust in readers. You can’t satisfy the readers by writing that “the actors show great performance” or “the background sound was faulty.” It would be best to put examples of how the acting was great and why the sound was bad. 

9. Write a brief and well-organized conclusion:

After writing all of your collected information about the movie, briefly describe the whole discussion in a well-organized conclusion. Then, you can write recommendations like watch the movie or not, or you can watch it with family or with just friends, etc.  

10. Do editing and proofreading at the end: 

It is necessary to read your review after completing it. Also, ask your friends or teacher to read it and suggest editing if required. It can happen that you did not notice a mistake while reading, but other people do after proofreading and correct the recommended changes and mistakes carefully. Your review essay must be clear of any spelling, grammar, and structural mistakes. 

Conclusion:

These 10 points can be helpful for beginners to start writing reviews. The expert takes it lightly but can prove heavy for starters. For example, a professional review about filmmaking describes in 4 words; introduction, analysis, convince, and entertainment.

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How to Write a Movie Review

How to Write a Movie Review

film review essay form 4

Writing a Film Review

Movies have become a cultural mainstay of our society. Not only are they art and entertainment, but they have also become a way for people to bond and make connections. Finding someone who has a similar taste in movies can create new friendships and start interesting conversations. That's why understanding how to analyze a movie and write movie reviews is such a useful skill. 

Do you need to know how to write a movie review for college? Or how to write a movie critique? Or maybe just how to do a movie review? In this article, you will learn how to write a movie review step by step, as well as get an in-depth guide into each section of a movie review.

What is a Movie Review?

A film review essay is more than just a plot summary followed by a recommendation. A movie review analyzes different elements of a movie and mixes personal opinion with objective analysis. The goal of the movie review is to tell the reader about the details of a movie while giving them enough information to decide for themselves whether it's worth watching or not. Of course, a good movie review also has to be interesting and engaging! 

How to Write a Good Movie Review

More than most other pieces of writing, there are a lot of steps to take before actually getting into writing a movie review. But don't worry though, most of these steps are pretty fun and if you follow them, you will know how to review movies. 

Watch the film! 

It goes without saying that you need to watch a movie before you write a review for it, so, before you do anything else, watch the movie at least once. Don't worry about trying to pick up specific details on your first watch, just enjoy the movie and get a general impression of whether you liked it or not and what you liked or disliked. Ideally, you should watch the movie at least two times. On your second and third viewings, pay attention to movie review criteria like cinematography, acting, dialogue, character development, deeper meanings, etc. Read some film review examples to get a sense of the things they talk about.

Pause the movie on your second and third viewings and take notes on things that stand out to you. Don't be afraid to take as many notes as you want, after all these notes are just for you.  You might not use all the notes you have taken, but they will help you compose the main part of your body paragraphs.

Express your opinions

Once you have watched the movie a few times and taken notes, make a list of the strongest opinions you have about the movie. If you think that the quality of acting was one of the best parts of the movie, use your notes to come up with specific examples. You should have between 3 and 5 key opinions that you will elaborate on when writing a film review along with examples to back up your claims.

Think about your audience

The language you use is going to change based on who you are writing the movie review for. If it is an assignment for school or university, then you may have to use more technical language.  If you're writing an article for a website or personal blog, then think about who the audience is and use language appropriate for them. Keep in mind that your audience also depends on the genre of the movie you are critiquing. A movie review for a serious period drama will have a different audience than a buddy cop comedy and therefore different language. Look at a movie review sample from different genres to get an idea of the type of language to use. 

Research the actors

Having big movie stars associated with a film is often one of the main selling points of a movie.  If an actor is critically acclaimed, it’s especially important to mention the awards they have won as this is often a sign of the overall quality of the movie. It's also possible that you didn't like the movie overall, but one of your favorite actors was in it so you enjoyed the movie and another fan might enjoy it too. 

Do background research

An easy way to make a movie review interesting is to search for interesting details about the making of the movie. It may be worth mentioning if it was shot in a particularly beautiful place or a unique location, or if the special effects were practical rather than CGI. Include interesting casting decisions or other actors that were considered for a particular role. Think about what information could be interesting to someone who might want to watch the movie and include those details. Go over some movie critique examples to get inspiration. 

Research the professionals

People can be fans not just of the actors, but of directors, writers, cinematographers, costume designers, and many other elements of filmmaking. Many directors are auteurs, which means they have a very particular visual style or storytelling method. How much time you spend on this section is dependent on your audience. If you're writing for social media or a blog for general people, then this might not be interesting to most. But if you're writing for film school or for a specific audience interested in filmmaking, then this section will need to be more elaborate. Look at a film review example written for different audiences to understand the differences. 

Draft an outline

Now that you've done all the required research, it's time to come up with a review outline. An outline is always useful when doing any piece of writing because it gives you a  chance to visualize the structure and plan how you want to incorporate information. This is the general film review format.

Introduction

  • Brief summary of the film
  • Discuss plot, tone, characters
  • Discuss creative and technical elements
  • Your opinions

Conclusion 

Come up with a catchy title.

Almost more than any other piece of writing, a movie review’s title needs to be engaging. A title like ”film review of (name of the movie) might be to the point, but isn't going to stand out. A good title should grab the reader's attention and make them want to read more. A few ways you can do this is by talking about a specific actor or director, or by using one of the main plot points of the movie. For example, “A Romantic Comedy for the Unromantic”,  or “Chris Pratt Plays Against Type in the Best Possible Way”. Look at the titles of some movie review examples for inspiration!

Write your review

It's finally time to get to the actual writing! The next part of this article talks in-depth about each section of a film review. 

People aren't going to take a review seriously if you have spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. If it's an assignment for school, then you’re going to lose marks because of mistakes like that. Make sure you reread your paper a few times and check for typos and other silly mistakes.  Read the paper out loud once or twice to get an idea of if it has a good flow. Don't be afraid to move sections around if you think it helps you build a stronger case.

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How to Write a Film Review

Do you want a ‘how to write a movie review’ template? Let's go over the specific parts of a film review and what to include in each one.

Your first sentence needs to capture the reader's attention. You can do this by stating an interesting fact about the movie, starting off by expressing your opinion of whether it's good or bad, mentioning some of the important actors, comparing it to other movies in the genre or to real-world events, whatever it is, make sure it's catchy!

Next, give background information about the movie. This includes things like the title, release date, studio, important cast members, director, budget, etc. Make sure to highlight any achievements of the movie, for example, if it was nominated for any awards. The same goes for the director as well as important members of the cast. This shouldn't just be a dry stating of facts, rather this should be a collection of interesting information about the background of the movie. 

Finally, end your introduction paragraph with your thesis. In the case of a film review, your thesis is essentially what you thought about the film. Without giving away too much, express your overall impression of the movie noting particular things that you thought stood out or were weak.

Summary of the story

The trick to writing the summary of the story is giving readers an idea of what to expect without giving away any important plot points or spoilers. The goal of this section isn't to explain the plot of the movie, It's to make sure that people have a basic understanding of the story so that the rest of the review can make sense. Describe the setting of the movie, which includes the main locations and time period. Introduce the main characters (including the name of the actor in parentheses after the name of their character). And go over the general storyline. 

Plot elements

This is when you start explaining what you thought about the movie. Start with an analysis of the plot itself. Did it have a rising action that builds suspense? Was the climax a good payoff? What were your overall impressions of the movie? How did it make you feel? What do you think the purpose of the movie was and did the director succeed in their goal? 

This is also the section where you get to talk about the different characters in the movie. Why did you enjoy certain characters? Were some characters better developed than others? Could some characters have benefited from more development? Was the villain particularly interesting? 

Think about the overall mood of the movie, did it change over time? How did the tones and symbols of the movie emphasize elements of the plot? Remember that any point you make in this section has to be backed up by examples. So if you say that there are several plot holes that make the movie complicated to understand, mention the specific scenes.

Creative elements

There are a lot of technical and creative elements in a movie that can stand out even if the overall plot and story weren’t the best. On the other hand, even a great story can be spoiled by bad dialogue or set design. These are some of the creative elements you should pay attention to especially when rewatching the movie and taking notes.

Dialogue : This can refer to the overall writing of the movie as well. If you can get your hands on a script then read it! When thinking about dialogue ask yourself, did the conversation between characters seem natural and flow easily? Or did it seem choppy and unnatural? 

Cinematography : Cinematography refers to the camera effects and the choices of how to film a certain scene. The lighting, the choice of camera angles, essentially the unique perspective of the story as told through the camera. 

Editing : Editing refers to the transition between different scenes as well as how well the movie flows together. This could include things like clever montages, longshots, different perspectives, etc.  

Costumes : Some movies, especially historical movies, fantasy films, and science fiction films, depend heavily on costume design. Costumes are an integral part of making a character stand out or making the world seem more real.

Set Design : Set design refers to the backgrounds of scenes. Some sets might be more elaborate whereas others can be minimalistic. Each choice has its pros and cons and effective set design creates proper ambiance, setting the tone and mood for a scene or the movie.

Music and Sound : Sometimes the movie has a great soundtrack or just incredible sound effects that help make it stand out.

Stunts : More important for action movies, but in general stunts and action sequences can be a major selling point for a film.

Special Effects : Most movies rely on some amount of special effects, and whether it be CGI, or practical, or a combination of the two, the quality is important.

Once you have analyzed multiple different elements of the story from its plot, characterization, and other technical and creative elements, you can state your opinions and provide evidence for them. Make sure you refer to specific scenes or specific situations when looking for substantiating evidence. Remember that the goal of a movie review is not to just state whether you liked or disliked a movie, it is to analyze it in an objective way, and give information so that somebody else can decide whether they want to watch the movie or not.

In the conclusion you express your main opinion of the movie along with the most important pieces of evidence. You can talk about the purpose of the movie and whether the director was successful in showing that purpose. End with a recommendation of whether the movie should be watched or not, along with suggestions of movies that are similar to it.

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Mistakes to avoid

You now know how to write a review on a movie but let's take a look at some mistakes that you should be careful to avoid.

Not focusing on the film

It's easy to start writing about things like the historical events the movie you loved is based on or the importance of the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall rather than focus on the movie itself.  While those elements can be interesting to include as background information, the point of a film review is to go over a particular movie so that is what you should spend the most time on.

Not providing evidence 

A common mistake people make when they write movie reviews is to state their opinions without any objective analysis. An easy way to overcome this mistake is to make sure that you provide evidence for any claims that you make.

Spoilers are an easy way to make sure that people will be upset with your movie review. It is common to accidentally give away too much, especially when writing the plot summary. Find the line between giving enough information so that people understand the general story and revealing important plot twists and turning points. Read some sample movie reviews for examples of how to avoid spoilers.

Using personal pronouns

Statements like “I did not like the special effects” or “I did not like the pacing of the movie” are clearly expressions of opinion. It is better to make statements like “the special effects in certain action scenes were cartoonish and took away from the realism of the film”. 

A movie review essay can be incredibly fun to write, especially if you have a strong opinion about the movie. But keep in mind that a movie review isn't just about your opinion, it has to include an objective analysis with claims backed up by evidence from specific scenes. It's difficult to have a movie review definition, but a great movie review is a blend between personal opinion and objective analysis. It informs the reader about the strengths and weaknesses of the movie while letting them make the decision whether they want to watch it or not. 

If you found your way to this article because you were looking for help on how to write a movie review for college, then you're in the perfect place. If you need any help, don't hesitate to reach out to the experts at Studyfy. At Studyfy, we offer a wide range of custom writing services, coursework writing services, and essay writer service . Our team of experienced writers is well-equipped to handle any writing task you may have, no matter the complexity or urgency. Just say, " write a paper for me ," and we will ensure that you receive a high-quality custom essay that meets all your requirements. Trust us to provide you with the best coursework writing services and custom essay writing that will help you achieve your academic goals.

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  • How to Write a Movie Review

How to Write a Movie Review

Creating a Successful Movie Review: Detailed Guide

Review structure: how to make it properly, plan on making a good review, example of a successful movie review, qualified and fast help in making a good 2019 movie review.

When you have to write a 2019 movie review, it's important to understand the main principles of the paper. Its main goal is to tell readers about the movie: what season it was released in, who it was directed by, the main actors, and a plot. Professional critics usually write reviews posted with a score online. People can read it, view the score, and understand if a particular 2019 directed film worth watching. If a review has a high score, it's a great sign.

A movie review essay is a short story that tells people about the 2019 directed film. If you're required to write about a movie shot in 2019 and directed by a famous person, our detailed guide and example will help you to do it without stress. The main goal of a review is to write about the plot shortly, plus critics usually tell their own point of view about the directed film. A sign of a good paper is when a posted story from the critics stays higher than their point of view. 

Needless to say, for many people it may be difficult to create a successful and interesting review of 2019 movie season. Our experienced and talented team can help you with writing great reviews without wasting your precious time. Contact our professionals right now and solve your problems in a simple way. 

So, where to start when you're writing the essay ? Here is a step-by-step instruction on creating an interesting 2019 review:

  • Watch the movie (at least twice) and make some notes while watching. It'll help you not to forget important things.
  • Find by whom it was directed and how the movie was directed. Pay attention to the plot, events, locations, etc. It is short research to gather and write down information to make a detailed review.
  • Make an analysis . Think what impressed you the most while watching. Write your own point of view and think about the score. 
  • Create a detailed outline for your future paper. It is a plan to help you with writing. Usually, a review consists of 3 main paragraphs you can find below.
  • Include some examples to prove your arguments. Provide chosen examples when you comment on any scenes or dialogues of the entire directed movie. 
  • Make the final part. State if you would recommend readers to watch it, and give a final score.

We suggest using a 3-paragraph structure for the paper. It must consist of:

  • Introduction - the part where you should mention a 2019 directed film genre, director's name, main actors, season, setting, and put a thesis statement.
  • A body part - here critics have to discuss the events without talking about the ending. Remember about supporting a thesis with strong examples.
  • Conclusion - in this part, critics bring their reaction and give their recommendations about watching. 

Use a simple plan for writing:

  • Start your review with a hook to catch the reader's attention. Using comparison to the real event of another 2019 directed film is a good sign. You can write some background information without telling a lot. Remember you have to leave readers in suspension, only in this case they'll read the entire review. Do not forget to write by whom it was directed and which actors played. 
  • Write a clear point of view. Whether you like it or not, readers have to know it. You can use stars to score movies of 2019 you're writing about. Explain to readers why you set this score. In the next part, you will have to prove it.
  • Write your paper. Remember without prove it won't work out. You have to bring scenes from the 2019 directed film to show readers why you have a particular opinion. Say about how the movie was directed. During writing, feel free to read other posted views. 
  • Make a detailed analysis of a plot. Here are the things you should describe and give your opinion on its cinematography, music, sound, tone, and actors acting. Tell readers how well the movie is directed and why. 
  • Finish your document with recommendations to readers. Write if you recommend your friend to watch the movie directed in 2019. A good sign if you set all-stars: it means readers will turn their attention to your work.  
La La Land (2016) Probably everybody heard about this famous movie directed by Damien Chazelle. This is a story about a talented pianist Sebastian and talented actress Mia. The greatly directed play of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling shows us a romantic and dramatic story presented in a modern Los Angeles. The city appears the third character of the story and tempts young people with dreams about success, fame, and big money. Sebastian and Mia had to choose between their deep feelings and their high ambitions, and they selected the latter, still trying to save their love story and feelings. The entire plot is based on great music and wonderful dances to put the audience in that bittersweet atmosphere. Gosling and Stone did a great job: combined with music, their amazing play showed deep feelings, emotions, and moods. They both look very natural and express their feelings without saying a word. Their play was like a sign of a great director's work. This is a greatly directed movie is worth watching for those who love romantic things, movies about love and passion. Of course, this professionally directed movie is not only about happiness, but it also reminds us how important it is for every person to make a right choice and how difficult it is to select ambitions instead of true love. If you are interested in more info about La La Land, you can find a lot of information posted on the Internet.

Do you need a professional review that can be posted online? Want to get a paper on the 2019 movie written by great critics? Meet our excellent team that can create successful documents for your needs without delays! We can write a bright review to tell readers how the documentary was directed. Receive a professional paper at a low price and get it posted in 2019.  

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How to write a movie review [Updated 2023]

How to write a review about a movie

Writing a movie review is a great way to practice critical analysis skills. In this post, we explore what a movie review is, how to start a film review, and steps for writing and revising it.

What is a movie review?

A movie review is a concise evaluation of a film’s content and formal elements (cinematography, sound, lighting, etc.). Also known as a film review, a movie review considers not just what a film means, but how it means. Essentially, when you write a film review, you are conducting a critical analysis or close reading of a movie.

How to write a movie review

To write a successful review about a movie, you need to evaluate a film’s content, as well as its form. In this section, we break down these two components.

A film’s content includes its plot (what it’s about), characters, and setting. You’ll need to determine the main plot points of the film and how the film’s story works overall.

Are there parts that don’t make sense? Are certain characters more important than others? What is the relationship between the movie’s plot and its setting? A discussion of a film’s content provides good context for an analysis of its form.

Form refers to all of the aesthetic and/or formal elements that make a story into a movie. You can break down form into several categories:

  • Cinematography : This element comprises all aspects of the movie that derive from the way a camera moves and works. You’ll need to pay attention to elements like camera angles, distances between the camera and the subject, and types of shots (i.e. close-up, aerial, etc.).
  • Lighting : Films use lighting in various ways to communicate certain effects. For instance, noir films tend to utilize chiaroscuro lighting (deep contrasts between light and dark) to express a sense of secrecy or foreboding.
  • Sound : The way a film uses sound can vary considerably. Most movies have a soundtrack, sometimes with music composed specifically for the film. Some films play around with ambient sounds or use silence at key points to signify important moments. What is the relation of sound to the image in specific scenes or sequences? Do sounds link images? Does it ever become more important than the image?
  • Editing : The movies we watch online or in theaters have been heavily edited in order to achieve a particular flow. When you are preparing to write a movie review, pay close attention to elements like the length of shots, transitions between scenes, or any other items that were finalized after filming.
  • Costumes, Props, and Sets : Are the costumes and props believable in relation to the film’s content and setting? Are costumes particularly elaborate or understated?

The important thing to remember when you are analyzing the formal elements of a movie is that every image, sound, movement, and object has meaning and has been planned. Your review needs to take into consideration how these elements work together with the film’s storyline to create a whole experience.

Once you’ve considered both the content and form of the movie that you’re reviewing, you can begin to evaluate the film as a whole. Is it a successful movie? Would you recommend it? Why or why not?

Step-by-step review writing tips

1. watch the movie.

The first time that you watch the movie, look for overarching themes or patterns, and establish what the film is primarily about. Take note of the main characters, as well as the setting.

2. Watch the movie again and take notes

Next, watch the movie again and take notes as you are doing so, keeping in mind the formal aspects discussed above. Write down anything that seems significant.

3. Evaluate the film’s form and content

Using the categories described above, and any handouts or guides provided by your instructor, evaluate the film’s formal elements along with its content. Are there elements of the movie that strike you as unfamiliar or perplexing? Are there elements that are repeated to emphasize a point or perception?

4. Write your review

A good movie review will contain:

  • an introductory paragraph that tells the reader what movie you’re reviewing
  • a paragraph that summarizes the movie
  • several body paragraphs that explore significant formal elements and how they relate to the content
  • a concluding paragraph that discusses your overall reaction to the film and whether or not you would recommend it to others

5. Create citations

You’ll need cite the film and any secondary sources that you consulted while writing. Use BibGuru’s citation generator to instantly create accurate citations for movies, as well as articles, books, and websites.

You may also want to consult a guide on how to cite a film in MLA or another major citation style .

6. Revise and proofread

Once you’ve written your review, you should set aside some time to revise and proofread it before you turn it in.

Movie review checklist

You can use this checklist to ensure that you’ve considered all of the formal elements, as well as the content, of the film that you’re reviewing:

🔲 Cinematography (camera moves and types of shots)

🔲 Lighting (natural vs. artificial light, contrasts between light and dark)

🔲 Sound (soundtrack, sound vs. silence, loud vs. soft sounds)

🔲 Editing (length of shots, transitions between scenes)

🔲 Costumes, props, and sets (believable vs. staged)

🔲 Content (plot, characters, setting)

Frequently Asked Questions about how to write a review about a movie

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.

Before you write anything, you need to watch the film at least once. Take notes as you’re watching and pay attention to formal elements and patterns. Then, write your review. The final step is to revise your work before you turn it in.

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.

The best film reviews balance plot summary with critical analysis of significant formal elements. A reader should be able to decide if she wants to see the film after reading the review.

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Not-short And Helpful Guide On How To Write A Movie Review

A movie review is one of the most common assignments where students can express considerations on films they enjoy. Usually, this paper is a place to speak about truly interesting things for students. Still, how to make this more academically? Here, we will share plenty of tips on writing a movie review to make it strong.

What a Movie Review Essay is about?

The first question we want to cover is what is a movie review. This assignment may seem obvious. Still, as our experience shows, not all writers approach such correctly.

So, a movie review provides the analysis of a certain film, including the documentary, the main idea, plot and its twists, roles and actors, and other things required for the proper analysis. Even if this review is about your personal experience of watching a movie and your consideration, it still should be well-organized and more or less objective. 

So, the perfect movie review combines a clear and logical description of a movie itself and your judgments about it. As we said, making a review well-organized is very important. So, let’s look at how to do this.

Preliminary Organization of Your Movie Review

The effectiveness of your writing greatly depends on its proper organization. So, making your plan is always a good idea for preparing a really good movie review essay. Making an outline is simple and necessary for writing a clear and logical text. For this purpose, you need to take a separate piece of paper and keep it nearby during writing. When you have this outline, it is always easy to see spots with examples and more detailed explanations will be desired. 

If we speak about concrete parts of such outline, we suggest you the next ones:

  • introduction – here, you state a title, the date of release, and other relevant details briefly;
  • outline for your film – the brief description of the story this movie/documentary has;
  • your analysis on how does the story is developed (climax, actions, conclusion, etc.);
  • your suggestions about this movie/documentary;
  • final judgment – here, you state whether the aim of a film has been achieved, provide evidence, examples, and other things you consider necessary for a comprehensive analysis of this film.

Main Elements of a Movie Review

Regardless of the movie you intend to speak about, there are basic elements that should be covered in any good movie review. Here they are:

  • Title 

Always mention it in your text. Even if your headline contains this title, you should indicate it at the beginning of your essay also and even once or twice after. Mentioning it too often can have an adverse effect and negatively impact the readability of your text. Still, it should be explicit from your text about which film you will speak about. This may sound too obvious. Still, many authors make exactly this mistake.

Your purpose here is to explain the essence of the target movie/documentary very briefly, especially for those reviewers who have not watched it yet. So, keep it always short even if this film was really fascinating and you have a lot of impressions to share with. When you write it, try to address the question of why it matters or is interesting for review? Describe briefly what events happened in this movie and indicate the reasons why this film is worthy of watching. Pick those words that can make your future reviewers interested in this movie. Alternatively, try to think from your reviewer’s perspective and consider those things that could make them interested.

Provide here brief research about persons or a company that directed this film. What kind of a person/company is it? Is it he/she/it controversial, has a background of creating the same movies? So, indicate in this part briefly about a moviemaker itself and other films made, especially of the same genre.

  • Significance

Outline here the value of a film or documentary. Perhaps, it reveals some crucial events or matters important for many people. This film may also be based on some interesting books by a famous author. The film you intend to speak about also may contain useful info or strong quotes about life-important matters. Emphasize such and bring it to your reviewers.

  • Creative elements 

Frequently, filmmakers include various elements to make their movies more fascinating and interesting for the audience. Describe such distinctive elements. What special events or charters they have emphasized? How were these features explored in this movie? Did they reach their purpose or not? What atmosphere can such elements create? What sounds were the effects used in this movie? You may describe any feature that added value to this movie; even camera movements sometimes make a difference. There also may be various symbols and notes. Be attentive here and notice such features to speak about them.

You should mention about actors that appeared in this movie also. Was their acting professional and appropriate to the plot of a movie? What distinctive features they had in this movie? How do you assess their performance? Was such truly remarkable? Write about all such pieces this film had.

Tips on How to Write a Good Movie Review

You may find a lot of info on crafting reviews. But, here, we will give you tested approaches on how to write a good movie review.

To make a good movie review, we suggest you passing these simple steps:

  • Watch a movie/documentary first

Even if you have watched this movie/documentary once or two and are confident about its content, we suggest you look through it again for refreshing memories. This matters for reflecting all elements appropriately. If you have not watched this movie/film, surely do this. Using various ready reviews may save you only partially. Your review will lack personal considerations and feelings about the story of a movie.

  • Make your research

You need to include a lot of details about a movie/documentary in your review. So, you need to be sure such are accurate and taken from reliable sources. Why do you need that? This information may provide you details about actors, locations, peculiarities of filming, history, plot, and other matters that can be relevant to your review. You need to form a clear picture of how this film has appeared in the exact form it exists now.

  • Analyze your target movie thoroughly 

We suggest you not begin work until becoming sure you understand in full this movie/documentary. Assess this movie from the start to its final. If you need this, watch this movie once or twice. 

  • Writing process itself 

Draft your essay and express there your thoughts and impressions about the target movie/documentary. Make special emphasis on the originality of your movie and the quality of the main scenes. Indicate whether you like this movie or not and state reasons why. We suggest you revise this draft a couple of times to polish your essay.

A Good Movie Review Example for Your Reference

To ensure your writing process’s certainty, we have prepared for you a good movie review example.

Mulan 

This movie originates from a Disney cartoon with the same title. Still, the recently presented movie is far more alive and vital. Mulan was one of the most expected in 2020 and presented good considerations about what is courage and dignity.

Its director Niki Caro shared in a new manner the classical story of one young Chinese girl who appears like a man for becoming a warrior. The story is fascinating from the start and up to its end. It is also full of traditional features of Chinese culture and details that help bring spirit into scenes.

The movie is full of innovative actions and special effects. Its directors included much aerial work, dances, and amazing scenes with martial arts. In this movie, various battles are shown in a realistic manner. This film’s budget was spent also involving a great amount of stuff, horses, requisites, and other things.

The story is centered on a young girl Yifei Liu. She transforms from a young and non-skilled to a really mature warrior and a true leader. Notably that during this story, a girl finds her voice and a manner of expression.

The film was made truly remarkably. It has a good background, the elaboration of a plot when Liu decided to become a warrior. The story was also expressed on how she became such a warrior gradually, her courage during fights. The scenes enabled the expression of the human and warrior dignity this girl had inside.

The development of the main character also aligns with the development of a plot. During the calm times, Mulan appeared as a playful and joyful girl who climbed roofs nearly acrobatically. After the first plot twist was made, Mulan turned to be more serious as she realized that the traditional woman’s honor of being married is not for her. After her wounded father, who had no sons, got a notice to appear as a warrior, she secretly took this notice and left her father’s house for appearing instead of him. That was her pass for becoming a truly skilled warrior. In the outcome, Mulan managed to show more than successfully all her abilities during the fights.

The main actress’s performance could be even more powerful if she paid more attention to her emotions and expressed them more freely. But, she appeared as a true fighter in the outcome. Liu was stood for her family and managed to stand still before many skilled men. She managed to act in a manner that made men listen and follow her. 

This movie and a character are centered around the inner power that lives in each human and woman. The film is great for inspiration and presents a good example of how a person who wants to achieve something overcomes any difficulties. Mulan is about brevity, dignity, and self-development. It is a movie worth seeing and following in specific aspects.

Final Words about Movie Reviews

Movie reviews are good chances for exploring certain plots and presenting your points of view. These essays give chances to speak about things that interest you sincerely. This writing is more descriptive in nature and is comparatively easy to prepare. Still, if you notice difficulties, you may always refer here again for refreshing advice or get our movie review help and other professional services shortly.

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Best tips for writing a great movie review essay.

We’ve seen tons of good movies from our childhood until now. But have you ever watched a movie and felt like sharing your thoughts about it with someone? Films like Oppenheimer ’s are an integral part of society. They describe cultures, religions, and traditions from different perspectives.

Review topics are critical analyses that share an individual’s assessment and analysis of a motion picture. They consider the movie point of view from different angles, including directing, editing, acting, and more. As a result, there is no hard and fast rule for it.

Think of a professional essay on movies as a commentary. The best way to achieve optimal results is to write your thoughts down or request someone to type my essay. If you want a career as a film reviewer, read our pointers to get started.

10 Tips for Writing a Good Movie Review Essay

Writing a film review requires a compelling writing style, careful analysis, and simple communication. Use these points as your movie review template for fast resolution: 1. Study professionals or ask for help 2. Watch the film at least once 3. Research the movie 4. Create an outline 5. Write an attractive introduction 6. Draft without spoilers 7. Analyze the movie 8. Express your opinion and support your criticism 9. Edit to eliminate errors 10. Write an organized conclusion

The Basic and Most Important Tips for Writing a Film Review

Read the most important points below:

Study Professionals or Ask for Help Using Essay Writing Online

No “rule” for film review writing essays exists since no two films are the same. Likewise, not all reviews will be the same. But we recommend you study a movie review example or a movie review template to see how the writer approached them. Read review publications on websites, newspapers, and blogs to get an idea of what an expert writes. For example, large local newspapers like The Washington Post hire professionals and columnists to review and write about entertainment. As another option, consider a professional writing service that lets you write an essay with native authors with assistance from an expert in the field, maintain 100% confidentiality, and guarantee without plagiarism. It’s helpful if someone can write an essay for you. Either way, don’t fly in blind without consulting professionals about review topics.

Watch the Film At Least Once

As straightforward as this step sounds, many students overcomplicate it. Watch the movie at least once to capture the information it presents. But beyond this, we recommend you watch it a second and third time. Keep a pen handy and take notes to record all major and minor events and characters. The goal is to be as meticulous as possible without overlooking anything.

One of the things undergraduates need to correct is attempting to cut time by watching movie reviews or summaries. If you are honest with yourself, you know a 15-minute recap cannot capture the essence of a movie. So, why do it? Watch and research the film for a comprehensive overview. Investigate the following information:

  • The filmmaker and what prompted the making.
  • The genre, title, and year.
  • Names of the lead actors.
  • Title of the book if it is based on one.

Create an Outline

An outline is an integral part of every writing assignment. It makes your article organized, consistent, and logical. Imagine it as a skeletal frame that will hold the entire study. Include the following information in the sample outline:

  • Introduction: The title, release date, cast, director, and background information. Start your story with an attractive introduction to hook the reader and prompt them to read until the end.
  • Story summary: When summarizing the movie, express your opinion and support your criticism. But most importantly, do so without breaking the suspense or spoiling the film for people interested in going to the cinema.
  • Explain the creative elements: Discuss the characters, dialogues, colors, mood, and camera techniques. Mention the tone, symbol, costumes, and special effects.
  • Conclusion: Use one of two paragraphs to tie your points and recap the entire article.

Analyze the Movie

The core film review is in the analysis. Critically evaluate and analyze a movie from the beginning to the end, noting every detail. Rewatch confusing parts to capture every idea and draft with an independent mind. Support your observations with examples and poorly developed characters.

For instance, mention specific scenes where certain actions occur to call the viewer’s attention. Comment on the film’s originality and note faulty or beautiful dialogues and poorly made speeches.

Furthermore, discuss editing errors, music, bloopers, appealing quotes, locations, and more. Don’t forget to support all claims with evidence, as this distinguishes college movie reviews from sample interviews.

Edit to Eliminate Errors

After writing the first draft, edit for spelling and grammar mistakes. Proofread manually and adopt online checkers to catch irrelevant details you miss. Most importantly, check for plagiarism to avoid a penalty. Draft the article using the recommended format or style and give it to another person to read to get a fresh perspective.

Drafting an Outstanding Movie Review Essay

It’s fun to watch your favorite film repeatedly on a couch while writing college movie reviews. Regardless, they require time, dedication, and investment. Watch the movie as many times as possible with a professional, analytical mindset. Focus on details, jot down notes, and take your time, but don’t forget the deadline. We recommend using an outline to create a logical flow and write an engaging introduction and conclusion. In the end, proofread for errors and submit in the required format.

Alternatively, hire someone to write me an essay online to reduce stress. A professional essay writing online service writes with more precision. Regardless, avoid irrelevant parts, and don’t shift yourself from the film review by exposing personal opinions, likes, and dislikes. Incorporate evidence, structure your discussion, and avoid unnecessary talks for optimal results.

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How to Write a Film Review: Preparation, Steps, Examples

  • by Anastasiya Yakubovska
  • 06.10.2022 25.09.2023
  • How to write ...

How to write a film review (true, professional, and comprehensive) and not be limited to the phrase “What a great movie!”? In this article, you will find answers to the next questions:

  • How long is a movie review? 
  • How many paragraphs does a movie review have? 
  • Features of the Film Review 
  • What is the main purpose of a film review? 
  • Functions of the Movie Review 
  • How to Write a Film Review: Preparation for Writing 
  • 10 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Start Writing a Movie Review 
  • How to Write and Structure a Film Review: Step by Step 

What Is a Film Review?

A film review is a critical judgment or discussion that informs about the release of a new film and contains its analysis, assessment, summary, as well as personal impressions and experiences after watching.

How to write a film review example

How long is a movie review?

On average, the length of a film review is about 1000 words.

How many paragraphs does a movie review have?

It is recommended that the film review should consist of 5-7 paragraphs.

Read also article “How to Write a Book Review: Step by Step and Examples”.

Features of the Film Review

A film review is a persuasive piece of writing, it has some features as:

  • A less formal style of writing. 
  • You need to write objectively about the film. 
  • But, on the other hand, movie reviews contain personal thoughts and feelings. 
  • The film review’s audience is wider and more diverse. 

Movie reviews can be written by two groups of reviewers: professional critics and ordinary consumers. Therefore, the text of the review will differ. In the first case, when the reviewer is a professional critic, he will describe the movie instead of evaluating it. While consumer critics mostly write from a personal perspective. 

What is the main purpose of a film review?

The main purpose of a film review is to inform readers about the film (what can expect from it) and to help them determine if they want to watch the movie. 

Functions of the Movie Review

The film review performs several functions at once: it informs, analyzes, persuades, and entertains. If you can include all of these points in your review, then you will have an excellent result in the end. 

How to Write a Film Review: Preparation for Writing

Writing a review is, of course, a creative process, but you should not forget about the analytical approach to creating a convincing and high-quality text. You must take the work responsibly, which we will do now.

To write a professional film review, you first need to complete the following preparation steps:

  • Of course, the first step is to find a film, if it has not been previously chosen by the manager/client/boss. There will be more chances to write a good review if the film was liked by both – film critics and you personally.
  • Watch the movie at least 2-3 times. After the first viewing, you will get a general impression of the picture, and try to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the film. Pay attention to the details the next time you watch it: the sound, the actor’s play, the editing, the plot. 
  • If you have difficulty understanding the events covered in the film (for example, historical), be sure to find additional information and research the topic.
  • If after two viewings you still do not have a final assessment of the film in the form of a brief thesis, watch the film again. You can look at other works of the director who worked on this film, this will help you determine his characteristic style. Also, as an option, you can look at the game of actors in other films (for comparison).
  • When watching a movie, take notes: key scenes, interesting plot twists, inconsistencies, details, and quotes. Then, based on them, you can build a review text, and a good quote can become an excellent epigraph.
  • Find information about the filming: location, duration, season, details about the filming process, difficulties the production team faced, casting, etc. Such information will make the review more attractive to readers.
  • If the film is nominated for awards and prizes, please include this information in your film review. For a potential viewer, such an assessment of the film will be a weighty argument in the direction of -> compulsory viewing.

10 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Start Writing a Movie Review

  • Does the film split into multiple parts? A sequel, prequel, or one of the movie series? 
  • What is the film genre (action, comedy, historical, drama, fantasy, Western, political, thriller, gangster, horror, tragicomedy, romance, sports, mystery, science fiction)? Is the movie based on real or fictional events?
  • Did the screenplay writer create an exciting plot?
  • Is the rhythm of the film slow and quiet, heavy and static, or chaotic and frantic?
  • What is the film’s rating according to the MPAA? ( G – General Audiences. All ages admitted. PG – Parental Guidance Suggested. PG-13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned. R – Restricted. Under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 – Adults Only.) 
  • Are there any films with a similar/same theme? Sometimes it is worth mentioning some of them in a review, as a comparison.
  • How can you characterize the work of a cinematographer? How accurately are the most expressive compositional, lighting solutions, as well as camera angles, selected and embodied?
  • Is the film entertaining or covers a serious themes?
  • Was the casting successful? Did all the actors cope with their roles?
  • Is the atmosphere of the film tense, mysterious, sinister, relaxed, or romantic?

The answers to all of the above questions will help you understand how to write a film review, and above all, create a draft version of your future review. But, of course, this is not enough for the final result.

How to Write and Structure a Film Review: Step by Step

Writing a film review is a long and complicated process. Therefore, it is better to break it down into stages and move step by step. This will help you not to get lost and not get confused in the details.

  • The catchy introduction.

The introductory part of the review should contain important information about the film: title, director, release date, and genre. 

You can mention nominations and awards, as well as indicate the box office (if the numbers are impressive) and the cast. 

In addition to “technical” aspects and a simple presentation of the plot, it is necessary to express your impression of the film in the form of a thesis, for example, to tell:

  • about the connection of the film’s central idea with current events and social problems;
  • about the similarity of the film’s plot with a personal life situation, personal experience, and feelings;
  • about the connection of technical elements (lighting, sound, editing) with the theme of the film.

2. Pass the verdict.

Do not torment the reader and express your opinion about the film in the first paragraphs of the review.

You should not leave all the most interesting “for later”. If you decide to give a final assessment of the film at the end of the review, what are the chances that the reader will read to this end?

3. Write a summary of the plot.

Choose 4-5 main events.

Avoid the film’s ending and spoilers. Keep the intrigue. If you want to spoil and share an unusual story development, warn the reader about this.

4. Bring the feelings.

In addition to presenting the plot of the film, you should add emotions to the text of the review and show what you felt while watching it.

5. Define the main purpose of the movie. 

Perhaps the film’s purpose is hidden in its plot. Or maybe the film does not pretend to solve global problems at all. Perhaps the film is entertaining, and this is its advantage – it is relaxed and simple.

Sometimes the main idea of a serious and deep film can be found in an interview with a film crew, a screenwriter, or a director.

6. Add some details of the filmmaking process. 

It is important to know the measure and not to overdo it with the terminology. Here’s what you can write about:

  • Cinematography: visual mood, lighting elements, shot sizes and widths, camera angles, etc. 
  • Sound. The main goal is to create the necessary atmosphere in the film. Sound in movies includes music, dialogue, sound effects, ambient noise, background noise, and soundtracks. 
  • Editing is the creation of a finished motion picture from many shot scenes. A film editor must creatively work with the layers of images, story, dialogue, music, pacing, as well as the actors’ performances to effectively “re-imagine” and even rewrite the film to craft a cohesive whole.
  • Mise-en-scène (from French – placement on the stage) is the mutual arrangement of the actors and their environment on the set, natural or pavilion. Mise-en-scene includes landscapes, visual effects, the psychological state of the characters, etc.

7. The deep meaning.

You may be able to spot specific symbolic items, repetitive moments, or key phrases that give depth to the film.

8. Give examples.

It is not enough to say “ an excellent game of actors ”. Explain what exactly caught your attention (appearance, facial expressions, costumes, or movements of the actor). 

9. A convincing conclusion.

Write about the moments in the film that made the biggest impression on you. Share a recommendation. To whom and why do you advise to watch this movie?

10. Reread the review text several times .

Edit, and correct mistakes that can spoil the impression even from a professionally written film review.

Examples of Film Reviews

To consolidate the received information, let’s move from theory to practice. Below are two examples of film reviews.

Example of film review

Apocalypse Now

Review by Roger Ebert

Francis Ford Coppola’s film “Apocalypse Now” was inspired by Heart of Darkness, a novel by Joseph Conrad about a European named Kurtz who penetrated to the farthest reaches of the Congo and established himself like a god. A boat sets out to find him, and on the journey the narrator gradually loses confidence in orderly civilization; he is oppressed by the great weight of the jungle all around him, a pitiless Darwinian testing ground in which each living thing tries every day not to be eaten.

What is found at the end of the journey is not Kurtz so much as what Kurtz found: that all of our days and ways are a fragile structure perched uneasily atop the hungry jaws of nature that will thoughtlessly devour us. A happy life is a daily reprieve from this knowledge.

A week ago I was in Calcutta, where I saw mile upon square mile of squatter camps in which hundreds of thousands live generation after generation in leaky huts of plastic, cardboard and scrap metal, in poverty so absolute it is impossible to see any hope of escape. I do not mean to equate the misery of those hopeless people with a movie; that would be indecent. But I was deeply shaken by what I saw, and realized how precious and precarious is a happy life. And in such a mood I watched “Apocalypse Now” and came to the scene where Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) tells Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen) about “the horror.”

Kurtz is a decorated hero, one of the best soldiers in the Army, who has created a jungle sanctuary upriver inside enemy territory, and rules Montagnard tribesmen as his private army. He tells Willard about a day when his Special Forces men inoculated the children of a village against polio: “This old man came running after us and he was crying, he couldn’t see. We went back there, and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile, a pile of little arms. . . .”

What Kurtz learned is that the Viet Cong were willing to go to greater lengths to win: “Then I realized they were stronger than we. They have the strength, the strength to do that. If I had 10 divisions of those men, then our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling, without passion, without judgment.” This is the “horror” that Kurtz has found, and it threatens to envelop Willard, too.

The whole movie is a journey toward Willard’s understanding of how Kurtz, one of the Army’s best soldiers, penetrated the reality of war to such a depth that he could not look any longer without madness and despair.

The film has one of the most haunting endings in cinema, a poetic evocation of what Kurtz has discovered, and what we hope not to discover for ourselves. The river journey creates enormous anticipation about Kurtz, and Brando fulfills it. When the film was released in 1979, his casting was criticized and his enormous paycheck of $1 million was much discussed, but it’s clear he was the correct choice, not only because of his stature as an icon, but because of his voice, which enters the film from darkness or half-light, repeating the words of T.S. Eliot’s despairing “The Hollow Men.” That voice sets the final tone of the film.

Film review: example

Diana biopic Spencer wobbles between the bold and the bad

By Nicholas Barber

You may feel that you’ve had enough of Princess Diana’s story on the big and small screens, what with Naomi Watts taking the role in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s awful Diana in 2013, and then Emma Corrin playing her in the most recent season of The Crown, with the mantel set to be passed in Elizabeth Debicki in the next run. But, to give it its due, Pablo Larraín’s Spencer marks the only time the People’s Princess has been shown delivering a lecture on Anne Boleyn to an old coat that she has just stolen off a scarecrow, and then having a chat with the ghost of Boleyn herself shortly afterwards. The Chilean director doesn’t go in for conventional biopics, as anyone who has seen Jackie (starring Natalie Portman) or Neruda will know. And here again he has gone for a surreal portrait of his iconic subject. The snag is that his experimental art house spirit keeps bumping up against the naffness and the familiarity of British films set in stately homes, so his psychodrama ends up being both ground-breaking and rib-tickling.

It’s set over three days in 1991, from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, at Sandringham House in Norfolk. The rest of the Royal Family has arrived for their holiday in a fleet of chauffeur-driven cars, but Diana (Kristen Stewart) rocks up on her own in a Porsche convertible, having taken a detour to visit the aforementioned scarecrow: her dilapidated childhood home, from the days when she was Lady Diana Spencer, is a field or two away from Sandringham. Her late arrival concerns the sympathetic head chef (Sean Harris) and bothers the Scottish army veteran (Timothy Spall) who has the job of ensuring that everything goes the way the Queen wants it to. Her Majesty’s insufferable Christmas traditions include weighing all the guests when they arrive and when they leave to ensure that they’ve been sufficiently gluttonous. But Diana is in no mood for festive japes. Her Christmas present from Charles (Jack Farthing) – a necklace with pearls the size of golf balls – is identical to the one he has given his mistress. And the whisper in the servants’ quarters is that the Princess is “cracking up”. The filmmakers apparently agree.

Steering away from the same territory as The Crown, Larraín and Knight don’t fill the film with awkward meals and heated arguments (although there are one of each of those). Prince Charles does some grumbling, but the Queen has hardly any lines and Prince Philip has none: they are closer to menacing waxworks than people. For most of the time, Diana is either talking to her young sons, her trusted personal dresser (Sally Hawkins) or to herself. It’s interesting, this lack of dramatic conflict and discernible plot, but it can leave the film seeming as listless and purposeless as Larraín’s Diana herself. Her favourite occupation is to wander around the estate until she finds something that has an ominous symbolic connection to her, and then make an unconvincing speech about it. Ah, pheasants! So beautiful, yet bred to be killed!

Stewart is such inspired casting that she makes all this eccentric nonsense watchable. She’s been practising Diana’s signature moves for years – dipped head, hunched shoulders – and she certainly knows what it’s like to put up with intrusive tabloid photographers. She also looks suitably fabulous in the many outfits that Diana is required to wear over the long weekend. And unlike Watts’s performance in 2013, hers doesn’t seem distractingly like an impersonation. Mind you, she delivers all her lines in little bursts of hissing whispers, so if you don’t see it with English subtitles, as its first audiences did at the Venice Film Festival, you might not understand more than half of what she says.

The effect is a bit odd, but there are lots of odd things in the film, not least the tone and the pacing, which lurch around like someone who’s had too much after-dinner port. Between Jonny Greenwood’s squalling jazz soundtrack, the hallucinations, and the blush-making sexual confessions, Spencer is a folly that wobbles between the bold and the bad, the disturbingly gothic and the just plain silly. In some scenes, it’s heart-rending in its depiction of Diana’s self-harm and bulimia. In others, it’s almost as risible as the Diana biopic from 2013, and that’s saying something. I didn’t know any more about Diana afterwards than I did beforehand, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. This is a film that echoes The Shining at the start and 2001: A Space Odyssey at the end. The Crown Christmas Special it ain’t.

Sources of information: 

  • “The Film Analysis Handbook” by Thomas Caldwell. 
  • https://payforwriting.com/writing/creating-review/how-to-write-movie-review
  • www.mtsu.edu
  • www.sciencedirect.com/science
  • Image:   freepik.com
  • Poster from the film Apocalypse Now

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Notebook — “The Notebook”: Movie Review and Analysis

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"The Notebook": Movie Review and Analysis

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Words: 481 |

Updated: 23 November, 2023

Words: 481 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Works Cited

  • Martz, J. (2017). Online vs. Traditional Learning: What are the Differences?. Arizona Christian University.
  • Leaf Group Education. (2021). Online vs. Traditional Education. Classroom.
  • University of the Potomac. (2020). Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Classes.
  • National Education Association. (2013). NEA Policy Brief: Online and Blended Learning.
  • Li, N., Marsh, J. A., & Zheng, B. (2018). Blended learning in K-12: Evidence-based practices and promising approaches. Journal of Educational Research, 111(4), 443-458.
  • Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2017). Digital Learning Compass: Distance Education Enrollment Report 2017. Babson Survey Group.
  • National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). Enrollment and Employees in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2018; and Financial Statistics and Academic Libraries, Fiscal Year 2018: First Look (Provisional Data). U.S. Department of Education.
  • Schreurs, J., Jarodzka, H., De Laat, M., & Sloep, P. (2018). The effects of online vs. blended learning on student engagement, learning outcomes, and experience. Educational Technology Research and Development, 66(1), 57-79.
  • Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2010). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. US Department of Education.
  • Sitzmann, T., Kraiger, K., Stewart, D., & Wisher, R. (2006). The comparative effectiveness of web-based and classroom instruction: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 59(3), 623-664.

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How To Write A Movie Review

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Table of Contents

Content of this article

  • Movie review writing guide
  • Forrest Gump analysis (example)
  • Recommendation
  • Martian (Movie Review Sample)
  • The Shawshank Redemption (Movie Review Sample)
  • Star Trek (Movie Review Sample)
  • Man of Steel (Movie Review Sample)
  • Movie related essay samples

1. Movie Review Writing

A lot of people like movies and films. These things add thrill and imaginations to our lives. This, therefore, makes us come to the conclusion that a movie is worth a review if it has been watched. Everyone has a different opinion on the movies they watch – the ratings can range from being great to good or even bad. Thought there are an increasing number of movie sites available on the Internet (some of which are authoritative, others less so (more below)), movie reviews and reviewers are still very much in demand for their own unique takes on a movie. The different types of reviewers can offer different types of writing, which is something that is good in a market which is rapidly becoming over-saturated. Everyone can review a movie, but there are still some differences between the reviewing done by experts, and reviewing done by amateurs – the amateurs are not usually focused on the minutiae of the film in the same way, and are instead focused more on the general ideas presented.

The primary purpose of movie review writing is to give the reader a rough idea of what the movie is about. The movie review greatly determines if an individual wants to watch the movie or not. This type of writing should, therefore, be detailed enough to assist the reader in making an honest decision. As much as the review is based on elaborating the movie review outline, it should not give away the plot of the movie or the surprises that make the movie enjoyable. Opinions on a movie need to be stated clearly, good or bad. If the review is to be brief, stars and scores can also be used to express the reviewer’s thoughts. A good writer should, therefore, have the basic knowledge of how to write a movie review.

Examples include:

  • Great movie : Almost Christmas is a movie that has balanced all its features to make a great movie. All the characters fit their roles and make the plot come to life. The costumes and the soundtracks are a plus as they enhance the emotions and feelings of every story line. Almost Christmas is, therefore, a movie worth watching.
  • Good movie :  London has Fallen is an okay movie. The graphics were on point as well as the sound effects. The cast, however, I felt weren’t up to the task, and did not bring out the feel of the movie. The actors, therefore, led to what was otherwise quite a good time-killing movie (if not a good movie overall) being let down. Additionally, the plot was difficult to comprehend.
  • Bad movie :  No matter how much you watch Central Intelligence, you can’t get a hold of the movie. The stunts are overrated, and the storyline is off, making the movie boring. The movie is a definite no, and not even worth spending time watching when there is nothing else to watch on TV. Definitely a flop.

forrest gump movie review

2. Complete analysis (Forrest Gump)

  • Plot analysis : the movie falls in the genre of modern fiction (modern history is generally considered to stretch from the fifteenth century up, although this category is further divided into early modern (1500s to 1700s) and late modern (1700s to present), with Tom Hanks playing the role of Forrest Gump. His character moves through history and survives all the hardships with decency and honesty.
  • Soundtrack analysis : the soundtrack reflects the mood that was popular at the time, which, in turn, creates urgency. The songs are great hits and are appropriate for children to listen to as well. The soundtrack helps to illustrate the transitions of the film’s locations – from warm and safe territory to a more hostile borders. For instance, the song by Fleetwood (Go Your Way) is used to illustrate how Forrest is joined by his friends in his journey. The soundtrack is an integral part of the movie experience, as it brings an emotional centre-point to the move by helping people to better understand just how high the stakes are in certain scenes. The soundtrack is also to convey the terrifying nature of the war scenes, thus helping the movie to pack even more of an emotional punch.
  • Atmosphere : later on in the movie, the atmosphere changes – the troops go out on patrol and are far away from their bases which are safe. The atmosphere becomes tense, and at the same time captivating. Having the atmosphere change throughout a movie emphasises that what is happening is actually serious and will have consequences, and the movie Forrest Gump is no different. If the atmosphere is incorrect, then, the movie will not feel so real to the people who are watching it.  the movie starts with the atmosphere of the beach party. Music is playing in the background, and people are enjoying barbecue and playing cards. The troops are not left behind as they are seen loading crates of beers in their trucks.
  • The main idea of the film : The main idea portrayed in Forrest Gump is that life is filled with unknown surprises. This is substantially illustrated by Forrest Gump himself, who is just a country boy with learning difficulties. Forrest, however, does not let this obstacle define him, and goes to great lengths to be a relevant person in history. The film, while containing some darkness and violence due to the war and its aftermath, is therefore an uplifting and invigorating film, as it shows how people can prevail against all odds, and even thrive. A film needs to have one (or possibly two, though more is of course harder to maintain) main idea if it is to remain coherent throughout.
  • Actors play analysis : Tom Hanks fits the role perfectly as he manages to express the love for the country. He portrays the feelings of sadness and comedy at the same time. Forrest, therefore, makes the movie interesting. Tom Hanks is a strong actor, and it is mainly due to his efforts as the lead which make the film as powerful and memorable as it is.

3. Review structure

The structure of a movie review follows the basic steps of the introduction, the body (analysis), the recommendation and the movie review conclusion. A movie review writing guide gives the writer instructions on how to write a movie review. The movie review structure is as follows.

3.1 The introduction

A movie review should open up with an introduction. The introduction is the most appealing way of how to start a movie review, and contains the summary of the movie and opinion that will be stated. Movie review writing hooks give the readers a general feel of what will be illustrated in the review. The introduction for a movie review has to be appealing, so that the reader can get the feel of wanting to read more.

Give a brief illustration of what will be discussed in the review and then proceed to the thesis. Ensure that the thesis is original and at the same time based on the analysis. The thesis for a movie review should be compelling and reflect on a contemporary issue, while the argument should go beyond the plot and straight to the film criticism. Illustrate both the message of the movie and how the film connects to an individual.  The thesis paragraph can be followed up with a short summary plot. The section will also give an overview of what will be contained in the body.

3.2 Body paragraphs (analysis)

The analysis covers the fails and accomplishments within the movie, and also gives the writer a chance to express their feelings towards it. The cinematography, acting, the setting, and soundtrack can also be discussed in this section. Ensure that the writing is smooth and easy to comprehend. For the review to seem realistic and professional, present facts and opinions in the same page, and try to use examples that are descriptive in order to bring the plot to life. Dialogue snippets can and should be quoted to give the review snappiness. You can add a few movie review tips such as giving the language used some personality, in order to create a style which will reflect a unique perspective to entertain the reader.

3.3 Recommendation

A movie review structure can also have a recommendation. The recommendation gives the writers a chance to commend the film and decide if it’s worth the money.

3.4 Conclusion

The conclusion for a movie review should be in a position to be tied up with the thesis. The conclusion should also offer guidance of whether to watch the film or not. There are a number of ways of how to end a movie review. However, the most effective style is to make it compelling and at the same time entertaining.

4. Polishing the review

The review is polished through editing. The final content should go hand in hand with the movie review draft. Fine tune the review to ensure it is in line with the thesis. Ensure that the content has enough examples to back up the claims. You should also proofread the review to eliminate any spelling mistakes and errors that can be avoided – movie review writing needs to be precise and free of errors. Finally, share the review with friends and family and see if it has an impact on their opinions of the movie.

5. More examples

5.1 martian review.

  • Download in PDF
  • Download in DOCX

5.2 The Shawshank Redemption review

5.3 star trek review, 5.4 man of steel review, more movie related essay samples.

  • My favorite movie: Titanic
  • “Forrest Gump” Movie Review Sample
  • “I Robot” Moive Review
  • Book vs Movie
  • Life is a beautiful movie
  • “The Hobbit” Movie Review

film review essay form 4

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How to Write a Movie Review: Step-by-Step Guide, Examples

Apr 29, 2022 | 0 comments

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Apr 29, 2022 | Blog | 0 comments

Writing a movie review is a great way of expressing your opinion of a movie. The purpose of most movie reviews is to help the reader determine whether they want to watch, rent or buy the movie. The review should give enough details about the movie so that the reader can make an informed decision, without giving any essentials such as the plot or any surprises. Below is a helpful guide on how to write a movie review:

Read also: What Is A Blue Book?

What Is a Movie Review

So, let’s get started.

What Is a Movie Review?

A movie review is a detailed analysis of the film, including its strengths and weaknesses. It also contains the reviewer’s personal opinion about the movie. A typical movie review follows this structure:

  • Introduction
  • Description of the movie plot and main characters
  • The thesis statement consists of the review’s summary and your opinion about it
  • Analysis of acting performances, directing, cinematography, special effects, soundtrack, editing (add one or two sentences on each element)
  • Conclusion – Express your opinion on whether you would recommend or not recommend watching it

Movie Review Purpose

A movie review is meant to entertain and entice. The purpose of the writing is not to merely summarize the film but rather to critically evaluate it using certain criteria and provide an interpretation that can be supported by evidence from the film itself.

Here are some of the main purposes of a movie review:

  • To Discuss the Film Plot Briefly : Some movie reviews give information about what happens in the film without delivering any specific opinion from the writer. However, most movie reviews evaluate the quality of the film and its significance for viewers.
  • To Analyze the Film: In an analytical review, you build an argument about how well—or not so well—the director portrayed their intent through visuals and audio effects. You may also analyze a scene by comparing different versions of it that were shown throughout the film as a means of foreshadowing upcoming events; for example, in “ Titanic ,” when Rose is first introduced to Jack on deck, she’s wearing a long black skirt and white blouse with long sleeves buttoned up tight over her neck. Later in the film, Rose wears similar clothes while standing on top of a car with Jack as they fly into New York City. This exemplifies that even though she has experienced wealth and privilege on this trip, she has opened herself up emotionally and physically (in both instances) to something new that excites her—and makes her feel free and happy.
  • To Share Your Opinion: Most people write movie reviews because they want to share their opinion on how good or bad someone else thinks a film is without reading any other opinions about it first. This type of reviewer wants others to know their perspective​ before reading those other opinions so they can form more informed judgments based upon all available information rather than just one person’s viewpoint, which could easily sway them one way or another – especially if that person was paid off by someone involved with making this particular piece!
  • To Give Recommendations: Sometimes reviewers will recommend movies based on whether they think it’s worth seeing again after seeing them only once at their opening night premiere date (which means you might still make changes before

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write a Movie Review

You get an assignment to write a movie review, watch the movie, and then start writing, right? Not so fast. Writing a film review is not as easy as it may seem to be. It is much more complicated than just watching a movie!

So in this section of our article, we will share a detailed step-by-step guide on how to write a film review.

Step 1: Choose a Film

First, you need to choose a good film that you know you will enjoy. It isn’t easy to write a film review if the movie is not entertaining to you and doesn’t grip your attention. Choose a movie that will interest your readers, too. A great example of this would be reviewing films that have been released recently so that your review is relevant to readers who haven’t seen them yet.

Choose films with mixed reviews to provide an interesting argument in your review. In this case, you can either focus on agreeing or disagreeing with these reviews and why they may be right or wrong.

Step 2: Watch the Movie

Watch the movie several times, at least once on a large screen and once with the sound off.

It would help with multiple viewings because you can only spot different film elements in specific circumstances.

When you watch the film with no sound, you’ll pay attention to camera techniques, lighting, costume design, and visual storytelling. When you turn up the audio (make sure it’s high quality), you’ll immerse yourself in the world created by songs and dialogues.

Note that this is not something important only for critics who love cinema as an art form; everyone will benefit from watching a movie twice or thrice. You’ll have time to read about what other people thought of it when conducting your pre-writing research.

This way, all your information will come from multiple sources, making a good movie review essay stand out from its mediocre alternatives.

Step 3: Make Notes

Take notes. Taking notes will help you in the next steps when you start writing the review.

  • Write down any details about the movie that stands out to you. You can use these to help build your analysis later on.
  • Remember not to spoil the movie for readers or even give away too much of what happens early in the film!
  • If something interesting happens, jot it down to remember it as you are watching.

Step 4: Research the Movie

Research the movie to find out more information.

There is nothing worse than watching a movie and not knowing who directed it, the names of the actors, or when it was released. You can use these facts as part of your review. However, do not include too many facts in your opening paragraph. You can save them for later.

Here are some things you should research:

  • Who directed the film?
  • What is their previous work? Did they make other good (or bad) films?
  • When and where was it shot? Is there anything significant about that location and period? (This could be important if there are historical references in the film).
  • Was it based on a book? If so, which book(s)? Do you think spending an hour or two reading before seeing the film will help you enjoy it more (or less)?

Step 5: Analyze the Movie

As you analyze the plot, characters, and acting in a movie, consider whether these aspects were convincing or not. Think about how well the plot unfolds and if it is engaging. Is it predictable, or does the film succeed at changing your expectations? How are the plot points tied to the main characters? Did their actions make sense?

It would help to consider what’s left out of a movie and how that might affect your analysis of its story. For example, something left out of ‘The Great Gatsby is Gatsby’s trip to New York City with Nick Carraway. Although visiting New York wasn’t an essential part of Gatsby’s character, it would have added more depth to him and his relationship with Carraway.

When thinking about acting performances, think about how well each actor portrayed their character: Did they convince you they were this person? If multiple actors played a particular role (like Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow), did they all do a good job conveying a similar character, or did each one play the role differently? What was your favorite performance by an actor in this movie?

Step 6: Draft a Review Outline

You can structure your movie review however you like. However, most people have a hard time writing unless they have a clear outline. In other words, it’s good to know what you’ll be writing about before you start. That way, it will be easier for you to organize your thoughts and make sure you don’t forget any crucial information or points that arise during watching and reviewing the movie.

The outline should include:

  • Introduction: This section should include the movie’s title, the director, and the main cast. It might be a good idea to provide some context for the film. For instance, you could point out that “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) is an adaptation of a Stephen King novella and consider how faithful it is to its source. You should also briefly state your thesis in this part of the introduction.
  • Body paragraphs: These are where you write about each topic and support it with examples from the movie itself. Remember, this is not just a regurgitation of facts; you need to analyze and interpret them to make your point valid.
  • Conclusion: Here, you summarize what you have said in your review. You can argue whether or not the filmmaker achieved their goal by using specific examples from your analysis of the film in question.

Step 7: Come up with a Catchy Title

A good movie review doesn’t just recap what happened in the film. Instead, it gives an opinion and concludes. A catchy title will do the same thing.

The best movie titles can convey a lot of information about your review in a few words. They should be short and to the point—no more than ten words each (and ideally fewer).

Here are just some of the things you could include in a great movie title:

  • The name of the film you’re reviewing;
  • Whether it’s funny or scary;
  • Whether you think it deserves an Oscar or is ordinary at best;
  • A play on words;
  • Your favorite line from one of the characters; or even
  • A famous quote about movies—or your opinion about what makes a good move, like “Gone With The Wind: What Is Art?”

Step 8: Write Your Review

With your outline in hand, it’s time to knock out your review. Your first few paragraphs need to include a summary of the plot. When writing this section, avoid giving any spoilers away. The whole point is to give your readers some background and context for the film without ruining all of its surprises. You can do this by describing what happens during the movie without getting into any detail that would ruin it for someone who hasn’t seen it yet (for example, avoid expansive character descriptions that divulge too much about a character’s motivations).

After you’ve summarized the movie’s plot, share your opinion of the film with your readers. Be sure to cite specific evidence from both the film and your research to support your claims.

End by summarizing all of your major points in a conclusion paragraph. This should bring the review full-circle: touching on everything you mentioned in the introduction and body paragraphs without sounding repetitive or redundant.

Step 9: Edit Your Final Draft

Finally, read your review again and check for spelling and grammatical errors, common mistakes, and general readability. If possible, ask someone else to proofread your work. It is much easier to notice mistakes in somebody else’s writing than in your own. Make sure that all your ideas are included, and the structure of the review is logical:

  • Is there a clear introduction with an interesting hook?
  • Does each paragraph contain one main idea?
  • Do all paragraphs follow a logical sequence and connect?
  • Are any missing details added?

Movie Review Outline

First, you’ll have to familiarize yourself with the work. Could you read it, watch it, read about it? If you’re writing a book review , this is easier said than done—you’ll have to consider all the factors that make up a novel: characters, setting, tone, imagery, etc. For a movie review or essay on movies with strong visual elements, watching the film several times will help you gain insight into cinematic techniques. And don’t just watch passively! Take notes and keep track of how each shot works to achieve its purpose in the overall context of the film (and your review).

Next comes outlining your essay. Review outlines follow a more rigid structure than other types of essays:

  • Introduction: This is where you introduce what the movie is about (without giving away spoilers!) and clarify why you wanted to watch it. You should provide some background information about the movie. This includes what genre it is, its plot, and where it was filmed.
  • Summary : A brief retelling of the movie’s plot—and no more than a page! You don’t need to get super detailed here; just hit on major points.
  • Reaction: Your reaction to the movie, including whether or not you would recommend it to other people (and why). How did the film make you feel? What was interesting or surprising? Was there anything that didn’t work for you? Were there any scenes that made you particularly uncomfortable?
  • Analysis: Here’s where your thesis comes in again! Please explain how this movie relates to your thesis or its larger point about society as a whole. Bonus points if you can connect it back to current events. How well does the film portray its topic? What does this film say about society? Is there an underlying theme that you could interpret in more than one way? How do style and visuals on-screen contribute to this theme? How did you feel about how the movie portrayed a character on screen–did they seem real? What message does their portrayal send about gender, race, and class issues within society? These are all questions that you should answer in your analysis. You can express your opinion here but mostly focus on critiquing how well you used these elements in portraying whatever aspect of society they are portraying (class issues are often explored through movies that deal with family relationships and romance).
  • Conclusion: Wrap up your essay by explaining what this film means to society today. Is anyone talking about it online? Does anyone have an interesting take on it? You can also mention what movies are similar and which ones are better—or worse—than this one (be careful not to include too many spoilers!).
  • Recommendation / Works Cited. Finally, don’t forget about the Works Cited page of the sources you got information from during your research and writing.

Short Movie Review Form

If you know that you will be writing plenty of reviews in the future, we recommend that you create a standardized movie review form. That will help you save time and succeed in your future assignments. Format and structure your template according to the general rule of film review writing and leave empty text boxes. Alternatively, you can search for a template on the Internet. Here is a basic movie review template you can use to outline your review:

Short Movie Review Form

Movie Review Examples

Here are a few sample movie reviews:

Movie Review of “Jaws” by Steven Spielberg

Movie review of “ the hunger games”, movie review of “ mean streets,” directed by martin scorsese, mistakes to avoid.

  • Don’t give away any plot spoilers. It’s fine to mention that a movie includes a plot twist or two, but you should avoid giving away the ending.
  • Avoid retelling the film’s plot in detail. You want to focus on offering your own opinions and insights about what you saw, not chronologically relaying the film’s events.
  • Include plenty of evidence to support your opinions, and make sure to cite your sources if possible. Your movie review will be more credible if you support your opinions with examples from similar films and other reviews from respected critics and directors.
  • Conduct thorough research before writing a review. It can also be helpful to conduct research by reading reviews of other films that are similar to yours so that you can find out who else has written about this topic and whether or not they liked it.
  • Absence of structure. Your review should have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should set up the premise of what you’re reviewing; the body paragraphs should explore all aspects of the film – good, bad, or otherwise; and then, finally, there should be some resolution in which a recommendation is made (or not) for viewers who might like this kind of movie themselves.
  • Beware of being either too positive or negative about the film you watched . Many people exaggerate their reviews; they make them more dramatic than they should be, eventually getting caught in lies while trying to support their point of view with wrong facts and logical errors. This may ruin your reputation and credibility as a professional critic in the future if you do it often enough. Be objective and honest when writing your review essay so that the readers can trust you and want to come back for more of your works.
  • Be careful not to be too critical when expressing your opinion on what can be improved in the film because it might offend its director or producers, who usually take all criticism personally regardless of whether it was meant to hurt them! However, try not to overdo it either since most people will have different tastes from yours, so don’t forget that everyone deserves respect even though there is something about which we don’t agree 🙂 So keep this balance by providing both positives and negatives (if any).
  • Make sure to explain your reasoning as you go along in the review . Don’t just state your opinion and then leave it at that – give readers concrete examples of why you think this movie is good or bad and what events in the film support your view.
  • Use plenty of evidence from the film itself with specific details, scenes, lines of dialogue, camera movements, etc. Give reasons for your opinions based on those details, e.g., “The fact that she says this shows…” or “The way he says this suggests….”
  • Don’t generalize things like ‘women’ or ‘men’ – these can be tricky to prove as they refer to huge groups of people and are often not particularly accurate stereotypes anyway! If a character says something sexist, then say so: “the character’s attitude towards women seems outdated,” but don’t say things like “men are always stronger than women” because that’s not true for everyone (not even all men).

Final thoughts

In conclusion, a review of a movie should be entertaining to read. It should include the elements discussed above, but each should be well-written and original. Remember, while you want to make a good impression on your reader and convince them that you know what you’re talking about, your opinion is still subjective. Be sure it’s clear; don’t leave the reader guessing whether or not you liked the movie (or whatever else it is that you’re reviewing). And as always, remember to cite any source material to avoid plagiarism!

Get Help from the Experts with your Movie Review Paper

you can ask for help from your friends and family members. However, the most reliable assistance comes from professional writers. For example, you can contact EssayFreelanceWriters.Com experts. The great thing about our writers is that they will help write reviews no matter how tough your deadline is or how difficult the content of your task may be.

Suppose you have any questions or want to ensure that everything goes as planned. In that case, we offer such an opportunity as well – it is possible to contact your expert via chat and discuss anything related to your order.

sarah Bentley

With a passion for helping students navigate their educational journey, I strive to create informative and relatable blog content. Whether it’s tackling exam stress, offering career guidance, or sharing effective study techniques

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How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Format & Examples

Movie analysis essays offer a unique opportunity to take a closer look at narrative techniques and artistic aspects of filmmaking. A paper on this subject lets you explore themes, characters, cinematography, and other elements that make movies stand out. Students can improve their movie analysis abilities by reading our comprehensive guide! It has enough information to make you a movie critic in your own right.

Our team has covered the main film analysis essay components to help you thoroughly analyze movies. By the end of this read, you’ll understand how to pick the right motion picture and craft a film review that best captures its essence. The guide covers all the crucial steps for students to make a film analysis essay captivating and thought-provoking for readers. Let’s dive into cinema analysis and discover the secret behind excellent papers!

  • 📽️ What Is a Film Analysis?
  • 🎞️ Types of Movie Analysis

🎬 Film Analysis Template

  • 🤩 11 Tips for Movie Analysis
  • 💡 Film Analysis Essay Topics

🔗 References

📽️ what is a film analysis essay.

In a film analysis paper, students should closely examine the various elements of the picture. These include directing , writing , cinematography , acting , and setting . As with any critical paper, the subject is evaluated based on specific standards. Sometimes, a film may be compared to other entries in its genre or series, for example, Star Wars vs. Star Trek.

🎞️ Types of Movie Analysis Essays

Before making a movie analysis outline, it’s essential to understand what kind of essay you want to create. There are several popular types with unique goals and aims. Understanding the difference between them helps you choose the right one for the paper you want to write.

4 Types of movie analysis essays.

The most common types of movie analysis essays include:

  • Semiotic Analysis. This type discusses the symbols and signs represented in a particular movie. With its help, you may uncover the meaning of objects or images repeated throughout the picture. It’s also possible to show connections between different examples of imagery in the film. For example, you may discuss the meaning of oranges in The Godfather .
  • Narrative Structure Analysis. This common type of analysis lets you look deeper into the various story elements, such as plot, narrative structure, and characters. For example, you may use it to explore the story and setting of Psycho.
  • Contextual Analysis. In a contextual analysis, you draw connections between the film and its cultural and historical context. This works well with documentary films or movies based on real events. For example, you can describe the atmosphere of the Cold War in Red Dawn and The Hunt for Red October .
  • Mise-En-Scene Analysis . If you want to go into deep detail about the beauty and meaning of scenes or single shots, mise-en-scene analysis is right for you. It lets you take a look at individual elements and interpret them. For example, you may try to explain how various details of the surroundings were depicted in Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. This analysis is as effective for short films as it is for feature-length ones.

Creating a high-quality, compelling essay isn’t just about being creative. It also needs structure and a systematic approach. You can’t write it right if you don’t know how to do it. So, we’ll take a closer look at each step of this process to make your journey more comfortable. Come with us and learn what makes a movie critique essay great.

Prepare for Writing the Film Analysis Paper

Before you begin your first draft, it’s vital to prepare for the film analysis. This process is divided into five stages. We’ve decided to provide some advice and ideas for each of them. Look closely at what should be done to better prepare for this task:

Movie Analysis Format & Structure

A well-organized film essay structure will help you properly present your ideas and arguments. That is why we have provided some advice on how you should format your essay.

Create a draft for your essay.

There are several parts you should include when writing your film critique:

  • Introduction . Any good piece of writing starts with a catchy introduction. It must give readers a small taste of what the paper will be about with unique insights and analysis. One look at it should be enough to hook your readers.
  • Body . After writing the perfect intro, summarize the work you’ll analyze and focus on the crucial plot points. Then, provide an analysis of the motion picture at length. Check your outline to ensure you only talk about relevant aspects. When organizing each of your paragraphs , you should remember its purpose and try not to stray off topic.
  • Conclusion . The last part of your paper should summarize the main points and present your final thoughts. Don’t haste and write the first thing that comes to mind. Ensure that the conclusion is as impactful as the introductory part.

Sometimes, students get too engrossed when watching a movie and leave out essential details. To make sure that doesn’t happen, follow this movie analysis template. It will help you retain information and avoid making mistakes.

🤩 11 Tips to Follow While Writing a Movie Analysis

A movie analysis essay writing requires exceptional attention to detail. We’ve come up with several terrific pieces of advice that will improve your writing skills regarding these assignments. They will work for you whether you’re analyzing a Tim Burton animated film or the legendary Titanic movie.

  • Even if you’ve seen the work before, rewatch it. It will refresh your memories of it.
  • Don’t rush things, and see the movie at least twice. Arrange your time to have the opportunity to refresh your memories of the plot details.
  • Sometimes, it helps to work on the body of the paper before adding an introduction.
  • Develop a clear thesis statement . It helps better organize the paper’s arguments.
  • Closely investigate the audio and visual elements. They often help bring more nuance to the story and the film’s atmosphere.
  • Don’t make the paper all about the plot. It should be an analysis and not a retelling of the entire story.
  • To make the paper more professional, incorporate some technical jargon. For example, you may explain the techniques used by the camera crew or the editors.
  • Do your best to remain objective. Your paper should analyze the movie elements and your opinions should be evidence-based.
  • Compare the film to other genre entries. Try to tell how other works tackle the same subjects and utilize similar cinema elements .
  • Check the structural integrity of the work. Comb the paper for any inconsistencies or sentences that seem to dangle in the air. Your text should be easy to follow.
  • Finally, remember to edit. It’s important to polish the paper until you have all the facts, grammar, stylistics, and spelling in order.

9 Essential questions to help you analyze a movie.

💡 Interesting Topics for Film Analysis Essays

  • Pandora’s Unobtanium: Analyzing James Cameron’s “Avatar”
  • Truth and Its Consequences in “Liar Liar” Directed by Tom Shadyac
  • The Feminist Revolution in “Mona Lisa Smile” by Mike Newell
  • Blade Runner’s Cyberpunk Aesthetic: A Scene Analysis
  • Society and Class Distinctions in “Pride and Prejudice” Movie
  • Power, Loyalty, and Betrayal in “The Godfather” by Francis Ford Coppola
  • The Heroine’s Journey into “The Wizard of Oz” by Victor Fleming
  • Generational Saga “Mi Familia” by Gregory Nava
  • Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates: A Cinematic Journey in ‘Forrest Gump’
  • Transformation in “Dances with Wolves” by Kevin Costner
  • Spirit of Nature and Childhood Innocence in “My Neighbor Totoro”
  • Subversive Masculinity in “Fight Club” by David Fincher
  • Intercultural Communication in “Lost in Translation” by Sofia Coppola
  • Ethical Dilemmas and Family Bonds in “My Sister’s Keeper” by Nick Cassavetes
  • Shakespearean Romance and Identity in “Shakespeare in Love” 

Three Brilliant Movie Analysis Examples

Theoretical knowledge will only take you so far. We suggest taking a look at several scene analysis essay examples. Check out these three creative samples with different analytical approaches:

  • “Remember the Titans” Movie by Jerry Bruckheimer. Outstanding achievement can only be won through hardship. It doesn’t matter whether you’re fighting for equality or striving to win a football game. Each small event resonates in history. Jerry Bruckheimer’s Remember the Titans is a testament to the sacrifice and struggle people endure to make a difference. This essay analyzes the work using several scenes that capture its central message.
  • The Analysis of Film “Wilby Wonderful.”   Interpersonal relationships remain a big issue from a psychological point of view for many despite the perceived ease of their maintenance. It causes many misunderstandings and conflicts people may inadvertently find themselves in. Daniel Maclvor’s Wilby Wonderful demonstrates these inadequacies in full view on the streets of the Canadian island town of Wilby. This essay analyzes the themes of self-denial and the consequences it brings.
  • Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: 1994 Movie Analysis Essay.  1994’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh, is one of the many adaptations of the classic horror novel. Like the original story, it explores the consequences of man playing god. But, despite its star-ridden cast led by Robert DeNiro, the film doesn’t quite live up to its literary counterpart. This paper analyzes why the adaptation didn’t capture the spirit of the original.

We did our best to address all questions you might have had about film review writing. Feel free to use our guide and review essay examples to write excellent papers and share our articles with your friends.

  • Resources – How to Write a Film Analysis. – Northwestern University
  • Film Analysis. – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Film Writing: Sample Analysis. – Purdue University
  • How to Write a Movie Review: 9 Essential Tips. – New York Film Academy
  • Step by Step Guide to Writing an Essay on Film. – Film Threat
  • How To Write a Critical Analysis in 5 Steps (With Tips). – Indeed
  • Film Review. – Writing Studio, Duke University
  • How to Write About Film: The Movie Review, The Theoretical Essay, and The Critical Essay. – University of Colorado Denver
  • Film & Media Studies Resources: Researching a Film. – Bowling Green State University
  • Questions for Film Analysis. – University of Washington

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Essay SPM Bahasa Inggeris – Free Guy (Movie Review)

film review essay form 4

❗SPM 2023❗English Paper 3 - Part 1 Question Reference - Part 2 Question and Answer Reference - Part 2 Hot Topic❗ - More Question and Answer

Write your answer in 200 – 250 words in an appropriate style on this question paper. You recently saw this notice in a magazine. Write your review .

Reviews Required! Have you watched any interesting movies lately? We would love to hear your review! Highlight what you enjoyed about the movie. Would you recommend the movie to others? The best review will published in our magazine and receive a cash voucher worth RM250!

Table of Contents

Free Guy Movie Review

Free Guy is a American action-comedy film directed and produced by Shawn Levy. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as a video game character named Guy, he becomes self-aware and embarks on a mission to save his virtual world from destruction.

The movie was produced by 20th Century Studios and eventually premiered on August 13, 2021 after few times pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The duration of the movie is approximately 115 minutes.

“Free Guy” has grossed over $331 million worldwide, making it a commercial success. The movie’s strong box office numbers are particularly impressive given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The film received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards.

Movie synopsis

The movie tells the story of Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a bank teller living in a video game called Free City. Guy’s life is changed when he meets Molotov Girl (Jodie Comer), a player who’s trying to uncover the truth behind the game’s creator. Molotov Girl help Guy to discovers he’s actually a non-playable character (NPC).

Guy decides to take control of his life and break free from the programming to become the hero of his own story. Guy and Molotov Girl work together to save Free City from the game’s creator Antoine’s nefarious plans, they encounter action, adventure, and plenty of humour along the way.

Movie Review

Free Guy is a movie that will make you appreciate the video game culture. It is a fast-paced and action-packed movie that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Ryan Reynolds delivers a fantastic performance as Guy, a lovable and innocent NPC who learns to stand up for himself and fight for what he believes in.

The movie has an excellent blend of humour, romance, and action, which makes it entertaining for all audiences. On the other hand, the movie’s special effects are stunning and enhance the overall experience. Time really flies by with this movie because of all the explosions and comedic moments.

In Conclusion

To summarise, “Free Guy” is a must-watch movie for anyone who loves action, comedy, and video games. It’s a fun and heartwarming movie that will make you laugh, cry and leave you feeling good. The movie has something for everyone, and it’s perfect for a night out with friends or a family movie night. If you’re looking for a great movie that will leave you entertained, “Free Guy” is the perfect choice.

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Essay SPM - Free Guy Movie Review

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COMMENTS

  1. Movie Review Essay Examples Papers and Topics

    Topics: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Feminism, Holly Golightly, Marx's theory of alienation, Marxism, Movie Review, Sex industry, Sex worker, Social class. 1 2 … 18. Perfect and absolutely free movie review essays. Find the best movie review essay examples and relevant topics for inspiration in our database.

  2. A Review Of The Movie Inception: [Essay Example], 756 words

    Published: Nov 5, 2020. "Inception", a film directed, written, and produced by Christopher Nolan was praised as one of the best science fiction and fantasy movies to be released in the year 2010. It's a mind bending blockbuster hit that takes place in a setting constructed by a multilayered journey through the human mind which defies time ...

  3. How to Write a Movie Review (with Sample Reviews)

    Find a place to mention the director's name and the full movie title. If you feel you must discuss information that might "spoil" things for readers, warn them first. 2. Start to talk about the film's technical and artistic choices. Plot is just one piece of a movie, and shouldn't dictate your entire review.

  4. Guide on Movie Review with Free Samples and Tips

    A remarkable aspect of a good film review is that it doesn't just rate the movie but provides explicit views that form the critique's basis. This form of writing, like crafting essays, research papers, and term papers, should be insightful and draw the reader in quickly. It's important to discuss the reputation of the lead actors and directors ...

  5. How to Write a Movie Review for College

    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.

  6. How To Write a Movie Review Essay

    Provide the title and release date, and the names of the director, screenwriter, and major actors. Context. You don't need to trace the film's entire history while movie review writing, but your audience will appreciate a little bit of context. Hook.

  7. How to Write a Good Movie Review Essay

    3. Write a summary without breaking suspense: Avoid spoiling the suspense of the movie in your review essay. Instead, describe the events occurring in the movie in just 3 to 5 lines without leaking suspense. But if it is the need for review to write something in your summary, then warn the readers first. 4.

  8. How to Write a Movie Review

    A few ways you can do this is by talking about a specific actor or director, or by using one of the main plot points of the movie. For example, "A Romantic Comedy for the Unromantic", or "Chris Pratt Plays Against Type in the Best Possible Way". Look at the titles of some movie review examples for inspiration! ‍.

  9. Guide on Writing a Successful Movie Review

    It must consist of: Introduction - the part where you should mention a 2019 directed film genre, director's name, main actors, season, setting, and put a thesis statement. A body part - here critics have to discuss the events without talking about the ending. Remember about supporting a thesis with strong examples.

  10. How to write a movie review [Updated 2023]

    Step-by-step review writing tips. 1. Watch the movie. The first time that you watch the movie, look for overarching themes or patterns, and establish what the film is primarily about. Take note of the main characters, as well as the setting. 2. Watch the movie again and take notes.

  11. How To Write A Movie Review: Strategies And A Good Example

    To make a good movie review, we suggest you passing these simple steps: Watch a movie/documentary first. Even if you have watched this movie/documentary once or two and are confident about its content, we suggest you look through it again for refreshing memories. This matters for reflecting all elements appropriately.

  12. How to Write a Movie Review: 5 Tips for Writing Movie Reviews

    1. Take notes. As you watch the film, note any critical elements you want to discuss in your review. Write down factors that pique your interest, like performance, lighting choices, music placement, CGI, thematic arcs, and other elements you think the audience will find interesting. 2.

  13. Best Tips for Writing a Great Movie Review Essay

    Writing a film review requires a compelling writing style, careful analysis, and simple communication. Use these points as your movie review template for fast resolution: 1. Study professionals or ask for help. 2. Watch the film at least once. 3. Research the movie. 4.

  14. How to Write a Film Review: Structure, Steps, Examples

    Of course, the first step is to find a film, if it has not been previously chosen by the manager/client/boss. There will be more chances to write a good review if the film was liked by both - film critics and you personally. Watch the movie at least 2-3 times. After the first viewing, you will get a general impression of the picture, and try ...

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    The Notebook is an incredibly likeable movie, it has all the flavors that the perfect tragic romance movie requires, a rich girl who falls in love with a poor boy, distance, the girl meeting another guy, and the discovery of long lost love. The movie makes one believe in the power of true love, and if something is meant to be then it will ...

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    The Movie Review One of the most popular forms of film analysis, movie reviews often appear in newspapers and are tailored for the widest possible audiences to recommend or discourage the viewing of a film. This form is uncommon in academic writing. The Critical Essay This form presumes the reader has seen or is familiar with the film(s) being ...

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    The conclusion for a movie review should be in a position to be tied up with the thesis. The conclusion should also offer guidance of whether to watch the film or not. There are a number of ways of how to end a movie review. However, the most effective style is to make it compelling and at the same time entertaining. 4. Polishing the review

  18. How To Write A Movie Review: Step-by-Step Guide, Examples

    Step 4: Research the Movie. Research the movie to find out more information. There is nothing worse than watching a movie and not knowing who directed it, the names of the actors, or when it was released. You can use these facts as part of your review. However, do not include too many facts in your opening paragraph.

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    Average: 3.2 (18 votes) Find out more. Do not share content that is not yours. Only add content that is your original work. Do not copy ideas or information without saying where it came from. Look at the film review and do the exercises to improve your writing skills.

  20. How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Format & Examples

    Ensure that the title, character names, and people involved in the making of the film are written correctly. Also, make notes of important plot points, symbols, and devices. 🎯 Identify the things you must write about. After you watch the work several times, pick elements that should be covered in the paper.

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    Review essay movie review recently watched south korean movie, to this movie is an action, horror, thriller, zombie movie. this movie was produced in 2016 and. Skip to document. ... Adverbs English Notes Form 1-5 BEGINNERS. Bahasa Melayu Tingkatan 1-5 100% (28) 22. RBT Folio. Bahasa Melayu Tingkatan 1-5 100% (17) 2.

  22. Essay SPM Bahasa Inggeris : Free Guy (Movie Review)

    The Holiday Book Review - SPM Essay Sample Updated on: September 13, 2022 SPM 2023 English Paper 3- Part 1 Question Reference- Part 2 Question and Answer Reference- Part 2 Hot Topic - More Question and Answer Write your answer in 200 - 250 words in an appropriate style on this question paper.You see this notice in a community magazine.