A movie review is quite a common assignment, and many college students need to handle it. In spite of appearing to be simple at first glance, writing such a review involves a bit more than just retelling a plot. A student should go much deeper, and this requires more time and preparation. Anyway, if you have such an assignment to do, you can have fun, especially if you adore watching movies, and we’ll help you make the process of writing easier.
What Purpose Does a Movie Review Have?
It is aimed at informing the audience about the film and its ideas by summarizing the plot (with certain reservations) and providing relevant analysis and point of view. What you have to do is to present the offered example of a film if your professor assigned a particular one or a film to your liking to the readers in order to help them decide whether they want to watch it or not.
Every example of a film review provides detailed background information to assist in making an educated decision based on your review. Thus, you have a great opportunity to tell about the movie and express your opinions about it as well as provide unbiased details. You should always presume that this movie hasn’t been seen by the audience yet because it will help you make your review more lively, complete, and absorbing as well as aid in analyzing the plot and characters much easier.
How to Write a Film Review for College: Initial Steps
Before you start working on your paper, you will definitely need to watch the chosen movie and understand what to write about. For this reason, consider what a good review should include:
- main data related to the film (a genre, director, release year, etc.);
- the plot description (without spoilers);
- a clear, brief, and all-encompassing characteristic of the movie;
- linking and comparing to other similar films;
- an evaluation of actors and their characters;
- identifying and analyzing key conflicts, setting, themes, and other details;
- highlighting merits and demerits;
- giving the overall evaluation.
As soon as you know what to focus on, you may proceed to probably the most interesting part of the assignment.
Study the Source and Jot Down Notes
Watching takes time, and you have to be ready for this. Prepare your notebook or laptop to write down important moments from the film. Don’t forget about characters and outline their actions and motives. Please consider the following while watching:
- make notes on positive and negative moments that impress you;
- pay attention to sounds, costumes, design, general atmosphere, and their connection to the film;
- reveal particularities and changes that happen on the screen;
- pause the movie in order not to miss any details.
Noting down is crucial because watching is a long process, and you may simply forget important details. You have an option to watch the whole film to feel a general atmosphere, and then watch it again and write your observations down. However, it is better to start jotting everything down when you watch it for the first time.
Carry Out Thorough Research
You should know core data related to the film as you will need to operate facts while writing a movie review. That’s why it is inevitable to find the following information:
- the film title;
- the director’s name;
- the release year;
- the names of key actors;
- the genre.
You may also take a look at interesting facts that may come in handy while writing and shed light on the reviewed movie.
Analyze the Movie
This part involves finding answers to a wide range of questions, and a proper analysis will help you determine how to review a film duly. A good analysis assists in discovering new details and drawing conclusions as well as finding connections and presenting the film objectively. Pay attention to such moments:
- film direction;
- characters;
- cinematography;
- costume design;
- screenwriting;
- film editing;
- music and sounds;
- set design.
- How does the director try to explain important moments of the film?
- Does the movie have irrelevant parts?
- What should be omitted (if any)?
- How does this film stand out from other director’s works?
- What message does the filmmaker want to deliver?
- How do characters interact?
- What are their motives?
- What strengths and weaknesses do they have?
- How do their actions affect the sequence of events?
- What techniques are used in this film?
- Why is this genre chosen?
- What helps to create a certain tone of the movie?
- Do costumes strengthen or weaken the overall perception?
- How does costume design reflect in the film?
- What patterns do costumes create?
- Was the plot unpredictable and suspenseful, or was it weak and boring?
- Do dialogues really matter?
- How do dialogues help understand the characters and main message of the movie?
- Was the film edited smoothly?
- Does editing strengthen the plot and assist in creating a film story?
- Are special effects realistic (if any)?
- Are there long cuts or reaction shots? What is their purpose?
- Does music strengthen or weaken the overall perception?
- How are sounds used? Why?
- Were they overused, annoying, or amusing?
- Does the soundtrack support the movie message?
- How does set design affect the characters and movie flow?
- Is it a real location? Was it well-chosen?
- Does set design help understand the film better?
- Does it distract you or assist in feeling the whole picture acutely?
It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to point out all answers to these questions in your review, but they will help you have a better understanding of the whole movie and find important correlations.
Draft an Outline
If you are not sure how to write a film review for school or college, you are recommended to build up a structure that will help you with writing step by step. In fact, a well-done outline can be proudly regarded as halfway to success. Continue reading to see our example of a structure for a movie review to make it concise and consistent.
Watch It Once Again
Has it ever happened to you that you realize something new and notice new details which really make sense when watching a film one more time or even several times? That’s precisely the point! It is truly extremely hard to figure everything out, especially when you have to take notes and pause the movie. Find time to watch it once again and try to focus on details that you don’t clearly understand, especially if some questions from the analysis remain unanswered.
An Example of a Movie Review Outline
Let’s find out what parts a review includes:
- the introduction;
- the summary of the film;
- the film analysis;
- your opinion;
- the conclusion.
The elements mentioned above are basic, and they are normally added to any movie review. As for the detailed structure, take a look at our example.
- The introduction.
1.1. Provide basics of the movie such as its title, release year, director, main actors, budget, etc.
1.2. Make up a thesis based on your analysis as background information. Choose one of the following points for this purpose.
1.2.1. Explain the connection of the movie with current problems and pressing challenges of the modern world (if any).
1.2.2. Describe what emotions it tries to trigger.
1.2.3. Point out if there is a connection between the film and you on a personal level.
- The summary.
2.1. Describe the plot, characters, and how they interact.
2.2. Try not to spoil. If you want to share something that may sound like a spoiler, warn your audience.
- The analysis.
3.1. Discuss interesting moments and elements.
3.1.1. Evaluate the elements of the plot.
- The starting point.
- The rising action.
- The climax.
3.1.2. Provide evaluation of creative elements.
- Dialogues.
- Editing techniques.
- The use of colors.
- Characters.
- Costumes.
- Music.
- Symbols.
- Mood.
- Other elements that add value or take away from the film.
3.1.3. Esteem the elements of the key message (topic).
- Its relevance.
- Its comprehension.
- Its comparison with analogous movies.
3.2. Support elements and moments with relevant facts and examples.
3.3. Add your opinion to support every moment of the film you want to discuss.
- Your opinion.
4.1. Share your point of view with the audience.
4.2. Support your opinion with relevant facts and moments from the movie.
- The conclusion.
5.1. State whether the director reached their goal.
5.2. Explain the importance of the film by connecting it with your thesis.
5.3. Guide your readers to whether they should watch it.
Well, you know now how a movie review format for students looks like. This structure should help you build a good review without problems. However, no one is immune to failure because everyone who writes a movie review should avoid a wide range of things. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Common Blunders to Avoid
If you want to write an excellent review that will charm your audience, read about things that can simply kill such attempts.
Never Start Working Too Late on Your Review
The whole process requires hours of work because you have to watch the film a couple of times before working on the paper. It means that you have to spend at least 4-6 hours more taking notes and watching compared to other papers. If you want to make a really perfect film review, it’s crucial to start your work beforehand. It may be too late now when you are reading this post, but hope is a hard habit to break.
Avoid Too General Phrases
There’s nothing worse than saying that the film was cool or bad, special effects were great, or acting was good. All such words generalize the whole review and don’t help make a positive impression. Moreover, general phrases don’t give valuable information to the audience. Be more specific and precise, think about your feelings when watching, and enliven the whole text by using precise wording.
Don’t Retell the Plot or Story from Cover to Cover
It is important to remember that your aim is to interest your audience and let every reader make a well-informed choice to watch this film or not. That’s why it is vital to avoid spoilers as well as the desire to retell the whole story. You should be critical but shouldn’t be descriptive. Naturally, you can mention the plot or characters, but it will be a mistake to retell everything that happens on the screen.
Avoid Providing Irrelevant Information
Irrelevancies simply distract the audience and don’t provide insight into the movie. Furthermore, people need to know more critical facts in order to have an idea of the film. But how to write a movie review paper without giving unnecessary details? You just need to forget for a moment that you have already watched the film and think over moments you would like to know.
Of course, every person may have a different understanding of what should be included. In this case, rate every detail separately and give the most interesting moments focused on the movie instead of fuming about things that don’t add value to your review.
Do Your Research Properly
Make sure that you understand the film duly before writing a review. Double-check all necessary information, such as the director’s name, casting, release date, and so on. Otherwise, you may provide incorrect interpretations and make misleading conclusions. If you don’t really know how to make everything properly, read the official description once again or even read through some reviews of the picture to be aware of how to move on.
Don’t Make Your Opinion Too Subjective
You don’t have to be too personal, and every opinion should be buttressed by facts that you can find when running through the film. What is more, you shouldn’t overuse the pronoun ‘I’ in phrases and constructions. Phrases like ‘I adored that, I didn’t like this, I saw that, I realized this’ should be omitted as it is clear who is the author of the review.
Analysis and Structure
If you really want to write an impeccable review, you should always undertake the analysis of the movie and insert it concordantly in the structure developed beforehand. It is inevitable to follow your outline and research if you don’t want to miss really important moments.
Conclusions and Recommendations Are Necessary
Let’s not forget that the main goal of every movie review is to help the audience make an educated decision based on your review. It results in the importance of adding pieces of advice and concluding remarks to your paper. You have to be helpful, and your review may come in handy to choose what to watch tonight.
Finishing Touches
Before thinking that you have already completed the assignment, make sure that trivial grammar or spelling mistakes won’t ruin the overall impression of your review. Your work isn’t done until you edit and proofread it. Take at least a two-hour break you finished writing and then proceed with corrections to hone your paper to perfection. As soon as it’s done, you may ask someone to read your review if possible and then submit it with no worries.