Write a great movie review

We have some questions for you to share with your professors and peers. After the screening of the films, write a great movie review.

 Here you have some guidelines to help you build a paragraph:

• What is the basic plot of the film?
• What did you like best and least about the movie? Why?
• Who was your favorite and least character in the movie? Why?
• How did the film make you feel?
• Was there something you didn’t understand about the film? What was that?
• To what extent did it fit with your expectations, or did it subvert them in some ways?
• How is our attention drawn to particular images? How are particular visual elements used as symbols or metaphors? Does the music add anything to the images?
• What choices do the characters make? What motivates them? What are the consequences? What do the main characters learn about themselves, and how do they change? If you had a chance to ask a character in this movie a question, what would it be?

 

Write a review of your favorite movie (tips)

Know Your Subject. If you want to write reviews that carry some authority, then you need to learn everything you can.

Some believe that in order to be a truly good film critic you must have worked as a director, or that in order to review music you must have been a professional musician. That kind of experience wouldn’t hurt, but it’s more important to be a well-informed layman.

Read Other Critics. Just as an aspiring novelist reads the great writers, a good critic should read accomplished reviewers. Read their reviews, analyze what they do, and learn from them, do you agree or disagree, try to make your argument.

Avoid “I” and “In My Opinion”. Such phrases are unnecessary; your reader understands that it’s your opinion you’re conveying.

Give Background. The critic’s analysis is the centerpiece of any review, but that’s not much use to readers if one doesn’t provide enough background information. So if you’re reviewing a movie, outline the plot but also discuss the directors, the actors, and the screenwriter. Tell us a little about influences and previous works.

Don’t Spoil the Ending. There’s nothing readers hate more than a film critic who gives away the ending to the latest blockbuster. So yes, give plenty of background information, but don’t give away the ending.

Know Your Audience. Keep your target audience in mind. You can educate your readers, but remember – even the most knowledgeable critic won’t succeed if he bores his readers to tears.

And, of course, don’t Be Afraid to Have Strong Opinions.

Watch the movies and enjoy our courses at MLD