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How To Write a Movie Review With 6 Helpful Steps

How To Write a Movie Review With 6 Helpful Steps

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Learn How to write a movie review

Knowing how to write a movie review requires one to first know what it constitutes. A movie review assignment requires students to evaluate a movie’s content and formal elements. Even though not challenging we note that some students do not know how to write a movie review. Writing a film review essay is more than stating whether you like the film or not. A successful film review should explicitly evaluate a film and offer engaging insights about the film. Our expert movie reviewers at ScholarlyWritings.com compiled this article to help students handle movie review assignments.

learn how to write a movie review

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How to Write a Movie Review essay: Target Areas

For one to learn how to write a movie review, there are a few areas to target. As the explanation of movie review assignment show, the movie review writing focuses on two primary aspects: content and form elements.

Content

The content of a movie mainly entails its plot, setting, and characters. Identifying their relationships is critical in providing the context of the film.

Formal elements

Formal elements include aesthetic elements that contribute to turning a story into a movie. They include the following:

  • Lighting that helps convey or express certain effects
  • Sound that assists signify moments in scenes
  • Cinematography resulting from camera shots and movements
  • Editing helps achieve a specific flow and effect
  • Sets, costumes, and props meant to make the film relatable and believable relative to the setting and content

The analysis of the formal elements should consider how they align with the film’s content to achieve a certain objective.

What makes Movie Review Assignments Unique

Students hardly have previous experience writing movie reviews for the general public. Even if they do not know how to write a movie review, one does not need a sophisticated film theorist’s vocabulary to write a serious, engaging, informative, or useful movie review. You need to have a clear claim that you can support with evidence. You also need a good sense of audience to express your argument.

Film reviews differ from conventional academic writing. Movie review writing tips emphasize that film review assignments require you to share your  opinion without considering multiple possible objections and alternative viewpoints. Some students enjoy writing movie reviews because they ease the pressure to integrate external research.

However, the difficulty in writing a film review lies in striking the right tone, which requires you to find the right voice and choose the right diction. The tone is particularly hard to master.

General Movie Writing Guide

A movie review template helps orient one to the task. Our essay writing service presents a general guideline on how to write a movie review. The guide distils writing strategies common in successful film reviews. It flows as follows:

The lead

Your movie review should begin with your anecdote. This can be in the form of a striking statement, a piece of trivia, a joke, a quote, a broad social context, a play on the movie’s title, a brief piece of dialogue, a confession, a comment on the state of the film industry, a key moment in the film, a film comparison, a director’s reputation, or a direct address to a specific audience. The choice is yours. The key is to provide a relevant and relatable start.

The plot synopsis

In this section, you should describe the setting, when and where the action takes place. In doing so, introduce the main characters and actors’ names. Identify the primary conflict in the story and highlight a key event.

You should also provide a historical background and hint at the general plot structure. Complete this section by comparing and contrasting the type of plot in the selected movie to other films.

The analysis

This section requires you to offer thoughts on the quality of the performance. This forms the backbone of how to write a movie review. Your attention would be on identifying the standout performer, the miscast, and describing your emotional responses or the audience responses around you.

In addition, you should place the film within its genre. This would require you to show whether it is a documentary, blockbuster, comedy, fantasy, romance, crime, horror, indie, animation, or suspense.

You should also defend or question the choices that the director made in the film. Moreover, cover specific things that irritated or pleased you in the film. For instance, talk about camerawork, lighting, dialogue, editing, costume, makeup, and pacing.

Lastly, identify the central theme in the film and share your opinions about the movie.

The conclusion

On how to conclude a movie review, you should circle back to your lead, complicate it, and end on a philosophical note. You can challenge your reader or ask a rhetorical question in this section. You can also revise your initial opinion or ponder the director’s future.

In addition, you can highlight how you felt after watching the film. It is also recommendable to hammer your final thoughts by highlighting the pleasures and possibilities of good cinema. Ultimately, conclude the section with a meaningful quote.

Points to consider when writing a movie review

  • In writing a movie review, you should deal as little as possible with the plot. Do not diverge whether there was a surprise ending or plot twist.
  • Just offer enough about the plot to arouse the reader’s interest and prove your opinion of the movie.
  • Note the human emotions that the movie appeals to.
  • Identify whether the film director had a specific purpose and whether the film relates to the group that the director intended.
  • Explain if the dialogue is realistic or too simplistic.
  • Readers would be keen on the quality of the cinematography and sound. Indicate whether the movie uses any interesting special effects. If the film is excessively violent, that should be clear in the film.

Steps to follow in writing a movie review

Knowing how to write a movie review reflects in the steps that one takes. We recommend you follow these steps:

  1. Watch the film first.

The goal is to know what the movie is about when watching for the first time. You should identify the primary theme, emerging patterns, the setting, and the main characters.

  1. Rewatch the movie.

Rewatch the film while taking notes. Identify significant points in the movie.

  1. Evaluate the content and form materials.

Assess how the content and form materials interact. Do they suit? Are they unfamiliar? Is their merging perplexing? Do they convey a certain feeling?

  1. Write the movie review.

Using the guideline above, draft your movie review including the following sections

  • Introduction
  • A summary of the movie
  • Body section with paragraphs evaluating the film
  • Conclusion showing your general reaction
  1. Cite film and other sources.

Acknowledge materials used to write the movie review.

  1. Proofread and submit.

You should read the written review to eliminate grammatical errors and stylistic issues before submission.

In Wrapping Up

Writing a movie review is not a challenging exercise if you execute the task effectively. We believe that this article helps learn how to write a movie review. Ensure your writing is clear because you are writing for a reader who has not seen the film.

If you follow the right steps and the guidelines in this article, you will ace your assignment. Our expert writers at ScholarlyWritings.com are ready to assist if you need help to write your movie review. We can help even if it is writing an outline only or a single section.

Order a movie and rest assured of a professionally-crafted movie review essay. Contact our movie review writing service and await a successful result.

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How To Write a Movie Review With 6 Helpful Steps

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