Five Steps to Writing a Great Movie Review

Writing a Great Movie Review: Watching movies is an everyday activity. What can be better than buying snacks, stretching your legs on the sofa, and spending two remarkable hours in front of the screen? With the number of people who like watching movies, the film industry has been thriving. 

Many students have jumped on the bandwagon, choosing to major in film degrees. And of all the tasks they complete, watching films and writing reviews is the most prevalent. The reason behind this approach is apparent: by watching movies, students gain the necessary experience and learn the elements of a successful film. 

However, it is often easier said than done, for many learners find it challenging to generate a peerless movie review. Skipping such a task is a no-go, as it plays a considerable weight on the final grade. There is a solution, though. Experts from gpalabs.com shed light on a step-by-step guide to writing a comprehensive and impeccable film review. 

Watching the movie and taking notes

By no means will you find this step revealing. Yet, watching a movie is essential to produce a good review. Due to the lack of time, many students tend to watch compiled excerpts and rely on them when writing film reviews. Suffice it to say that teachers can’t accept such papers, let alone score a high mark. Therefore, make sure to watch a full movie. If you are short on time, try increasing the streaming speed to 1.25 or 1.5x. And finally, take notes as you watch. It will indeed be challenging to do that. But writing down crucial concepts will help you retain more information about the film and write an excellent paper in the long run.

Researching the film

We often don’t pay attention to the filming staff, the movie’s background, and other interesting facts. Our movie sessions are usually limited to pressing the button play and closing the film after finishing it. While such moves are acceptable for simple consumers, students of movie majors must focus on additional elements when writing a movie review. Researching the film is pivotal in that it helps learn about filmmakers, actors, and other factors that brought the entire movie to life.

Start with broad research, looking for the history of creation. Locate facts the readers might find exciting. It will allow you to spark the readers’ attention and motivate them to follow your review. Speaking of which, you can also find reviews and go through them. This will give you additional perspective on the movie.

Analyzing the audience

A movie review, like any letter, must have a receiver. Writing without keeping your audience in mind will result in a clumsy, subjective, and tedious piece. Examining the readers can help you learn their interests, preferences, and, most importantly, the language they use daily. Knowing these will let you adjust your writing style to the readers and tailor your review to their needs. Apart from that, ask yourself the following questions:

• Would my review be insightful?
• Would it be debatable?
• Am I missing something critical?

Looking over creative elements

Unlike book reports that focus on the plot and scripts, movie reviews analyze unique elements and evaluate their significance. When writing an essay, look for important details. Readers would appreciate it if you included creative points that positively and negatively impacted the entire story. It would influence their stance on the movie and help them determine whether it is worth watching. For example, check cinematic techniques that appeared in the film and analyze if they were successful. Among other things, you can examine sound, decorations, special effects, etc.

Organizing the work

Once you accumulate enough information to build your work, make sure it is organized correctly. Creating an outline will help you remain productive and write a coherent piece. Break down your plan into sections, summarizing every paragraph. When your layout is ready, you may start working on a review. 

An academic film review is different from reviews we often see on various web pages. A good movie review is structured correctly and follows the proper format. Here are fundamental elements to include in your movie review:

• Introduction
  • Title
  • Release date
  • Background information
• Summary of the story
• A brief analysis of the plot
  • Rising action
  • Climax
  • Falling action
• Creative elements
  • Costumes
  • Tone
  • Mood
  • Camera techniques
  • Sound
• Standpoint
  • Based upon the film
• Conclusion
  • Restating key information
  • Explaining whether the movie was successful
  • Adding concluding thoughts

Upon drafting the review, it would be best to leave it aside and restore your attention. The final step is returning to the paper, reading it aloud, and correcting evident mistakes. You can also use spell checkers to polish up your essay. Once you do that, your review should be ready for submission.