Irrespective of whether you are a movie lover or not, writing a film review essay remains one of those assignments you will encounter in college. Therefore, it is needful to be ready for them anytime. But how do you write a good movie review when you are not a movie fun? In the remaining sections of our complete guide, we shall walk you through all the steps on how to make a good movie review. Read on to discover more and up your game for better grades.
What Is A Good Movie Review?
But before proceeding to master how to make a good movie review, let us define a film review. In short, a film review is an analysis of a movie by one person or a collective expression of opinions on a piece of film. Armed with such an understanding, let’s proceed.
How to Write a Review Paper Science: Drafting Your Movie Review
Since we have a clear definition of a movie review, we progress and look at how best to draft your review. Here are the steps to follow when drafting your review:
- Collect all the facts
Even though your review will be based on your opinion and judgement of the movie, you need facts to arrive at them. Therefore, take time and gather all the relevant facts. It is needful to get all the facts related to the movie to give credence to your review. Some of the facts you will need to gather are:
- The movie’s title
- Its year of release
- Its genre, for example, comedy
- Names of lead players/actors.
- Take notes while watching
Since we have seen that you need facts to succeed in your review, it is needful to note them down while watching your movie. Also, take note of all the outstanding facts that come out strongly as you watch. Some of the things you should pay attention to are:
- Patterns and trends
- Set design
- Music.
This way, your journey to mastering how to make a good movie review will remain on course.
- Watch it again
If you want to get your facts right, then it is necessary to watch the piece of film again. This means you should optimize the pause button. The reason is that one round of reading is not enough to get everything fully. To make facts sync, watch it severally.
- Draft an outline
Since you now have the facts at your fingertips, move on to the next stage and draft an outline. This way, you will have a better container to hold your ideas. With an outline in place, it will be easy to order your thoughts in a more presentable and logically flowing manner. Also, it will be easy for your readers to navigate your review easily.
- Start on a strong footing
With an outline in place, it is now time to start drafting your review. However, pay attention to how you start. It is prudent to begin on a compelling and captivating note that will arrest and retain your reader’s attention. You can do this by starting with an interesting fact about the movie under review.
- State your stand early on
Since you will need to give your readers your factual opinion on the movie, it is essential to do so early on. It is wise to show your position on the movie from the onset to avoid keeping your readers guessing your position on the film. If your assessment shows that the movie is a masterpiece, then tell the reader immediately. If it is a letdown, also tell them so. This way, you will have enough time and room to explain and prove to them why you think the movie is mediocre, excellent, or awful.
- Perfect your review
Do you still want to master how to make a good movie review? Then you should pay attention to this section. The reason is that no one ever wrote a perfect review once. Therefore, it is beneficial to return to it and edit it unto perfection. You editing process will ensure that every bug is out and it sparkles with perfection. During the process, don’t fear chopping out some materials. Also, don’t hesitate to introduce more content that your readers could need to understand your review better. To make it better, look into the following areas:
- Ensure that you have remained true to your thesis statement
- Ensure that your concluding section captured and tied back to your thesis
- Whether your review is interesting enough to make readers want to read more
- Establish if your review tells the reader anything valuable they could not see if they were watching the movie themselves
- Proofread the review
Since you have edited the work, you now need to give it final touches. The reason is that while editing, you can introduce new errors. Therefore, check for all the spelling bugs that could kill your review. Make sure that you have spelled correctly every actor’s name. Also, check the verity of the dates and expunge all typing errors that could make your paper awkward.
The Outline
Mastering how to make a good movie review also entails you knowing how outline your paper well. The reason is that you don’t just need ideas, no. You need your ideas in the right place to allow your readers to flow well with your review. Here is how your paper’s outline will look like.
- An introduction with the movie’s release date and title
- A summary of the story you are reviewing
- An analysis of the story elements
- All the creative components of the movie such as mood and tone
- Your opinion.
The Format
Succeeding in how to make a good movie review demands you give it proper formatting. In this section of our guide, we look at the format of your review. This is how it will flow:
- Start with the film’s title
- The first paragraph (it will contain the film’s name, key actors, settings such as time and location, the film’s genre such as comedy or action)
- The second paragraph (here, you should draft a plot summary of the film under review. However, you don’t need to disclose its end here. You have to discuss some five events in the movie)
- The third paragraph (in this section, you will have to elaborate one dimension of the film. You could focus on its music or even its photography. However, you have to back your chosen dimension/s with relevant examples from the film)
- The fourth paragraph (this paragraph needs to focus on a different dimension of the film. You need to follow the same criterion as in paragraph three above).
- The fifth paragraph (in this closing section, you have to give your reader your final take on the movie. It is needful to offer your readers an objective view of the film’s quality and make suggestions for prospective viewers of the movie).
How to Make a Good Movie Review: The Introduction
The introduction of your paper should serve the same purpose as all other introductions you make in different academic assignments. You have to keep it brief and interesting to get your readers on board. Make sure it offers them a clear direction of where you are taking them without taking them there.
The Body
The body of your review is its center. Here, you have to tell the reader what you promised them in the intro. The body parts of your review will include the following:
- First, you should draft a plot summary of the movie you are reviewing. However, don’t need to disclose its end here. You have to discuss at least five events in the film.
- Also, elaborate one dimension of the film. You could focus on its music or even its photography. However, go back your chosen dimension/s with relevant examples from the film.
My First Body Paragraph: What Should It Contain?
The opening paragraph of your will have the following features:
- A plot summary for your movie
- It keeps off from revealing your movie’s end in this section
- It has a discussion of at least five main events featured in the movie
How to Make a Good Movie Review: Tips for Success
Since you are armed with all the facts you need to know, here are tips to charge you up.
- Never use unreliable sources in your review
- Don’t use your personal opinion in the review without giving your readers your reasons
- Make sure that you have structured your review well
- Don’t use irrelevant information and details in your paper
- Make sure you outline your paper before writing
- Even though your opinion is valuable in the review, don’t get too personal in your review
- Watch the movie severally before writing your review. This way, you will be in a better position to get understand more deeply
- Don’t forget to support all your claims with evidence and examples in the movie. This is the best way to show your readers and lecturer that you thoroughly examined and understood the movie.
We hope the insights we have captured in this guide on how to make a good movie review will sharpen your reviewing skills. However, if you have any reason not to complete your movie reviews on time or to the expected standards of perfection, don’t worry. You can talk to our experts for help anytime. Our doors are open to assist you with this genre of assignment or any other academic paper. Don’t suffer alone when you can join thousands of other students we are assisting. Contact us today.