5 Tips To Make A Perfect Film Review

There is a whole lot that goes into making a production for the big screen. Films are a very significant part of our lives as they offer us entertainment, education, and much more when we need them the most. A lot of movies also unite people who share an interest in the genre, the storyline, or the characters. This often leads to very healthy debates and discussions about social aspects of our own lives.

But while watching a flick is a fun activity, writing good reviews on them can be quite difficult. It is often difficult to choose the right structure of the text, and find the correct word to describe the plot without giving out the most important parts and spoiling everything for the potential readers and viewers. That is why there are some tips on how to make a perfect film review that many people adhere to. Luckily, we have some in this guide to help you create compelling movie reviews.

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1. Grip Your Readers’ Attention and Give Your Opinion

A strong introduction is paramount to the writing process because it gives you the chance to engage your target audience right away. After getting through the basic information like the title, the director, the release date, any awards, etc., you should quickly move towards your own thesis in this part of the text. This thesis can cover aspects like why you feel personally connected to the plot or how the movie’s storyline depicts current socio-political issues, etc. Checking out examples of film review written by professionals might give you some ideas on the strong opening and might serve as an inspiration for yours.

When you begin your movie review with something interesting, it is more likely to keep a reader engaged because they want to know more. For example, in the review of Love and Monsters, the writer quickly points out its similarity to Zombieland without going into further detail. A person reading the text might begin wondering what that similarity is and continue reading to uncover more.

In any strong movie review, you will likely see the writer’s own opinion about the title mentioned in the beginning sentences of the text. A movie review should not feel like having to go through a long research paper. Mention what you think about the film in the first or second paragraph.

2. Don’t Put Spoilers

Oftentimes, people check out film reviews because they want to decide whether to watch the title being reviewed or not. To maintain their interest in the story, don’t talk about the critical parts of the story. Even if they are watching a movie after having written an essay on Lord of the Flies or another classic, don’t ruin the storyline for another person. Don’t take into account the fact of how famous the work is. Your task is to intrigue the reader and not to tell the whole story in several sentences.

In simple words, avoid spoilers at all costs. Your summary should be brief and not go into too much detail.

3. Offer References

If you want people to take your writing seriously, be sure to add notes about why you feel a certain way about a certain aspect. For example, if you feel like the actors performed excellently, explain why. Maybe they were great for the role because of their looks or their accent. Perhaps they seem so impressive because they have an opposing personality in real life or have played a completely different character in another title. The more specifics you point out, the more professional your movie review will come across as.

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Also, providing similar references will make people pay more attention to the details in the film. Having read about the story behind the plot or anything else, the viewers will feel more connected to what they are watching.

4. Talk About the Technical and Symbolic Details

A filmmaker puts a lot of hard work into creating a title for the big screen and the various aspects of filmmaking are what often make or break a flick. Be sure to talk about as many aspects as you want. This technical critique will provide people with an idea of what to expect when viewing the title. You can include details about the cinematography, the special effects, the sound, the quality of editing, etc.

What makes some films exceptional is the inclusion of deeper meanings in the writing. Provide people with these meanings. Talk about how they support the overall storyline and why they are important for the experience. There are many titles with meaningful lessons that are loved to this day because they are either relatable or they teach us something. So, be sure to talk about such meanings, whether they can be found in the script, the direction, or how an actor expressed a certain feeling.

5. Edit and Proofread

The last step to take with any movie review is to carefully go over it and ensure that all the elements you want to mention are included. Take a look at your style, the order of things included, and whether your thoughts are easy to understand or not. Apply changes if needed and compare your text with some of your favorite movie review examples to see if yours lies somewhere close to them. And just like you would proofread any academic paper, be sure to do so here too.

This is also done to make you include some important details on the film like the dates of its release. This information is usually needed by the viewers who might have been waiting for the film for a long time.

Conclusion

With these simple steps, you now know how to write a movie review that is both informative and compelling. These tips to review a film or a documentary will aid you to write a piece of text that can actually assist people in deciding whether to dedicate their time to a title or not. This might not seem like a very important thing to do, but in general, this piece of writing is highly valued by the viewers and they basically base their decisions on it.

Always try to evaluate a title objectively before developing and sharing your opinions about it. Objectivity is probably the most important sign of a professional reviewer. This is not the time to speak about some actors you hate or maybe the storylines might find boring. Reading movie review examples is also an excellent idea to find out which elements are most crucial. Once you follow these guidelines, you can easily create a high-quality movie review that people will enjoy going through.

Dan Gardner

Creator and developer of the RunPee app. When something doesn’t work right in the app it’s pretty much his fault. 🙂

Aspiring author. Would like to finish his “Zombie Revelations” trilogy if he could break away for working on RunPee and the cottage he’s building for RunPee Mom.