Film reviews
Comm 240
Dr. Vincent, Spring 2017
“Film reviews are assessments of the aesthetic, entertainment, social and cultural merits and significance of a current film or video. Reviews tend to be short to medium length articles, often written by a single staff writer for a particular publication. Although reviews are usually fairly “quick takes” on a movie, they can, in some instances, be lengthy, substantive, and very insightful.” [adapted from: “Film Reviews and Film Criticism: An Introduction,” http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/filmstudies/filmreviewsintro.html]; Revised, 3-21-17.
Guidelines for writing a Film Review
| Research and preparation | Actively watch the film and take profuse notes. Do research and get all relevant names, facts, figures, details, etc. you think you will require. Use online and print resources. Double check for accuracy. Develop a critical perspective — consider both the film’s merits and weaknesses. Then do an outline of your intended review. |
| Title or headline | The title of the review and the “deck” (a sentence in special print above the review) suggests the reviewer’s opinion — whether he or she thinks the movie is worth seeing or not. You may even rate the film. MPAA rating may also go here. |
| Dateline and Byline | Date of review and name of author/reviewer. Sometimes city in which written is cited. |
| Where | At the top of the review, is the name the movie and the places where it can be seen. May address hours film shown, admission prices, phone number of theater, film length, opening date, MPAA rating, crowdedness, etc. (All optional). |
| Introduction | Why you think the movie is good or not? There is also often a very brief summary of what the movie is about, the story line and what type of film it is — action-adventure, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, romance, etc. Name of director, producer or principal actors may go here. Give dates when important. |
| Statement of Purpose | Don’t forget to tell the reader what you are trying to do in essay; or another way to put it: What is you objective here? Most ideally goes into first paragraph. |
| Actors’ and/or Director’s Role/Performance | This part gives a short description of the main characters and names the actors who play the parts. Reviews refer to roles the actors have play in other movies. Are the characters in the movie easy to understand? You may also address the role of director if you can. |
| Story line/Plot/Location | More about the story line and also where and when the movie takes place and what the setting or mood is (but don’t spoil it for the viewer). How about themes or ideas raised? There may be more information about the roles vis-à-vis the story line — may include particular geographic locations/scenes, opening, closing, an action or romance scene, etc. Is the movie based on a book or a stage play? Does the movie tie into anything currently in the news, or is there something else that makes the movie relevant? Is story particularly complex? How was pace of the story telling? Is there a certain tension in the story? Was it funny? Was it sad? |
| Other cinematic characteristics | Here you address other qualities of the film, particularly those that are inherently special to the cinematic medium, such as camerawork, color, directing, editing, film texture, level of sex or violence, music, scenery, camera movement, pace, sound (digital), soundtrack, special effects, visual effects, etc. |
| Other | Compare to other films/movies. Does the movie portray historical events accurately? Are there a few interesting quotes or facts? Name sources when appropriate — if quoting another person, cite source and give credit to original author. |
| Summary/Conclusion | May conclude with an interesting or thought-provoking question or statement to tempt you to see the movie for yourself. Sometimes a review will make a link with a local situation or certain social attitudes. This is also where you summarize your argument/findings. |
