How to Write a Movie Review: How to Analyze and Evaluate Movies.

The reason why movie reviews are so popular is that movies are one of the most influential and powerful forms of media today. They appeal to many senses, from sight, sound, touch, and even taste (when popcorn is involved). It’s not surprising that movies inspire some people enough to write reviews about them. A review is not the same thing as a critique, however. A critic looks at a piece of art through a different lens than an audience member. When writing your own movie review it’s important that you take this into consideration.

Introduction to movie reviews

Today, we’ll be covering how to write movie reviews. Movie reviews can be found just about anywhere online, on streaming sites, and in print. This means that if you’re a student who wants to write online, this is a great way to get started.

I always enjoy reading online and writing reviews online helps me to feel more creative in my essay movie review because it forces me to understand and think about things other people don’t see. Movie reviews are especially compelling to write because it forces us to consider how the film compares to other popular movies. You don’t necessarily have to find comparisons that don’t hold water if your goal is to relate to the audience.

A movie review may be written by a critic or an essay writer. I prefer to write reviews by myself, but I have also collaborated with other top movie reviewers in the past, like the ones seen in the following image.

As a reader, one of the most exciting things about choosing to write a review is feeling like you’re getting a sneak peek into who the comprehensive masses are. You may not know exactly who wrote each of these five reviews, but chances are you will recognize at least one of them. In many cases, people write their reviews from a personal perspective much as you do.

Readers crave genuine opinions from other people. It’s probably why nearly all online content creators swear by having at least 100 followers. I don’t think it’s necessary to own a ton of followers to be successful as a writer, however. For example, OneZero has over 8,000 followers. This publication is a powerhouse and they are responsible for tons of amazing content.

If possible, aim to connect with someone who shares a similar topic as you are considering writing about. This will likely give your piece credibility for people to share. A smart essay writer will include at least one writer they know or read who has written about similar topics.

The role of a movie reviewer

One of the most important roles in the entertainment industry is the job of a movie reviewer. Movie reviewers are people who watch movies that haven’t been released yet and write up a review about the movie. The role is important because it helps the movie industry by telling people what to expect from movies before they come out.

Movie reviews can be controversial at times. Even with modern technology, it’s not always easy to review a movie. Sometimes the editing and lighting are off, as is often the case with movies you might not expect to see. It’s not always easiest to review something after it’s already out on the world. This isn’t to say positive or negative things about a movie. It’s more to say that sometimes reviews are biased and people are quick to criticize. This topic deserves its own article though.

It’s also not easy to write something just like other people. It’s something that requires a lot of effort to put in. Even good reviews can be slightly different than others. These differences might make it hard to write a consistent article. This is sometimes frustrating because you’re forced to write what people expect and sometimes write about something you don’t necessarily like the most. The content of a review should reflect your personal opinion — more than anything else.

When you write a review, you’re essentially writing a love letter to a movie. This article isn’t just about the review itself — it’s where you get to read additional thoughts that movie reviewers have about the movie. Writing about the movie is dangerous. Critics can and will point out small inconsistencies, mistakes you didn’t notice or have as a source — all to make your review seem like crap.

People who write reviews for a living are very selective with what they think about a movie. The reviews they write often include deep dives into different parts of a movie and delve into details that may be less readily available. They do this to make sure that they are conveying the underlying emotions of a movie.

Main elements of a movie review

There are three things that are important to include in a movie review essay as a student. The main elements of a film review are as follows: 

1.  description of the movie, 
2. the second is a summary of the movie, 
3. and the third is your opinion.

One of the very prevalent ways people get movie reviews wrong is putting too much in too few words. Often it’s curtailing your creativity too much, but be wary of this too. The likelihood is that someone else has gone to the effort of providing a thorough synopsis of the film, and a summary provides the reader with the gist of the movie.

Visual description is used in nearly every single movie review. For some entertainment journalism, skimming over the pictures doesn’t provide enough substance. It can be tempting to mute all the visual details to make the article more digestible. But if possible, it may be beneficial to go in a different direction. Think about why people go to the movies, and try and give insights of the film that will resonate with the readers.

A film lover or movie enthusiast is someone who would likely pay good money just to see a new release. A film reviewer spends most of their time watching movies. By getting to know the story of a movie through this lens, they truly become a part of the movie in a way that a fan would never understand.

Descriptions are what will be found in most movie reviews. Sometimes they cover the length of the movie, other times they focus less on plot, and more on characters. There is also a prominent tendency to provide a rough grade based on a few numerical observations. These thoughts often stem from a desire to simplify the material and attach a grade. Writer Philip LaMarre once described this as:

“Cliffordesque compression — summarizing a film to a whisper… The declamation is primarily relegated to the vocabulary of film academics, critics, and popcorn devotees.

How to write a movie review

To write a movie review, first, watch the movie and take notes. While watching, pay attention to what you like about the movie. After you’ve completed the movie, write down all the good things you liked about it. Write down the things you didn’t like as well to be fair, but focus more on the things you liked. Film critics read thousands of reviews on websites like Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and CinemaBlend. A lot of their experience comes from these sources and it makes them more objective in reviewing. They have years of experience reviewing a wide range of movies.

Before you start writing your review, take a break. Turn off your phone. Sit in quiet nature and just breathe. Inhale, exhale, watch the world go by. Go up to your room, change into clean clothes, then go upstairs and get ready for bed. Take a few minutes and get good sleep and try and relax. While you’re writing your review try to sort through your thoughts as best as you can. I like to write as much as I can while I’m watching. When finished, I find that I have a lot to say and I turn the page. It can often be helpful to summarize what I thought and why I thought it. Here’s an example of movie review:

It seems that every review I read makes the same mistake and I’m not sure why. For example, the Metacritic Web site says, “In Johnny Chunks sense, this is a blatant cash grab.” That’s true, but this director and this story just don’t work for me. Robert Rodriguez and his production company might be out of luck, however. Each of us draws our own conclusions at the end of the day. What matters is that you take the time to watch the movie and appreciate it for what it is. Unprofessional people just watch movies to pass time after their 9–5. They’re not looking at the movie as an art form, however. They’ll often write a movie review that’s not very objective. They’ll have instant opinions and hit the summary button right away.

5. Tips on writing a successful movie review essay that will get you noticed by more people and search engines alike

1. Get people’s attention in the first sentence of your essay. If you can’t do this, your readers will click away and find someone else who can. 
2. Make sure you have a strong opinion about the movie. If you’re going to write about it, you should have something to say. 
3. Use lots of pictures if applicable. Pictures summon emotions. Make sure you get them in a balanced way.  
4. Write like the movie is a book. Audiences will better understand your point of view when the language you use is similar to the language they’re using.
5. Known up-and-coming authors like Adam Wingard and The Walker Brothers write new types of reviews frequently. Try reviewing short movies next. They have a visual style that is well suited to review format in general.

Your review needs to be edited plenty of times to get it to your target audience. But remember, your review doesn’t need to be perfect to get anyone’s attention, so don’t worry. Just ensure that you capture their attention in the first 30 seconds of your review. It’s what your readers are going to be most interested in.

The power of reviews lies in the written word and a critical aspect of this is that they act as a mirror in which we can see what we like and don’t like about a piece of work. A lot of our opinions about a piece of work stem from social interactions and perception. A review is able to give people an objective opinion of the work and by engaging with your readers, you’re able to be objective as well.

There are 2 aspects to take into consideration in movie review writing. 

The first is the purpose of your review. Does it contain information the audience needs to make an assessment? Is it shallow, making only a passing reference to the movie? These are all things to think about when putting together your review. 

The second is your style. Styles differ from medium to medium, so it’s important to identify what style best suits your review.

Get professional movie review writing help online.