All You Need to Know about a Movie Review

We all love watching movies and discussing them with friends, relatives or simply online on social networks and forums. That is why it may seem quite a simple assignment. However, writing a college assignment is a bit different, as you not only have to render the plot but also make a research, analyze events and characters. If you want your review to be interesting and complete, you may require some help.

how to write movie review

Goal of a movie review

Many students mistakenly take a movie review for a very simple assignment, leaving it for the last day or even downloading samples online. They think that such a review is just a description of main events and characters, and doesn’t require any writing or analytical skills. However, a good movie review is a combination of personal thoughts on the plot and an objective description of the situation.

You need to complete your review in such an interesting way that the reader will want to watch the movie. Even if your tutor gives a particular title or topic, always make an assumption that the audience has never seen that movie before, as it will help you convey the thoughts in a simple and clear manner. Actually, being able to provide the review in an understandable manner is one of the skills your tutor will want to see. He will also want to make sure that you possess critical thinking and can interlink lots of details.

Make sure your movie review contains enough details for the reader to make up his mind whether to watch the film or not.

Another goal of a movie review is to see how well you are able to analyze characters and plots. In addition, your tutor will want to see how well your writing skills are, how broad your vocabulary is and how easily you are able to switch from one topic to another.

However, in comparison with many other written assignments, a movie review is a fun and entertaining task and knowing all the main tools and tips, you will find it very interesting to complete!

What you need to know about completing a movie review

Once you have received a task to complete a movie review, you have tens of questions. Stop, take a deep breath and don’t worry! If you don’t know where to start or how to make your review as academic as possible, just go on reading and you will get all the data you need.

Steps to a perfect movie review

Getting started is always difficult and a right beginning of the paper will set the tone to your essay. Here are the useful tips you need to know:

Watch the film two times before starting your work, as you may miss some details. Make notes not only on the key events but also on minor situations, emotions or even dialogues. Don’t rely on your memory, as every detail may be important;
Don’t neglect a proper research. It is not enough just to watch the movie if you want your review to be full and deep. Get relevant information on the producer, cast, plot, locations, historic background and other necessary details if possible. Such data will help you to complete a full and catchy review;
Don’t start your work until you understand the plot of the movie. If you didn’t get the main idea, watch the movie again and only then start working on your essay;
Complete an outline before writing an essay. It will be much easier to complete the paper if you have a clear structure in front of you;
Always provide examples. You need to back your ideas with relevant examples both positive and negative ones. If you want to persuade the reader, you need to give examples from the movie. In addition, if the movie has any ‘holes’, don’t hesitate to write about it. Your essay shouldn’t look like a praise or a critique;
Make comments on the movie’s quality and originality. Don’t hesitate to compare it to other movies or books, providing examples of plagiarism or similarity. Comment whether the film stands out from the rest or simply uses the same patterns as others.

Organization of the paper

It is always important to plan the work well in advance not depending on the assignment you have. That is why you shouldn’t neglect creating an outline before starting your work on the essay. Such outlines help you to concentrate on the topic and to interlink paragraphs.

Such approach will definitely help you to save time for the future and you will know what details and matters you want to include to your text, without wasting time on thousands of thoughts on the subject. Such a plan will also help you to avoid stress and anxiety, and you will be able to complete your movie review before the deadlines.

An outline of a movie review should contain such points, as:

Don’t forget to include information on the movie, like title, date of release and general information you find necessary;
Summary of the plot;
Analysis of elements, like action, climax and others;
Indication of creative elements. They include characters, visual effects, usage of camera, dialogues, tone, signs, costumes and everything you want to mention;
Personal opinion, backed with examples from the movie;
Here you need to summarize the whole essay, write whether producers have reached their goals and explain how the movie helped you to understand the main topic.

Parts of the movie review

Every written assignment consists of a list of key elements, which form its general structure. Here is what you need to include to your movie review:

Title of the movie. It may sound surprising but many students forget including the name of the movie to their introductory section. Don’t make such mistakes and always mention the title in the first paragraph, even though you have stated it in the headline;
The main goal of a movie review is to summarize it and give the reader an overall idea on the plot to help him decide whether to watch the movie or not. Your job is to explain the plot and express your general opinion. However, saying whether you liked it or not is not enough. You need to back your words with examples and valid reasons;
One of the best details you may include to your work is providing information on the filmmaker. Write a couple paragraphs on his background, like previous works, political views and any other details you will find relevant. This may give the reader an addition motive to watch the movie;
Importance to the audience and class. Depending on the class you are writing a review for, provide information on its relevance. If the movie is based on a book, write about similar and different approaches or analyze various elements. If it is a historical movie for your history class, add details on dates and characters;
Creative details. Every producer and cast works really hard to transform a simple script into a beautiful motion picture. They use multiple creative elements and your goal is to analyze them. Are they interesting and realistic? Were they relevant for the plot?
The cast. Describing actors is always interesting, so you shouldn’t neglect such descriptions. What famous actors were involved? Was the cast realistic? Did they reveal all sides of the characters’ personalities? What was your overall impression from the actors?

Checklist for a great movie review

– Catchy introduction with the title, date of release, topic and basic information;

– Accurate depiction;

– Analysis of sources;

– Creative details that make the picture perfect. They include great script, visual effects, light, make up, costumes, design and much more;

– Personal opinion;

– Conclusions.

Common mistakes

Absence of focus on the movie. Many students want to include as many details as possible and their review becomes too heavy. To avoid such mistakes, concentrate on the key aspects and don’t write general information. For example, history of the movie industry or how many children the camera man has;
Writing in first person. Review is always a personal opinion on a book, event or a movie. That is why it is not necessary to include ‘I’ in every sentence. This may distract the reader and may seem unprofessional;
Not checking facts. It is obvious: you need to check the title, date of release, producer’s name and other important details before including them to your text;
Not backing your opinion with examples or proofs. Although review is a personal opinion on the movie, you still need to provide examples and reasons to back your thoughts;
Avoiding a clear structure;
Completing your review, using generalities. They include ‘great movie’, ‘nice actors’ and so on;
Concentrating on the plot without analyzing the background and possible impact on the society.

Title examples

Dystopia: one of the latest trends in cinematography;
I am Legend review;
Ideas of compassion in 90s movies;
Jigsaw: popularity of violence on screens;
Similarities and differences of Robinson Crusoe and The Martian.

Help with a movie review

As any written assignment, a movie review requires lots of time and attention, which modern students often lack due to a tight curriculum and many additional assignments to complete. However, you don’t need to worry, as modern world offers a great deal of services, which may be of a great use, when completing a movie review. Such help includes:

Professional essay writing. When you don’t have enough time or inspiration to complete the assignment on your own, there is always a chance to contact a writing service. Our company has many years of experience and our talented writers are always there to help you. All you need to do is to indicate details and wait until we complete your review. We guarantee flexible prices, absence of plagiarism and always meeting the deadlines;
Professional editing. When you already have a completed movie review and need someone to edit it, you can always ask your friends or relatives. However, not all of them possess editing skills and you can make everything even worse. That is why it is better to contact our editors and proofreaders, who will correct all the possible mistakes and make changes if necessary to help you review to be smooth and readable.

Here are the things that can also help:

Proper organization. It is obvious that a perfect assignment always has a clear and logical structure, which is prepared well in advance. If you are not sure how to complete a great outline, you can always visit our blog section and read tens of posts on how to complete a written assignment, use sources, structure your review and much more. In addition, we provide students with work samples to give you an overall idea of the assignment. There is also a chance to upload your review to our checker and get information on its wordiness, common mistakes and repetitive expressions;
Usage of sources. Many students think that a movie review doesn’t require analysis of background information and working with sources or other materials. However, almost every topic aims to connect the movie to a certain event or problem, so research of basic information is crucial. If you don’t have time, you can get help of our writers, who will do the research for you!
Personal approach. One of the most difficult aspects of a movie review is that it should be a combination of both: a personal approach and an objective description of the plot/events/background. For many students such balance is very hard to achieve, so you simply need to provide us with details on the title, basic information and personal opinion, and our writers will do the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Is a particular formatting style required when completing a movie review?

You should always ask your tutor for formatting recommendations, as there are no general instructions about written assignments. In most of the cases, a movie review is free of any formatting peculiarities. However, in some cases, your tutor may ask you to complete it in an MLA formatting style.

Can I copy a movie review online?

Nowadays, tutors use all the online tools and software to determine whether a paper is plagiarized or not. That is why we strongly recommend you to write a unique review, using other papers simply like examples to boost your creativity and help to get started.

Why should I write a movie review if my major has nothing to do with filmmaking?

You should always remember that writing a movie report is a great way to improve lots of your skills, like writing, gathering information, critical thinking, linking details and so on. That is why your tutor wants to check how well you are able to analyze the material and state your personal view on the matter. Even if your major is education, your tutor may assign you with a movie review, which has something to do with the subject you are studying.

How can I be sure that your papers are unique?

You can always check thousands of reviews online to make sure that all our papers are written from scratch. We put originality first, so you don’t have to worry! In addition, we are always ready to give you a plagiarism report, so you will be sure that your review is original and unique. No one will ever find out that it wasn’t you, who have written the assignment.

Will my review be sent to other students?

All our authors sign non-disclose papers and have no rights for the paper once it is sent to you. This means that you are the only owner of the paper and it will never be sent to someone else. We guarantee complete confidentiality and total control over the process.

What if I require editing?

Once you receive a completed paper, you need to read it thoroughly and check whether it fulfills your requirements. If you are not satisfied with the result, you can add notes and send them to us. Our editors will correct the mistakes and provide you with as many revisions as you require.

How can I contact you in case I need help with my movie review?

Our managers are always here to help you, even if it is late after midnight. We work round-the-clock and you can reach us in one of many convenient ways: a live chat, email or a cellphone number.

How to benefit to the fullest

Everyone loves movies, so writing a review is one of the most popular and interesting assignments any student can obtain. It is a great way to show your writing skills, an ability to collect information and provide personal opinion on the subject.

However, despite its simplicity, it can become a real headache and may greatly influence your grades. That is why you need to use all the possible assistance to make sure that your movie review is flawless. Such assistance includes:

Professional support. With the help of Internet, it is quite simple to improve your paper and practice in writing an assignment over and over again until you are satisfied with the result. Our writing company is here to help you improve your writing skills, learning from the best writers of the country. We are ready to provide you with notes and tips on how to create a flawless review and our unique software is here to detect all the mistakes of your paper. Just upload a file and identify all the errors that should be corrected. In such a way, your tutor won’t be able to find any mistakes in the text and you will greatly improve your writing skills;
Improvement of grades. Using various online sources, like writing services, special software, forums and so on, is a great way to improve your grades. All you need to do is to get access to multiple websites, blogs and specific software to check your grammar and vocabulary, boost creativity or simply to chat with same-minded students from all over the world. This will greatly improve your grades and will save lots of your time.