How to write a critical review for a movie

There is no way you have never read a critical review for a movie when choosing something to watch. Especially when it comes to some controversial movies. The style of the review hugely depends on the writer, but there are some common points which you need to cover if you also want to write a review, especially if you are writing a critical movie review as a part of your academic program. Why is this type of assignment so popular in academia? Because it addresses your ability to watch attentively, think, ask right questions, analyze the plot and express your opinion in a comprehensive way. We have prepared a list of tips which will help you deal with this task faster and better. Let’s get to business.

Don’t read about a movie — watch it!

Reading about movies instead of watching it is a common mistake made by many students. They think that it is enough to read several critical reviews, watch a trailer, read the Trivia section on IMDB and then write a critical review based on the received information. While we cannot say that it is impossible to write a review this way, we are sure, you cannot write a quality paper without watching a movie first. That is why this seemingly easy assignment takes so much time in the end.

Write down your first impressions… and forget about them

After you have watched the movie for the first time, you need to get read of some on-top-of-the-head ideas, as they will be the least original ones. First impressions are not always very helpful for quality essay writing. But if you don’t write them down, you will still drag them into your critical review at some point. Don’t edit what you write, just write with the flow, describe your feelings, actors, use the simplest words if you want. And forget about this paper. You won’t need it. Now your mind is clear and ready to the next stage.

Watch it the second time with a notepad

The time has come to watch the movies for the second time. You will be surprised how differently you will see everything after you have given away all the first impressions. It will be like a fresh look but much deeper. This time take a notepad with you and write down ideas, they will be useful later. Write down some phrases, plot twists, maybe moments when a certain actor performs bad or exceptionally. Write down time so you can come back to the scene easily when you start writing a critical review.

Know your audience and speak its language

For whom exactly are you writing your critical review? Even if your only audience is your professor, we strongly recommend to think of a much broader audience and describe it. When you write only with your professor in mind, anything you write sounds like “Dear professor, please, I try so hard, give me a good mark.” It is too childish. You need to think of a real audience and talk it’s language, and your professor will definitely appreciate it.

Keep it short

Of course, if you are writing a critical movie review as an academic paper, you have a specified length of this paper and you have to follow it. However, if you are required to specify the length by yourself, it is better if you keep it short. Critical review can be easily put in five abstracts. Of course, you can write more, but make sure you are not repeating yourself along the way. They say that it is much harder to write short than to write a lot. If you are still not very good at wrapping your thoughts in comprehensive sentences and concise structure, address one of writing services with a professional team of academic writers, and order your critical review online. A professionally written paper will also come in handy for similar tasks in the future.

Assess the actors and their performance

It is not easy, especially if you are writing the critical movie review for the first time. As you definitely won’t be able to follow all the actors playing in this movie, you need to choose. You can choose two leading roles and one supporting role. Even if you describe three actors in a movie, it will be enough. Also, think about this question — do you agree with the casting? Is casting appropriate? Maybe you would recommend another actor or actress to this role. If so, explain your recommendation.

Assess the operators work and other details

Operator’s work is a critically important part of movie making. There is a chance you know little or nothing about it, but you cannot just skip this part of analysis, so you will have to read about it more. Also, you can rely on critical reviews written by professionals about this movie, but you will have to cite them properly, you cannot just steal someone else’s opinion. You can also write about special effects, historic correctness, chosen colors, etc.

Pay attention to the storyline

Yes, you may be surprised but the storyline is not the first thing to write about. However, you cannot just skip writing about. Storyline should be logical, at least, in the end of the movie you should understand the logic of it. If you find some holes in the plot — feel free to describe them. However, make sure you do it in a respectful manner and provide your audience not with emotions but with logical arguments.

State your opinion but don’t insist on it

The same goes for your opinion about the movie. You are free to express it, but you should not insist on it. It is only your opinion, nothing more. When stating it, you can repeat some findings you already covered in your critical review to support it.

We hope that these tips will help you to write a critical movie review faster and better. Be sure to check out soap2day to find great options for watching.  Finally, it is one of the most interesting academic tasks.