5 Key Element of a Top-Notch Movie Review
Movies are amazing. They bring you into their worlds of magic, realism, love, passion, and utmost excitement. You love watching the right move with you need some uplifting mood in your day. But you have your own taste for movies, right?
So you took a film-related course in college because you expected it to be just as exciting as movies are. Surprise, surprise! Students are usually overwhelmed with the challenge of analyzing serious movies. Professors usually don’t have the same taste as an average student does. They prefer art house movies, which give you a great foundation for a detailed analysis.
They don’t give you a detailed film analysis guide, though. They expect you to become a professional critic overnight. And when you don’t even know how to write a film analysis paper, that’s hardly possible.
We said hardly possible. We didn’t say impossible. With the right tips on how to write a film review, you’ll make this happen. First and foremost, you need to be aware of the elements a movie analysis paper needs to contain. We’ll list them!
Top 5 tips on how to write a perfect movie review
- Some Background
It’s important to introduce the reader into the movie before you start sharing your impressions about it. You can start with your opinion to get the reader hooked, but you’ll immediately proceed with some compelling facts about the movie.
Provide some context or background information. If, for example, you’re reviewing Seven Samurai, you can start with some background info on the director. You may explain that Akira Kurosawa was focused on individual ethical dilemmas throughout his work, and this is one of the movies that best convey such an approach. That’s a great way to start a movie analysis paper.
- Plot Analysis
As soon as you’re done with the introduction, you’ll move onto a brief plot summary. Keep it short. The plot summary is not the main point. It’s there just to describe the setting and provide a sense of the central theme of the film.
- Elements Beyond Plot Analysis
When you’re wondering how to write a film review, you shouldn’t only focus on dry information about the plot. You should go beyond, so you’ll analyze several other elements:
- Cinematography
- Direction
- Script
- Editing
- Set design
- Costume design
- Soundtrack
Briefly discuss these elements of the movie, so the professor will know you watched and analyzed it with full attention.
- Your Own Opinion
Of course; sharing facts about the movie is not the only aspect of how to write a film analysis paper. You have to share your own opinion about it. Maybe Seven Samurai is one of the most praised films ever, but you still didn’t like it and you have solid arguments to support that point of view.
It’s okay.
You don’t have to write how great a movie is just because your professor said it was great. You can be honest. Take notes as you watch the movie, so you’ll keep the impressions fresh. Use plenty of examples from the movie to support your point of view.
- Personality
Although this is a formal academic assignment, it doesn’t mean you should make it too formal. You should infuse your personality in all assignments you complete. If you just discuss the main elements of the movie through dry, factual sentences, you can’t expect a successful result. Don’t be afraid to show your style!
When compared to your usual essays and research papers, the film review gives you more flexibility in style and format. If you’re dramatic and serious as a character, show that character when discussing the movie. But if you’re usually a funny person, you can use your sense of humor to make the review interesting to read.
Sometimes, it takes a review for someone to reveal other aspects of the movie. If you help the professor understand something they failed to see when they watched the film, you can really say you’ve written a successful assignment. You’ll achieve such an impression only if you write how you personally experienced the movie.
It’s Time to Start!
Now that you have your film analysis guide, it’s time to start working on the assignment. How do you start? Watch the movie! Watch it twice or three times if necessary. Take notes all the time. Then, just plan the outline of your review, so you’ll include all crucial elements we listed above.
This is not a boring assignment. Actually, it can be really fun when you approach it with enthusiasm.