How to Write a Movie Review
What is a movie review?
A movie review is a well-articulated synthesis of a movie and critical analysis of its content. Typically a movie review doesn’t exceed 1000 words. A movie review is one of the writing genres English learners should learn about. Writing a movie review is something students have to do in high school and college. Although it seems very simple and easy, writing a movie review definitely requires time and organization.
The objective of a movie review is to tell the reader about the movie and its story but from a critical perspective. A movie review helps the reader to know about all the main events in the movie, summary, filmmaker, cinematography, actors, special effects and techniques… etc.
The review should determine whether the reader will want to watch the movie. It should provide a detailed account of the movie, which will help in making honest decisions.
Example of a movie review
This is an example of review of a movie. Read it carefully.
Titanic is a film directed by James Cameron from Canada. It is a famous film that a lot of people have seen and appreciated. This film runs for around 2 hours and 11 minutes. Titanic is not an action film. It is a romantic film that tells a love story. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes. Kate Winslet is a seventeen-year-old aristocrat who falls in love with the kind, but poor artist, Leonardo DiCaprio, on the ship during its unlucky first voyage. They began to plan for their future, but the sinking of the ship ruined all their dreams and hopes.
It has a sad ending and the hero dies after saving the Heroine’s life. What I liked about Titanic is that it keeps you in suspense till the end. When the boat is sinking, everything isn’t all right. Things go wrong, and thus you have suspense. Also, the special effects are amazing and everything in the film looks real. This is part of what makes the film enjoyable to watch. You don’t feel bored at all.
The main components of a movie review
As you can see from the movie review above, the focus is on the following elements:
| Title of the film | …………………………………… |
| Director/Country | …………………………………… |
| Length/Type | …………………………………… |
| Main actors | …………………………………… |
| Story / Plot (What happened in the film) | …………………………………… |
| Especial effects | …………………………………… |
A template of a movie review
For students who are struggling to write a movie review, this is a template that can help you.
| This template will help you write your film review: – Par. 1: (information about the film) – Par. 2: (Type of film+ Summary of the plot and Theme+ say something about the main actors) – Par. 3: Conclusion+ express your opinion and reaction about this film. |
Expressions and phrases you can use to write a movie review
These are adjectives you can use in your review to describe different things:
- Funny,
- Informative,
- Exciting,
- Outdated,
- Boring,
- Breathtaking,
- Moving,
- Entertaining
- Enjoyable,
- Realistic,
- Violent,
- Tragic,
- The best,
- Amusing,
- The worst,
- Romantic,
- A must-see film,
- Bloody (with a lot of killing),
- Famous,
- Worth-watching,
Common movie genres:
- Horror film,
- Action film,
- Adventure film,
- Comedy film,
- Science fiction film,
- Romantic film,
- Bro-mance film,
- Thrilling movie.
Common themes in movies
- The quest for freedom, for power…
- The troubles of life
- Tradition versus change.
- Loyalty and betrayal
- Man versus society
- Peace vs war etc.
- Love and sacrifice
- The decline of social values
- The importance of the family.
- Hatred and revenge
- The importance of friends.
