Before you watch a movie, you always find yourself scrolling through sites such as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes to check reviews; that way, you can figure if it’s worth watching. Besides, most people post reviews about a movie once they’re done watching it. You’ll find comments on public pages, social media pages, blogs, review sites, as well as other platforms. However, some people want to become professional film critics.
A useful movie review has to inform, persuade, and entertain, giving a personal viewpoint without providing too many details on the plot. However, a great one could turn out to be a piece of art. Our guide should teach you how to study a movie, create an interesting thesis, and come up with a review that will keep the readers glued, and wanting to learn more. If that’s what you’re looking forward to, then this guide should come in handy!
Why Film Critics Are Important
The movie industry can’t do without film critics. Most people choose whether or not to watch a movie based on the reviews they find online. A review provides a potential viewer with the movie’s image. A thorough film review should analyze what makes the movie worth watching it. Probably, you could talk about the rich editing, the incredible suspense, the unique design, the engaging dialogue, or how the movie deals with specific issues.
You can even compare the film to another one by the same producer, and highlight the similarities you’ve noticed. Alternatively, you can compare how a producer did a better job at one movie and flopped at the other. You need to know how to discuss films engagingly since it determines how potential viewers approach a movie. Of course, you’ll be continually writing, so you need to practice often. Still, you can get professional assistance from a competent paper writing service. Tips below should help in crafting an excellent review.
Grab the Attention of Your Reader from the Beginning
People get distracted pretty fast; so, if you can’t get them hooked them from the beginning, then you’ve lost them. Make sure that the beginning and the end of your review are the most stimulating so your audience is still attentive.
Get Personal
Most people write reviews as a hobby since they have other full-time jobs. So, they don’t spend as much time on them. Still, don’t expect to write a bomb-ass review by merely going through other people’s reviews. You need to watch the movie several times. Besides, make sure that you know the extra details about it.
Once you’ve viewed it several times, note down what you find questionable, fascinating, soul-searching, uneasy, and use this as your starting point. You’ll be amazed at how an ordinary review can turn out to be outstanding, depending on how intensely it engages with the movie.
Understand the Context
It is important to comprehend the context of the film. Being knowledgeable on how to craft a review must come hand-in-hand with who is creating it, who is the target audience, what is its origin, and what is your position as someone who is crafting a criticism on it.
This is most likely the most significant and yet trivialized element of reviewing. If a film has been created by a female director or has a predominantly female cast, it won’t be fairly represented if male critics mostly review it. Undervaluing the significance of context can be not only detrimental but also disrespectful in the representation of the film.
Make Sure You Are Fair
A film review is intended to be subjective. However, it’s not okay to say that you hate something if you don’t tell your audience why. Back your viewpoints with particular examples. Another objective for doing this is because people are looking for various reasons to watch a film. If you didn’t enjoy the movie because it had a lot of action and violence, your audience that enjoys crime or war films might have a different opinion.
Absolutely No Spoilers
You cannot include any spoilers. Disclosing a very crucial part of the plot will anger filmmakers and readers alike. Just reveal what you think is necessary and learn where to draw the line.
Read a Lot!
You need to read a lot of other reviews. Read reviews from other critics on movies that you’ve watched or haven’t watched. If you need to master creating reviews, you can learn from people you look up to. If you loved a movie, see what other critics had to say and identify if it has similar elements as you do. If not, try to understand why.
Writing well doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, practice, consistency, and persistence. If you are looking to become an expert at writing reviews, then you need to go through various guides and keep practising. This guide has further explained what you need to do to master this skill. Reading through it should tremendously help you.