Movie review example

General information about film reviews

Such a thematic review harmoniously combines the features of the journalistic and artistic styles. It is intended to influence the views of the recipient, affect his social and moral preferences. The target audience consists of potential viewers (readers of specialized publications, Internet resources about movies or amateur sites dedicated to this art form).

As a rule, the best movie review examples are written by the professional film critics. But even a high school student can succeed in this area. The curriculum of educational institutions often includes analyzing works of art, including cinematography. To get the quality result, it is just necessary to evaluate the film, substantiating your position.

The history of this genre started more than a hundred years ago, when the first films appeared. In 1907, the American magazine published a movie review of French cinema. 1912 is the starting point of the distribution of cinema characteristics which were written by the theatrical critics of the time.

Modern cinema criticism is laconic (the pace of life does not allow us to read voluminous analyzes anymore), intended for a wide range of readers, has a high level of emotionality. Researchers emphasize that such texts are of two-address nature: they are aimed both at the movie fans and the author of the film.

Features of a classical film review as a genre

All movie review examples for college students have a number of common features that are dictated by the object of analysis:

• the basis of such papers is the description of the object;
• a journalistic style of presentation;
• the author's "I" vividly manifests itself;
• the clear argumentation of the position of the reviewer;
• language tools are selected so as to maintain the interest of the reader, expressively interpret the object;
• emotionality (the film necessarily evokes the emotions in everyone who faces it, and the reviewer is not an exception);
• objectivity (the analysis should be based not so much on the preferences of the reviewer as on the features of the film itself, the circumstances under which it appeared and was spread);
• in the analysis of the film, not only its plot is taken into account but also the work of all people who participated in its creation (actors, directors, screenwriters, sound producers, decorators, etc.);
• multifunctionality (a duly written example of movie review performs several functions: evaluation, cognitive, conceptual, etc.).

Some researchers call film characteristics a hybrid genre in terms of stylistics. In their opinion, the classical text is constructed on the collision of three styles:

• journalistic (the analytical basis of the papers of this genre);
• informational (a review reveals a certain topic, presents new facts to the reader);
• scientific (a review should submit a reasoned position of the author who operates with a certain terminology).

Note that the reviewer composes an analysis on the basis of his perception of the film, expresses his point of view, but he must not impose it. Evaluation should be recommendatory in nature, so that the reader can determine whether it is worth spending time watching a certain movie or not.

Film review structure and useful tips

Creation of a classical example of a movie review involves building an analysis according to a certain structure:

1. Information about the film (full title, year of release, the book based on which it was created, if any, the plot). Remember that you cannot retell the story completely, as this will kill the interest in the film. It is necessary to write only about the main, most interesting moments and to leave the culmination of the hottest points unknown.
2. Analysis of the performance of the film (technical and artistic).
3. Evaluation of the movie with arguments (you cannot write "I like it", "I do not like it" without justifying your point of view).
4. Recommendation part (to watch or not to watch the movie).

Please note that the assessment should be based on the analysis performed, taking into account the observed advantages and disadvantages.

A film review is a very significant literary genre, an effective instrument of quality improvement. With a competent approach, such texts turn into the hints not only for readers but also for the author. The latter, can see his own work as if from the outside, and reveal what kind of shortcomings should be prevented in other films.