Why would someone need to learn how to write a movie review? Can’t you just say that the movie is good or bad and be over with it? Isn’t it the main point of the review? Well, it is definitely not. It would be so simple just to share your opinion, but, unfortunately, they don’t give scores for that. In this article, we will give some tips on how to write a good review of a movie. We could tell you that we plan to give you tips on writing a stellar, one of a kind movie review, but we won’t. To write such reviews you need to have certain experience, and you will hardly gain it here. However, if you are interested in solid results, if you want to know the main principles, if you want to write movie reviews without spending too much time on it, these tips will do. If you have a high-school or college assignment, these tips on writing a movie review will be more than enough for you to deal with the task.
7 Tips on Writing a Quality Movie Review
Here is a secret we need to share before you start scrolling down. These tips can only work if you actually apply them step by step. It is exactly like learning a new language or getting more fit. If you just watch fitness videos and buy keto-diet cooking books, but keep eating junk and being a couch potato, things won’t work for you, don’t even hope. If you have applied at least some of these tips, you will spend less time on writing and come up with a better result. Just give it a try.
Watch the movie twice
One time is not enough for writing a good review. You need to watch a movie twice and make lots of notes about details and general impressions from dialogs, etc. Later, these notes will save you lots of time. When you feel like you are getting stuck, just look through your notes.
Read about the movie for an hour tops
And here we are strongly dedicated to save you some time. Often, students try to read as much as they can about the movie because they think it will actually help them to write a better review. Unfortunately, it is more likely to be a form of procrastination than a productive practice. Limit yourself to a one hour reading with some notes and bookmarks, and start writing.
Give yourself 15 minutes for freewriting
Freewriting helps to structure your thoughts, boosts your creativity and actually helps to get things done. Fifteen minutes of Freewriting is also a form of meditation that helps you concentrate. Later, if you get stuck with your writing, you can get some ideas from these pages. We strongly recommend writing with a pen instead of typing, as it activates different parts of the brain.
Don’t wait till conclusions to give your evaluation
Of course, you should not write everything you think about the movie just in the introduction. Still, don’t wait till the end, think about your audience, even if you are writing this review as a part of your class assignment.
Be as objective as possible
Being objective is part of writing any review, but it doesn’t mean you cannot express your opinion. The only restriction here is that expressing your opinion should also sound objective, it should be based on some arguments, not on your feelings. Yes, your feelings don’t matter much, and your argument should be well put and have a reliable and sound background.
Show your knowledge of terminology
When writing a movie review, don’t forget to use all the needed movie-related words that can really make your paper sound expert like. Google filmmaking terminology straight away and choose the words that you find the most suitable for the occasion. Terminology will also help you with a plan, as every term is a hint on more things to assess about a particular movie. Keep this list close in case you get stuck and need some inspiration for more and better content.
Give the context
When writing about a movie, don’t forget that everything exists in context. Think about the time the plot is set, and think about the time the movie was actually made. How did it influence the perspective? Did perspective change since then? If the movie is a remake, dedicate some part of your review to differences with the original picture and also don’t forget about the context.
The only step left to take is proofreading your paper. Use online services to do it, read your paper aloud, check both grammar and logic. It is better to proofread every abstract separately and later the entire piece together. Good luck with your review!
How to Deal with a Movie Review Under Time Pressure
The tips listed above are truly workable. It is a proven set of advice that you can actually count on. However, we owe you another warning — it works when you have enough time for that. When under time pressure, you most probably won’t be able to come up with a quality review. There are two major options you can choose from. First, you can buy a movie review from experts. Buying academic reviews and essays online from a professional writing service, such as, for example, SmartWritingService.com, is not something new, and let’s face it, we all do it sometimes, especially when the deadline is very close and you don’t have any energy. Hire a professional writer, set your instructions, share all the requirements, give some ideas, pay and… forget about it. Have the freedom to spend your day as you wish. Later, you will receive a final draft, approve it, and get an editable version of your movie review. Another option is to write a bad review very fast. However, we don’t actually think you would like to do that.