Q&A for How to Write a Movie Review

In regards to writing reviews, short and sweet is best. You must not only highlight the good, it's also important to pick out critiques. You should analyze and examine to see if there is something that could have been changed, or if there is a different perspective that we should be viewing it through.

Different instructors will have different expectations about how you format your review. Ask your instructor or take a look at the assignment handout to find out if they have specific instructions. Otherwise, you can search online for samples of student movie reviews online to get an idea. Make sure you look at examples that are appropriate to your school level (e.g., middle school, high school, or college).

There are a variety of factors you can look at. For example, if you’re interested in the more technical aspects of the movie, you might pay attention to things like the cinematography, lighting, and sound quality. If you want to take a more artistic approach, study things like the plot, pacing, and acting.

You would want to mention the ones that you think are the most important to the plot. Also, don't give a full detail about their role in the movie--just a sneak peak.

Think of a conclusion that sums up all of the different parts of the movie so that you can decide which things are good, which things are bad and how good the movie is in general.

To some degree. There is no need to write out the whole plot, but you will want to make the general idea of the move clear, and you might also focus on a few scenes or aspects of the movie that particularly stood out to you.

There is not set minimum amount of words for move reviews. However, it is necessary to be clear and concise. In order to keep readers interested, don't give too much detail or make it too long.

Search online or in your local paper. You can also visit sites like Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes, which compile all of the reviews for every movie that comes out, with links to the full review.

You can start your review however you want. Whether it's a quote, statement or question, nothing is wrong. And no, you do not have to relate it to other events. It will add some depth to the review, but it is not mandatory.

Start your review by writing the names of the actors, director and producer.

Not if you don't want to. Stars, number ratings, and other "quick" reviews are helpful for some readers who just want to scan the review, and many sites require them if you want to write for those sites. However, thoughtful pieces without numbers are equally common, and are often a better way to give a nuanced review.

It is basically the same as writing a movie review but the video is shorter. Use the same structure, but tweak bits here and there to make it feel right to you.

Search the movie online; most websites will include information about the cast. If you don't have access to the internet, the credits at the end of the movie are a great place to find the names of certain actors and actresses.

There is no standard number of words, but most of the film reviewers write from 400 to 600.

You should generally use both when you first mention the person, e.g., "Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean" or "Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson)". Then just use whatever makes sense in the sentence. If you're talking about the character, use the character name; if you're talking about the actor/acting, use the actor's name.

Yes, you can! It's a good idea to take notes, but it can be time-consuming and distracting, so only do it if you're capable of paying attention to the movie at the same time.

If you want, go for it! The whole goal of the review is to stand out and make your review memorable. As long as your "humor" isn't childish, it should be fine. Many professional critics use humor in their writing—even the greats like Roger Ebert.

You can find it on IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes, or any other site about films. It is usually next to the title of the movie.

Yes, but be aware that your perspective may be biased.

It classifies the movie whether it's good or bad. The more stars, the better it has been rated.

The standard length for any review is set by the editor. Sometimes it can be determined by how much page space the editor wants to fill. I have written reviews as short as 200 words for a column covering lots of VHS/DVD releases and 2,400 words recently for a website that has no limit. Your review just needs to be well written.

Conclude with the overall reaction, your opinion about it and recommendation.

Consult Write a Book Review .

As long as you paid attention to all that you could, you should be fine. Write down fragments of what you know, and don't worry if you don't have every single scene memorized. Base your review on the main structure and plot of the movie.

Your movie review can be as long as you want it to be, as long as you have the necessary information on it. A reason for it to be short could be that it was a short movie, hard to understand, not much of a plot, etc. A reason for it to be long could be that it was a long movie, lots of information, you really liked it, etc.

It’s likely a good idea to note that the review was written by you, especially if it’s for school or if it will be submitted to a newspaper or another publication, but you don’t necessarily have to sign a movie review other than that.

The title should be the title with a sub heading of a very brief summation of your review, followed by your review.