Most people prefer to read the review of a film before actually going to watch it to know if the movie is worth watching. If you want to pursue review writing as a profession or even as a pass time, it is essential for you to understand the basics of this profession.
You are asked to write a film review as a college assignment or for the local newspaper. Though you are a complete movie buff, you know nothing about writing reviews so it may seem to be a difficult task. However, writing a film's critical review is not as difficult as you think.
Other than good command over the English language, what you require is some basic knowledge about the structure of the review.
A Few Tips To Keep In Mind
Research Work
Before you watch the movie, it is very essential to do some research work. Try to understand the context properly i.e. what is the basic plot, when and where the story is set, the principal characters, etc.
Try to know whether the story is original, a true life story, adaptation of a novel, or a sequel of some other movie. You should also research about the earlier works of the director and actors. This will give you an idea about what to expect from the movie.
Watching the Movie
The next step is watching the film more than once so as to make a proper judgment. This would help you understand certain nuances really well. While watching the movie, take down some important points that you would like to mention in your review.
It is important to form a specific opinion of the film, as this is what people are looking for. You should also analyze the basic facts like whether the film is a comedy, tragedy, historical, action, etc.
Beginning to Write
It is important to grab attention of the reader from the word 'GO'. For this you need to find the most striking start. One way would be to start with certain significant lines taken directly from the movie, else you can talk about the trailers and whether it's really worth the hype. It would surely help in gaining the interest of your readers.
Synopsis of the Movie
The lead must be followed by the synopsis of the story. Here, you have to be very careful, as you should not give up the whole story to the audience, especially the end. You must describe the basic storyline, however, avoid mentioning the important scenes and twists that form the crux of the film.
Writing
Once you finish with the brief synopsis, start analyzing the movie. Here, you have to talk about the positive and negative points. Mention areas that were good and those that were bad and also explain the reasons for it.
However, you need not stick to the main story, rather you have to comment about the acting, script, plot, direction, background score, and technical factors like the special effects, cinematography, costumes, etc.
Make It Interesting
We have already discussed that the start should be interesting, however, it is also important to write the rest of the article in the same way. You can use your creativity and use the right adjectives, metaphors, analogies, adverbs, etc. to keep the reader interested.
Honesty
Honesty is a crucial quality for writing a review. Your article should reflect what you feel about the movie. Avoid reading reviews written by other critics, as there are chances that you may get influenced by them. You must remember that every person can have different opinions about the same thing and your only duty is to write your point of view.
You should remember that though it is important to be honest about your attitude towards the movie, you should never discourage the readers from watching the movie. A good review would be one which tempts the reader to watch the film.