How to Write a Film review?

We need to think of an imaginative title. For instance, if I was writing a review of the new war movie "My Japanese Niece", perhaps a better title could be, ‘Japanese girl finds her uncle’. This title gives a very brief idea of the nature of the film and provides a starting point for the reader to focus on. 

The title might also give an indication of whether the rest of your review will be positive or negative. The second stage (the opening paragraph) is to give a brief synopsis (summary) of the film.

After the synopsis, we should go into detail about what we thought of the film. Was it thought provoking? Did it have lasting images and ideas that particularly enthralled us? Whatever our view is, it is important to stress it in a comprehensible manner. Examine the film more closely, try to go into detail about the many ideas contained within the film. 

We should not forget, what we enjoyed and remembered from the images and ideas in the film. These are what could be the deciding factor in whether or not the reader actually goes to see the film themselves. It is necessary to break the film down into its separate parts. 

We should spend time stating which parts of the film worked for us. Was the setting and atmosphere successful? Did the plot flow all the way through the film or did it become disjointed and messy part of the way through? 

We should also look carefully into the characterisation. A close examination of the key roles in the feature will provide the audience with a better idea of how the film is going to be. 

We should never simply say that we loved or hated a certain movie without giving our reasons. 

We should always explain why we feel the way we do and back it up with descriptive examples. Even though our article should show from the start what our opinions are, at the end of the piece, we should give a conclusion that states strongly what we thought. Following these guidelines we should provide  with enough information to start writing our own reviews.

In a nutshell, 

Title

Give a catchy one. It can indicate if the review will be positive or negative, we can play with words to make it funny or different. 

Paragraph 

Opening paragraph – We can start to summarize film and give early suggestions about our general view of it (positive/negative). 

Paragraph 2

We should start or continue summary of film, We should not give details about the ending or else no one will go and see the film.

Paragraph 3 and 4

We should write positive things we  thought about the film, what did we like? Why? Use descriptive words, think about the story, setting, effects used, music used. 

Paragraph 5 and 6 

We can write negative things we thought about the film, what didn’t we like? Why? We should comment on the same type of things that we mentioned in above paragraphs.

Paragraph 7 and 8

Characterization – We should talk about the characters, did we like them? Did the actors play them well? What was it about their portrayal that we liked or didn’t like? Other impressions of the characters, will certain audience members be able to relate to certain characters? How? Will certain audience members not like certain characters? Why not?

Paragraph 9

Final comments – We should also give general comments that summarize our view of the film, we may want to say something inspiring to get the reader to want to go out and see the film or we might say something that would want them not to go and see it! 

We should discuss some of the following:

Camera work or visual style Music or sound 

Performance or characters -  How it compares to the other films we have seen Any other aspects  we have found interesting.

Here are some crucial questions we may want to answer as we write: 

Is the film entertaining? Why? How? 

Is it thought provoking? What issues does it raise? Does it offer simple answers or does it leave lots unanswered and therefore up for discussion? 

Discuss the importance of the music – how is it like a character in the film. 

The film is beautifully shot by director of photographer  – are there any moments from the film which seemed especially beautiful.

What about the actor’s performances? Do we  think any particular need singling out for praise? In some ways the characters they play are distinct types, but do they manage to invest real humanity or depth into them? 

Are there any key scenes that stand out for you? 

In the end , should we recommend it to others? What did we get from seeing it?

After the paragraph we would give it a star rating out of 5 to indicate our rating for it.