movie review script example

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How to Write a Movie Review

Last Updated: August 11, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Marissa Levis . Marissa Levis is an English Teacher in the Morris County Vocational School District. She previously worked as an English director at a tutoring center that caters to students in elementary and middle school. She is an expert in creating a curriculum that helps students advance their skills in secondary-level English, focusing on MLA formatting, reading comprehension, writing skills, editing and proofreading, literary analysis, standardized test preparation, and journalism topics. Marissa received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,645,436 times.

Whether a movie is a rotten tomato or a brilliant work of art, if people are watching it, it's worth critiquing. A decent movie review should entertain, persuade and inform, providing an original opinion without giving away too much of the plot. A great movie review can be a work of art in its own right. Read on to learn how to analyze a movie like a professional film critic, come up with an interesting thesis, and write a review as entertaining as your source material.

Sample Movie Reviews

Writing an Intro for a Movie Review

• Comparison to Relevant Event or Movie: "Every day, our leaders, politicians, and pundits call for "revenge"– against terrorist groups, against international rivals, against other political parties. But few of them understand the cold, destructive, and ultimately hollow thrill of revenge as well as the characters of Blue Ruin. "
• Review in a nutshell: "Despite a compelling lead performance by Tom Hanks and a great soundtrack, Forrest Gump never gets out of the shadow of its weak plot and questionable premise."
• Context or Background Information: " Boyhood might be the first movie made where knowing how it was produced–slowly, over 12 years, with the same actors–is just as crucial as the movie itself."

• Using stars, a score out of 10 or 100, or the simple thumbs-up and thumbs-down is a quick way to give your thoughts. You then write about why you chose that rating.
• Great Movie: ABC is the rare movie that succeeds on almost every level, where each character, scene, costume, and joke firing on all cylinders to make a film worth repeated viewings."
• Bad Movie: "It doesn't matter how much you enjoy kung-fu and karate films: with 47 Ronin, you're better off saving your money, your popcorn, and time."
• Okay Movie: "I loved the wildly uneven Interstellar far more than I should have, but that doesn't mean it is perfect. Ultimately, the utter awe and spectacle of space swept me through the admittedly heavy-handed plotting and dialogue."

• Great: "Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer's chemistry would carry Fruitvale Station even if the script wasn't as good. The mid-movie prison scene in particular, where the camera never leaves their faces, shows how much they can convey with nothing but their eyelids, the flashing tension of neck muscles, and a barely cracking voice."
• Bad: " Jurassic World's biggest flaw, a complete lack of relatable female characters, is only further underscored by a laughably unrealistic shot of our heroine running away from a dinosaur – in heels."
• Okay: "At the end of the day, Snowpiercer can't decide what kind of movie it wants to be. The attention to detail in fight scenes, where every weapon, lightbulb, and slick patch of ground is accounted for, doesn't translate to an ending that seems powerful but ultimately says little of substance."

• Does the film reflect on a current event or contemporary issue? It could be the director's way of engaging in a bigger conversation. Look for ways to relate the content of the film to the "real" world.
• Does the film seem to have a message, or does it attempt to elicit a specific response or emotion from the audience? You could discuss whether or not it achieves its own goals.
• Does the film connect with you on a personal level? You could write a review stemming from your own feelings and weave in some personal stories to make it interesting for your readers.

Composing Your Review

• When you name characters in your plot summary, list the actors' names directly afterward in parenthesis.
• Find a place to mention the director's name and the full movie title.
• If you feel you must discuss information that might "spoil" things for readers, warn them first.

• Cinematography: " Her is a world drenched in color, using bright, soft reds and oranges alongside calming whites and grays that both build, and slowly strip away, the feelings of love between the protagonists. Every frame feels like a painting worth sitting in."
• Tone: "Despite the insane loneliness and high stakes of being stuck alone on Mars, The Martian's witty script keeps humor and excitement alive in every scene. Space may be dangerous and scary, but the joy of scientific discovery is intoxicating."
• Music and Sound: " No Country For Old Men's bold decision to skip music entirely pays off in spades. The eerie silence of the desert, punctuated by the brief spells of violent, up-close-and-personal sound effects of hunter and hunted, keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat."
• Acting: "While he's fantastic whenever he's on the move, using his cool stoicism to counteract the rampaging bus, Keanu Reeves can't quite match his costar in the quiet moments of Speed, which falter under his expressionless gaze."

• Keep your writing clear and easy to understand. Don't use too much technical filmmaking jargon, and make your language crisp and accessible.
• Present both the facts and your opinion. For example, you might state something such as, "The Baroque background music was a jarring contrast to the 20th century setting." This is a lot more informative then simply saying, "The music was a strange choice for the movie."

• Great: "In the end, even the characters of Blue Ruin know how pointless their feud is. But revenge, much like every taut minute of this thriller, is far too addictive to give up until the bitter end.""
• Bad: "Much like the oft-mentioned "box of chocolates", Forest Gump has a couple of good little morsels. But most of the scenes, too sweet by half, should have been in the trash long before this movie was put out."
• Okay: "Without the novel, even revolutionary concept, Boyhood may not be a great movie. It might not even be "good.” But the power the film finds in the beauty of passing time and little, inconsequential moments – moments that could only be captured over 12 years of shooting – make Linklater's latest an essential film for anyone interested in the art of film."

Polishing Your Piece

• Ask yourself whether your review stayed true to your thesis. Did your conclusion tie back in with the initial ideas you proposed?
• Decide whether your review contains enough details about the movie. You may need to go back and add more description here and there to give readers a better sense of what the movie's about.
• Decide whether your review is interesting enough as a stand-alone piece of writing. Did you contribute something original to this discussion? What will readers gain from reading your review that they couldn't from simply watching the movie?

Studying Your Source Material

• The title of the film, and the year it came out.
• The director's name.
• The names of the lead actors.

• Make a note every time something sticks out to you, whether it's good or bad. This could be costuming, makeup, set design, music, etc. Think about how this detail relates to the rest of the movie and what it means in the context of your review.
• Take note of patterns you begin to notice as the movie unfolds.
• Use the pause button frequently so you make sure not to miss anything, and rewind as necessary.

• Direction: Consider the director and how he or she choose to portray/explain the events in the story. If the movie was slow, or didn't include things you thought were necessary, you can attribute this to the director. If you've seen other movies directed by the same person, compare them and determine which you like the most.
• Cinematography: What techniques were used to film the movie? What setting and background elements helped to create a certain tone?
• Writing: Evaluate the script, including dialogue and characterization. Did you feel like the plot was inventive and unpredictable or boring and weak? Did the characters' words seem credible to you?
• Editing: Was the movie choppy or did it flow smoothly from scene to scene? Did they incorporate a montage to help build the story? And was this obstructive to the narrative or did it help it? Did they use long cuts to help accentuate an actor's acting ability or many reaction shots to show a group's reaction to an event or dialogue? If visual effects were used were the plates well-chosen and were the composited effects part of a seamless experience? (Whether the effects looked realistic or not is not the jurisdiction of an editor, however, they do choose the footage to be sent off to the compositors, so this could still affect the film.)
• Costume design: Did the clothing choices fit the style of the movie? Did they contribute to the overall tone, rather than digressing from it?
• Set design: Consider how the setting of the film influenced its other elements. Did it add or subtract from the experience for you? If the movie was filmed in a real place, was this location well-chosen?
• Score or soundtrack: Did it work with the scenes? Was it over/under-used? Was it suspenseful? Amusing? Irritating? A soundtrack can make or break a movie, especially if the songs have a particular message or meaning to them.

Expert Q&A

• If you don't like the movie, don't be abusive and mean. If possible, avoid watching the movies that you would surely hate. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Understand that just because the movie isn't to your taste, that doesn't mean you should give it a bad review. A good reviewer helps people find movie's they will like. Since you don't have the same taste in movies as everyone else, you need to be able to tell people if they will enjoy the movie, even if you didn't. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Structure is very important; try categorizing the different parts of the film and commenting on each of those individually. Deciding how good each thing is will help you come to a more accurate conclusion. For example, things like acting, special effects, cinematography, think about how good each of those are. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about writing, check out our in-depth interview with Marissa Levis .

• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_film/terminology_and_starting_prompts.html
• ↑ https://www.spiritofbaraka.com/how-write-a-movie-review
• ↑ https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/9-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/
• ↑ https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/writing-help/top-tips-for-writing-a-review
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/summary-using-it-wisely/
• ↑ https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/film-review-1.original.pdf
• ↑ https://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_film/film_writing_sample_analysis.html
• ↑ https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/onnyx.bei/dual-credit/movie-review-writing-guide
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conclusions/
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-movie-review/
• ↑ https://gustavus.edu/writingcenter/handoutdocs/editing_proofreading.php
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://edusson.com/blog/how-to-write-movie-review

About This Article

To write a movie review, start with a compelling fact or opinion to hook your readers, like "Despite a great performance by Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump never overcomes its weak plot." Then, elaborate on your opinion of the movie right off the bat so readers know where you stand. Once your opinion is clear, provide examples from the movie that prove your point, like specific scenes, dialogue, songs, or camera shots. To learn how to study a film closely before you write a review, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Movie Review: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

• backlinkworks
• Writing Articles & Reviews
• October 3, 2023

Introduction

Watching movies is a popular pastime for many individuals. While some enjoy being entertained by the latest releases, others find satisfaction in analyzing and critiquing films. If you fall into the latter category, then writing a movie review can be a rewarding activity. Whether you aspire to become a professional film critic or simply want to share your opinion with others, this step-by-step guide will help you craft a compelling and engaging movie review.

Step 1: Watch the Movie

Before you can write a movie review, you need to watch the film attentively. Take notes while watching, paying attention to the plot, characters, cinematography, acting, and any other elements that stand out. Understanding the movie in its entirety is crucial to providing an informed perspective in your review.

Step 2: Gather Your Thoughts

After watching the film, take some time to gather your thoughts and reflect on your overall impressions. Did you enjoy the movie? What were its strengths and weaknesses? Consider the movie’s themes, messages, and intended audience. Jot down key points to use as the foundation of your review.

Step 3: Start with a Strong Introduction

The introduction sets the tone for your movie review. Begin with a captivating hook that grabs the reader’s attention and provides a brief overview of the film. Offer some context, such as the genre or director, and any interesting background information that adds value to the review. Make sure to state your overall opinion clearly and concisely.

Step 4: Analyze the Plot and Storyline

Provide a detailed analysis of the movie’s plot and storyline. Discuss the main narrative, subplots, and any twists or surprises. Evaluate the pacing, coherence, and depth of the story. Highlight any standout moments or memorable scenes that contribute to the overall narrative experience.

Step 5: Evaluate the Acting and Characters

An important aspect of any movie review is assessing the acting performances and the development of the characters. Discuss the actors’ portrayals, their chemistry, and whether they effectively brought their characters to life. Analyze the characters’ depth, growth, and believability. Give examples to support your claims.

Step 6: Critique the Cinematography and Visuals

The cinematography and visual elements greatly impact a movie’s overall appeal. Evaluate the camera angles, lighting, set design, costumes, and any special effects used. Explain how these choices contribute to the storytelling and enhance the viewer’s experience.

Step 7: Assess the Sound and Music

The sound design and music play a vital role in creating the right atmosphere for a film. Analyze the sound effects, soundtrack, and any background music utilized. Discuss how the audio elements complemented the visuals and enhanced the emotional impact of key scenes.

Step 8: Highlight the Strengths and Weaknesses

In this section, discuss the movie’s strengths and weaknesses. Offer constructive criticism where necessary, but also acknowledge the film’s positive aspects. Be specific and provide examples to support your claims, giving readers a well-rounded perspective of the overall quality of the movie.

Step 9: Conclusion

The conclusion should summarize your main points and provide a final assessment of the film. Reiterate your overall opinion and encourage readers to watch or avoid the movie based on your review. End with a thought-provoking statement or a call-to-action to engage your audience further.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. how long should a movie review be.

A movie review can vary in length, but a typical review ranges from 500 to 1000 words. However, if you feel the need to provide a more in-depth analysis, IT can extend beyond the usual word count.

2. Should I include spoilers in my review?

IT is best to avoid spoilers, as they can ruin the viewing experience for those who haven’t seen the film. If you must discuss specific plot details, clearly indicate spoiler warnings and use HTML tags to hide text, ensuring readers have the option to read or skip the spoilers.

3. How do I maintain objectivity in my review?

While a movie review reflects your personal opinion, try to maintain objectivity by offering balanced arguments and supporting your statements with evidence from the film. Acknowledge that different viewers may have different tastes and perspectives.

4. Is IT necessary to include a rating in my review?

Including a rating is not essential, but IT can provide a quick summary of your overall opinion. You can use a numerical scale, stars, or any other rating system you find suitable. Just ensure you explain the reasoning behind your rating within the body of the review.

5. How can I make my review stand out?

To make your review stand out, write in a clear and engaging style. Incorporate your unique voice and use captivating language to draw readers in. Including relevant screenshots from the movie or embedding a trailer can also enhance the overall appeal of your review.

writing a movie review provides an opportunity to express your thoughts and opinions about a film while helping others make informed decisions about their movie choices. By following this step-by-step guide, you can craft a well-written and insightful review that captures the essence of the movie. Remember to watch the film attentively, gather your thoughts, and provide a balanced assessment of its various elements. With practice, you’ll refine your skills as a movie reviewer and contribute to the world of film criticism.

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How to Write a Movie Review: 5 Tips for Writing Movie Reviews

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 4 min read

Whether it’s for pleasure or a job assignment, writing a good movie review can be a useful exercise that allows you to explore your personal connection to a film. If you’ve recently watched a film and want to share your opinions about it, there are a few best practices that can help you compose a balanced, thoughtful, and entertaining movie review.

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How to write a movie review [Updated 2023]

Writing a movie review is a great way to practice critical analysis skills. In this post, we explore what a movie review is, how to start a film review, and steps for writing and revising it.

What is a movie review?

A movie review is a concise evaluation of a film’s content and formal elements (cinematography, sound, lighting, etc.). Also known as a film review, a movie review considers not just what a film means, but how it means. Essentially, when you write a film review, you are conducting a critical analysis or close reading of a movie.

How to write a movie review

To write a successful review about a movie, you need to evaluate a film’s content, as well as its form. In this section, we break down these two components.

A film’s content includes its plot (what it’s about), characters, and setting. You’ll need to determine the main plot points of the film and how the film’s story works overall.

Are there parts that don’t make sense? Are certain characters more important than others? What is the relationship between the movie’s plot and its setting? A discussion of a film’s content provides good context for an analysis of its form.

Form refers to all of the aesthetic and/or formal elements that make a story into a movie. You can break down form into several categories:

• Cinematography : This element comprises all aspects of the movie that derive from the way a camera moves and works. You’ll need to pay attention to elements like camera angles, distances between the camera and the subject, and types of shots (i.e. close-up, aerial, etc.).
• Lighting : Films use lighting in various ways to communicate certain effects. For instance, noir films tend to utilize chiaroscuro lighting (deep contrasts between light and dark) to express a sense of secrecy or foreboding.
• Sound : The way a film uses sound can vary considerably. Most movies have a soundtrack, sometimes with music composed specifically for the film. Some films play around with ambient sounds or use silence at key points to signify important moments. What is the relation of sound to the image in specific scenes or sequences? Do sounds link images? Does it ever become more important than the image?
• Editing : The movies we watch online or in theaters have been heavily edited in order to achieve a particular flow. When you are preparing to write a movie review, pay close attention to elements like the length of shots, transitions between scenes, or any other items that were finalized after filming.
• Costumes, Props, and Sets : Are the costumes and props believable in relation to the film’s content and setting? Are costumes particularly elaborate or understated?

The important thing to remember when you are analyzing the formal elements of a movie is that every image, sound, movement, and object has meaning and has been planned. Your review needs to take into consideration how these elements work together with the film’s storyline to create a whole experience.

Once you’ve considered both the content and form of the movie that you’re reviewing, you can begin to evaluate the film as a whole. Is it a successful movie? Would you recommend it? Why or why not?

Step-by-step review writing tips

1. watch the movie.

The first time that you watch the movie, look for overarching themes or patterns, and establish what the film is primarily about. Take note of the main characters, as well as the setting.

2. Watch the movie again and take notes

Next, watch the movie again and take notes as you are doing so, keeping in mind the formal aspects discussed above. Write down anything that seems significant.

3. Evaluate the film’s form and content

Using the categories described above, and any handouts or guides provided by your instructor, evaluate the film’s formal elements along with its content. Are there elements of the movie that strike you as unfamiliar or perplexing? Are there elements that are repeated to emphasize a point or perception?

4. Write your review

A good movie review will contain:

• an introductory paragraph that tells the reader what movie you’re reviewing
• a paragraph that summarizes the movie
• several body paragraphs that explore significant formal elements and how they relate to the content
• a concluding paragraph that discusses your overall reaction to the film and whether or not you would recommend it to others

5. Create citations

You’ll need cite the film and any secondary sources that you consulted while writing. Use BibGuru’s citation generator to instantly create accurate citations for movies, as well as articles, books, and websites.

You may also want to consult a guide on how to cite a film in MLA or another major citation style .

6. Revise and proofread

Once you’ve written your review, you should set aside some time to revise and proofread it before you turn it in.

Movie review checklist

You can use this checklist to ensure that you’ve considered all of the formal elements, as well as the content, of the film that you’re reviewing:

🔲 Cinematography (camera moves and types of shots)

🔲 Lighting (natural vs. artificial light, contrasts between light and dark)

🔲 Sound (soundtrack, sound vs. silence, loud vs. soft sounds)

🔲 Editing (length of shots, transitions between scenes)

🔲 Costumes, props, and sets (believable vs. staged)

🔲 Content (plot, characters, setting)

Frequently Asked Questions about how to write a review about a movie

A movie review should contain a brief summary of the film, several paragraphs of analysis that focus on form and content, and a concluding paragraph that sums up your reaction.

Before you write anything, you need to watch the film at least once. Take notes as you’re watching and pay attention to formal elements and patterns. Then, write your review. The final step is to revise your work before you turn it in.

The tone for a movie review should be critical, yet objective. The goal of most reviews is to persuade a reader to either see a film or not.

The best film reviews balance plot summary with critical analysis of significant formal elements. A reader should be able to decide if she wants to see the film after reading the review.

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How to Write a Movie Review: 10 Essential Tips

As long as there have been films, there have been film critics. Starting with the early days of cinema, where reviews appeared in newspapers and magazines as brief, descriptive pieces, as filmmaking evolved as an art form, so did the role of the critic. James Agee, André Bazin, and Pauline Kael shaped the discourse around cinema, and today, famous film critics like the iconic Roger Ebert , The New York Times’s A.O. Scott , and The New York Times’s Manohla Dargis continue to leave an indelible mark on the world of cinema.

With the rise of the internet, film criticism now encompasses a wide range of voices and perspectives from around the globe. Sites like Letterboxd make it possible for anyone to write short-form reviews on film. Even stars like The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri have accounts and share opinions on the latest box-office hits.

How to Write a Movie Review

Today, contemporary YouTube and TikTok critics such as Red Letter Media , deepfocuslens , and DoMo Draper don’t just write film reviews, they shoot videos and skits. Through their creative formats, they offer refreshing and unique perspectives while building communities of diehard film and television enthusiasts. Whether you choose to write reviews for your own blog, other websites, or social media channels, by learning how to write a movie review, any aspiring filmmaker can start to watch films intentionally. 

@domodraperr Replying to @xsindeviltriggerx I’ll get right on that, Sir!🫡 #comments #movies #film #satire #fyp #mulan #disney ♬ I’ll Make a Man Out of You (feat. Black Gryph0n) – Cover – Samuel Kim

TikTok film critic “DoMo Draper” provides commentary on new and old films, often calling out racism, social injustice, misogyny, and prejudice.

While there’s no perfect approach to writing a review, there are best practices that every aspiring reviewer should consider.

Here are ten tips on writing a compelling piece.

1. Watch the film at least once.

For new reviewers, it’s impossible to capture everything after one viewing. Watching the film first, then watching to take notes, is an easy way to improve the quality of your final review. This will also make it easy to recall in-the-moment thoughts and reactions.

Take a review by Christian Blauvelt of Charlie Chaplin’s silent film The Circus , for example. Since the film does not have sound, properly critiquing the film requires close attention. Viewers have to pay attention to the various nuances in Chaplin’s performance, follow the story, and take in the cinematography. Regarding The Circus , Blauvelt writes, “The film lacks a conventional plot, but is rather a pearl necklace of strung-together episodes. ” The statement isn’t a criticism, but a keen observation likely gleaned from more than one viewing. 

So while every film reviewer has their own approach, many choose to watch a film more than once to deliver the best possible review. Image The Criterion Collection.

2. Express your opinions and support your criticism.

Professional reviewers do not shy away from sharing whether they thought a movie was good, bad, or indifferent. In a review for the film Mother!, reviewer Candice Frederick describes the film as “uncomfortable,” and “controversial,” helping viewers understand the tone of the movie. While Frederick seemed to enjoy the film, her honesty about how it would make audiences feel was vital in writing the review.

Be sure to back up these thoughts with specifics–a disappointing performance, beautiful cinematography, difficult material that leaves you thinking, and so on. Professional reviewers should express why and how they came to their criticism.

3. Consider your audience.

Are you writing for a fan site or a news outlet? Who will read your pieces, and what are their interests? Knowing who your readers are and where the review will be published can help you decide what elements of the movie to highlight. For example, take these two very different reviews for the film ‘Synecdoche, New York’.  

The first review was written by Alonso Duralde for The Today Show , and clocks in at around 500 words. The film focuses on the bullet points: characters, plot, and a concise review. The second review is over 3,000 words and published on the Critical Critics blog . This review goes into massive depth (and yes, includes spoilers) about the film, providing an incredible amount of analysis. The first review is tailored for the casual filmgoer, while the second is for cinephiles. Each review serves a different purpose.

It’s also a good idea to adjust your writing style to fit the target audience. For example, Alonso Duralde is a talented film reviewer and likely wrote the review to fit the tone of The Today Show site. Image via Director’s Library.

4. Talk about the acting.

When reviewing a film, it’s important to take space to discuss the performances. Does the film feature a seasoned actor in a new kind of role or a brilliant performance from a rising star? How was the acting? In a review by Brett Milam for the award-winning film Whiplash , he goes into rich detail about performances by both breakthrough actor Miles Teller and seasoned professional JK Simmons.

Regarding Teller, Milam writes, “This is a performance. This is art,” and about Simmons, “I found him fascinating to just look at.” Those are just small examples of the analysis he provides regarding their acting. As the film mostly focuses on the relationship between their two characters, Miles as the protagonist and JK as the antagonist, the review of the performances lends well to the plot of the film: student and teacher going head to head in an intense and determined showdown. 

Feedback about how well the actors handled the script, the dynamics in an ensemble, and so much more can help describe how the actors did in any given film.

5. Call out directors, cinematographers, and special effects.

Reviews that include highlights or missteps of directors, cinematographers, and costume designers can help provide support to your critiques. By providing specific examples of what worked, what surprised you, and what fell short of expectations, reviewers can write a well-thought-out review that goes beyond whether or not you liked it.

In a review for A Wrinkle in Time , Monique Jones artfully crafts a piece that diplomatically cites the missteps of the film. From analyzing the quality of the CGI to the camera techniques to inconsistencies in the rules of the fantasy universe, Jones fairly offers a critique that guides the filmmakers and crew on future endeavors. To write this type of review, it helps to have some knowledge of the filmmaking process so you can properly assess the screenwriting, cinematography, special effects, acting, and more. Image via Disney.

6. No spoilers!

The point of writing a movie review is to get people interested in seeing a movie. That’s why it’s absolutely best practice to not reveal spoilers in a film review. Film reviewer Robert Daniels approaches this creatively. In his review of Annihilation , he provides commentary on what would be considered spoilers. However, he places that part of the review at the bottom of the article under a bold header/image that warns the reader he’s about to spoil the film. For reviewers who want to dissect the entire film, this is a good way to both tease the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it and cater to people who want to know what the ending is.

Remember: the goal of any film review is to discuss the plot without revealing any twists or the ending of the film. 

7. Study the professionals.

As with all writing endeavors, the more you read, the better. However, with the modern landscape of film reviewing, which can go beyond writing and extend to content creation for social media platforms, there are a ton of reviewers to take notes from. First, determine what kind of reviewer you want to be, and what kind of medium you plan to deliver your reviews on. If you plan to post to Medium, for example, studying the reviewers already established on the site can be a great starting point.

Then, read film reviews for some of your favorite films. Determine which style of review you like and don’t like. Question why, and use your critical eye to consider why one reviewer has a hundred thousand followers and another only has two. If you’re looking to be featured on a website or a magazine, read the publications where you’d like your writing to appear as a template for your reviews, and don’t forget to read the submission guidelines. A few examples of film review professionals include Rotten Tomatoes , Roger Ebert , and Film Comment. 

8. Reread, rewrite, and edit.

While writing film critique is based on opinion, and follows the style of the reviewer, it’s still important to edit work. Writers should check for spelling, grammar, and readability. No matter how good a writer’s opinions are, they will not be taken seriously if the director’s name isn’t spelled correctly. Tools such as Grammarly and Hemingway Editor can be great for correcting and finding areas that need improvement. 

9. Find your voice.

The best reviewers have a distinct personality that comes across in their writing. Los Angeles Times film reviewer Carlos Aguilar wrote an impassioned piece about the film Beatriz at Dinner , going into a lot of detail about his experiences working in the film industry and his Mexican heritage. By sharing anecdotes about casual racism he’s experienced and connecting it to the film’s protagonist, and what she goes through, the review feels personal and relatable.

“If at a film festival – to which I’ve gotten access to because I’m a published writer – in a progressive city like Los Angeles, I must keep my guard up when people question my right to be there, then how are the voiceless supposed to feel safe, respected, or hopeful?” Aguilar writes. 

For new reviewers, developing this type of unique voice does not happen overnight, so take every opportunity to write as an opportunity to develop your style. Image via BBC.

10. Know your taste.

As a film reviewer, it can be helpful to identify your taste in film. By knowing specific preferences, strengths, and biases, reviewers can offer nuanced critiques that resonate with audiences and provide valuable guidance on which films they might enjoy. Additionally, it helps to maintain credibility and integrity as a reviewer by ensuring that assessments are authentic and reflective of personal cinematic sensibilities.

Try to explore various genres, directors, and themes to understand what resonates emotionally, intellectually, and aesthetically. Pay attention to the types of stories that engage you, which can help define your preferences.

Learn More About Filmmaking at NYFA

Film students with writing experience actually make great reviewers, as many of them are required to study a range of topics relating to film that can include cinematography, screenwriting, producing, and much more. Ready to build even more skills in filmmaking? Request more information about New York Film Academy’s filmmaking programs and workshops today!

How to Write a Movie Review

Writing a Film Review

Movies have become a cultural mainstay of our society. Not only are they art and entertainment, but they have also become a way for people to bond and make connections. Finding someone who has a similar taste in movies can create new friendships and start interesting conversations. That's why understanding how to analyze a movie and write movie reviews is such a useful skill. 

Do you need to know how to write a movie review for college? Or how to write a movie critique? Or maybe just how to do a movie review? In this article, you will learn how to write a movie review step by step, as well as get an in-depth guide into each section of a movie review.

What is a Movie Review?

A film review essay is more than just a plot summary followed by a recommendation. A movie review analyzes different elements of a movie and mixes personal opinion with objective analysis. The goal of the movie review is to tell the reader about the details of a movie while giving them enough information to decide for themselves whether it's worth watching or not. Of course, a good movie review also has to be interesting and engaging! 

How to Write a Good Movie Review

More than most other pieces of writing, there are a lot of steps to take before actually getting into writing a movie review. But don't worry though, most of these steps are pretty fun and if you follow them, you will know how to review movies. 

Watch the film! 

It goes without saying that you need to watch a movie before you write a review for it, so, before you do anything else, watch the movie at least once. Don't worry about trying to pick up specific details on your first watch, just enjoy the movie and get a general impression of whether you liked it or not and what you liked or disliked. Ideally, you should watch the movie at least two times. On your second and third viewings, pay attention to movie review criteria like cinematography, acting, dialogue, character development, deeper meanings, etc. Read some film review examples to get a sense of the things they talk about.

Pause the movie on your second and third viewings and take notes on things that stand out to you. Don't be afraid to take as many notes as you want, after all these notes are just for you.  You might not use all the notes you have taken, but they will help you compose the main part of your body paragraphs.

Express your opinions

Once you have watched the movie a few times and taken notes, make a list of the strongest opinions you have about the movie. If you think that the quality of acting was one of the best parts of the movie, use your notes to come up with specific examples. You should have between 3 and 5 key opinions that you will elaborate on when writing a film review along with examples to back up your claims.

Think about your audience

The language you use is going to change based on who you are writing the movie review for. If it is an assignment for school or university, then you may have to use more technical language.  If you're writing an article for a website or personal blog, then think about who the audience is and use language appropriate for them. Keep in mind that your audience also depends on the genre of the movie you are critiquing. A movie review for a serious period drama will have a different audience than a buddy cop comedy and therefore different language. Look at a movie review sample from different genres to get an idea of the type of language to use. 

Research the actors

Having big movie stars associated with a film is often one of the main selling points of a movie.  If an actor is critically acclaimed, it’s especially important to mention the awards they have won as this is often a sign of the overall quality of the movie. It's also possible that you didn't like the movie overall, but one of your favorite actors was in it so you enjoyed the movie and another fan might enjoy it too. 

Do background research

An easy way to make a movie review interesting is to search for interesting details about the making of the movie. It may be worth mentioning if it was shot in a particularly beautiful place or a unique location, or if the special effects were practical rather than CGI. Include interesting casting decisions or other actors that were considered for a particular role. Think about what information could be interesting to someone who might want to watch the movie and include those details. Go over some movie critique examples to get inspiration. 

Research the professionals

People can be fans not just of the actors, but of directors, writers, cinematographers, costume designers, and many other elements of filmmaking. Many directors are auteurs, which means they have a very particular visual style or storytelling method. How much time you spend on this section is dependent on your audience. If you're writing for social media or a blog for general people, then this might not be interesting to most. But if you're writing for film school or for a specific audience interested in filmmaking, then this section will need to be more elaborate. Look at a film review example written for different audiences to understand the differences. 

Draft an outline

Now that you've done all the required research, it's time to come up with a review outline. An outline is always useful when doing any piece of writing because it gives you a  chance to visualize the structure and plan how you want to incorporate information. This is the general film review format.

Introduction

• Brief summary of the film
• Discuss plot, tone, characters
• Discuss creative and technical elements
• Your opinions

Conclusion 

Come up with a catchy title.

Almost more than any other piece of writing, a movie review’s title needs to be engaging. A title like ”film review of (name of the movie) might be to the point, but isn't going to stand out. A good title should grab the reader's attention and make them want to read more. A few ways you can do this is by talking about a specific actor or director, or by using one of the main plot points of the movie. For example, “A Romantic Comedy for the Unromantic”,  or “Chris Pratt Plays Against Type in the Best Possible Way”. Look at the titles of some movie review examples for inspiration!

Write your review

It's finally time to get to the actual writing! The next part of this article talks in-depth about each section of a film review. 

People aren't going to take a review seriously if you have spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. If it's an assignment for school, then you’re going to lose marks because of mistakes like that. Make sure you reread your paper a few times and check for typos and other silly mistakes.  Read the paper out loud once or twice to get an idea of if it has a good flow. Don't be afraid to move sections around if you think it helps you build a stronger case.

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How to Write a Film Review

Do you want a ‘how to write a movie review’ template? Let's go over the specific parts of a film review and what to include in each one.

Your first sentence needs to capture the reader's attention. You can do this by stating an interesting fact about the movie, starting off by expressing your opinion of whether it's good or bad, mentioning some of the important actors, comparing it to other movies in the genre or to real-world events, whatever it is, make sure it's catchy!

Next, give background information about the movie. This includes things like the title, release date, studio, important cast members, director, budget, etc. Make sure to highlight any achievements of the movie, for example, if it was nominated for any awards. The same goes for the director as well as important members of the cast. This shouldn't just be a dry stating of facts, rather this should be a collection of interesting information about the background of the movie. 

Finally, end your introduction paragraph with your thesis. In the case of a film review, your thesis is essentially what you thought about the film. Without giving away too much, express your overall impression of the movie noting particular things that you thought stood out or were weak.

Summary of the story

The trick to writing the summary of the story is giving readers an idea of what to expect without giving away any important plot points or spoilers. The goal of this section isn't to explain the plot of the movie, It's to make sure that people have a basic understanding of the story so that the rest of the review can make sense. Describe the setting of the movie, which includes the main locations and time period. Introduce the main characters (including the name of the actor in parentheses after the name of their character). And go over the general storyline. 

Plot elements

This is when you start explaining what you thought about the movie. Start with an analysis of the plot itself. Did it have a rising action that builds suspense? Was the climax a good payoff? What were your overall impressions of the movie? How did it make you feel? What do you think the purpose of the movie was and did the director succeed in their goal? 

This is also the section where you get to talk about the different characters in the movie. Why did you enjoy certain characters? Were some characters better developed than others? Could some characters have benefited from more development? Was the villain particularly interesting? 

Think about the overall mood of the movie, did it change over time? How did the tones and symbols of the movie emphasize elements of the plot? Remember that any point you make in this section has to be backed up by examples. So if you say that there are several plot holes that make the movie complicated to understand, mention the specific scenes.

Creative elements

There are a lot of technical and creative elements in a movie that can stand out even if the overall plot and story weren’t the best. On the other hand, even a great story can be spoiled by bad dialogue or set design. These are some of the creative elements you should pay attention to especially when rewatching the movie and taking notes.

Dialogue : This can refer to the overall writing of the movie as well. If you can get your hands on a script then read it! When thinking about dialogue ask yourself, did the conversation between characters seem natural and flow easily? Or did it seem choppy and unnatural? 

Cinematography : Cinematography refers to the camera effects and the choices of how to film a certain scene. The lighting, the choice of camera angles, essentially the unique perspective of the story as told through the camera. 

Editing : Editing refers to the transition between different scenes as well as how well the movie flows together. This could include things like clever montages, longshots, different perspectives, etc.  

Costumes : Some movies, especially historical movies, fantasy films, and science fiction films, depend heavily on costume design. Costumes are an integral part of making a character stand out or making the world seem more real.

Set Design : Set design refers to the backgrounds of scenes. Some sets might be more elaborate whereas others can be minimalistic. Each choice has its pros and cons and effective set design creates proper ambiance, setting the tone and mood for a scene or the movie.

Music and Sound : Sometimes the movie has a great soundtrack or just incredible sound effects that help make it stand out.

Stunts : More important for action movies, but in general stunts and action sequences can be a major selling point for a film.

Special Effects : Most movies rely on some amount of special effects, and whether it be CGI, or practical, or a combination of the two, the quality is important.

Once you have analyzed multiple different elements of the story from its plot, characterization, and other technical and creative elements, you can state your opinions and provide evidence for them. Make sure you refer to specific scenes or specific situations when looking for substantiating evidence. Remember that the goal of a movie review is not to just state whether you liked or disliked a movie, it is to analyze it in an objective way, and give information so that somebody else can decide whether they want to watch the movie or not.

In the conclusion you express your main opinion of the movie along with the most important pieces of evidence. You can talk about the purpose of the movie and whether the director was successful in showing that purpose. End with a recommendation of whether the movie should be watched or not, along with suggestions of movies that are similar to it.

Did you like our Film Review Guide?

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Mistakes to avoid

You now know how to write a review on a movie but let's take a look at some mistakes that you should be careful to avoid.

Not focusing on the film

It's easy to start writing about things like the historical events the movie you loved is based on or the importance of the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall rather than focus on the movie itself.  While those elements can be interesting to include as background information, the point of a film review is to go over a particular movie so that is what you should spend the most time on.

Not providing evidence 

A common mistake people make when they write movie reviews is to state their opinions without any objective analysis. An easy way to overcome this mistake is to make sure that you provide evidence for any claims that you make.

Spoilers are an easy way to make sure that people will be upset with your movie review. It is common to accidentally give away too much, especially when writing the plot summary. Find the line between giving enough information so that people understand the general story and revealing important plot twists and turning points. Read some sample movie reviews for examples of how to avoid spoilers.

Using personal pronouns

Statements like “I did not like the special effects” or “I did not like the pacing of the movie” are clearly expressions of opinion. It is better to make statements like “the special effects in certain action scenes were cartoonish and took away from the realism of the film”. 

A movie review essay can be incredibly fun to write, especially if you have a strong opinion about the movie. But keep in mind that a movie review isn't just about your opinion, it has to include an objective analysis with claims backed up by evidence from specific scenes. It's difficult to have a movie review definition, but a great movie review is a blend between personal opinion and objective analysis. It informs the reader about the strengths and weaknesses of the movie while letting them make the decision whether they want to watch it or not. 

If you found your way to this article because you were looking for help on how to write a movie review for college, then you're in the perfect place. If you need any help, don't hesitate to reach out to the experts at Studyfy. At Studyfy, we offer a wide range of custom writing services, coursework writing services, and essay writer service . Our team of experienced writers is well-equipped to handle any writing task you may have, no matter the complexity or urgency. Just say, " write a paper for me ," and we will ensure that you receive a high-quality custom essay that meets all your requirements. Trust us to provide you with the best coursework writing services and custom essay writing that will help you achieve your academic goals.

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How to Write a Movie Review With Our Template Based Example

Did you know that a lot of people around the world read reviews before watching a movie? Yes, it’s true. A Statista survey was taken out last September in the United States which shows that 12 percent of moviegoers watch reviews before watching a movie while about 2 percent do it rarely.

However, a good movie review is not just about to rate the movie but provides explicit information from different angles. Reviewers must understand how to write a movie review to write an effective one.

Table of Contents

What Is A Movie Review?

A movie review is when someone gives their thoughts on a film, pointing out what’s good and what’s not so good, and how it all comes together. 

They look at things like the story, the acting, how it’s directed, how it looks on camera, the dialogue, the themes, and if it’s entertaining. These reviews can help you decide if a movie is worth watching.

Why Students Have To Write A Movie Review?

Learning how to write a movie review is not just for film reviewers or movie critics. Many Students might have to write film reviews for several reasons, such as:

Academic Assignments

Writing a movie review can be part of student coursework. However, many top teaching universities indulge students in such writing to develop critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills among them. It helps them apply theoretical knowledge learned in classes to practical evaluation.

Extracurricular Activities

Writing reviews might be part of journalism, media studies, or film club activities, allowing students to express their opinions, share insights, and discuss films.

Developing Analytical Skills

Analyzing a movie requires students to dissect various aspects of filmmaking, enhancing their ability to assess and critique artistic works critically. Having such skills could help them write an analytical essay well when needed.

How To Write A Movie Review: Helpful Tips

Whether you are a student, movie critic or movie lover, you have to follow some steps to write a movie review in a clear and persuasive way. Whether you are a beginner or an expert writer, these tips will help you write a compelling review that shines out from others.

Choose A Movie To review

If you are going to review a movie, the first thing you need to do is pick a movie.  It is recommended to choose a movie as per your interest. This could be a crime-based sci-fi, a psychopath movie, or even an adventure movie.

Watch The Film Mindfully

To learn how to write a good movie review, you have to watch the movie with focus. Remember to pay close attention while watching and note down the essential elements like plot development, acting performance, cinematography, and other aspects.

Write Down Special Notes

Note down the key elements, moments, observations, and impressions on a notebook, so you can’t forget them. Later on, these notes will help you to start writing a film review.

Provide Context

Now it’s time to officially know how to start a movie review. Begin with writing an introduction for your film review. However, keep in mind that the introduction of movie analysis is different from other types of writing.

It will include the title of the movie, the director’s name, genre, and release date. After that a concise summary of the movies without revealing major spoilers.

Analyzing The Elements Of The Film

Now it’s time to analyze the key elements from the movie. Evaluate the director’s vision, screenplay, dialogues, and camera work. Furthermore, do your best to analyze the performances of the actors and assess whether the movie is well-edited or not.

To make a deeper connection, talk about the themes, messages conveyed, and overall impression about what works well and what doesn’t. By integrating these elements, you can better understand how to write a movie review.

Express Your Opinion

Well, opinion is the key to a successful movie analysis. A reader will more likely watch the movies when your personal opinion is in the review. Remember to express your thoughts and opinions clearly and persuasively.

By any chance, if you don’t have an idea about opinion writing, get help from opinion writing examples and add your opinion effectively in the movie analysis.

Watch Movie At Least 2 Times

Richard Linklater , a famous American movie director quoted that “It’s hard to see a film one time and really “get it,” and write fully and intelligently about it. That’s a review. That’s not film criticism.”

According to his statement it is clear that to understand how to write a movie review, you need to watch it at atleast 2 times to analyze every angle.

Movie Review Template

You must have noticed that writing a film review is far more different from other kinds of writing like essay writing, paper writing, or research writing. No need to puzzle, as we are here to help you out with a compelling, concise, and easy-to-attempt template for a movie review.

All outlines are clearly mentioned in the above movie review template. You just need to pick a movie and fill the template with relevant information.

Movie Review Examples

Providing examples is the best technique to clear your doubts related to how to write a movie review. In the below section, we have compiled two short and easy examples based on the above-given template to make your concept clearer. Let’s start with the example 1:

Movie Summary Example 1

Title of the Movie: Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller

Release Date: July 16, 2010

Plot Summary

“Inception” follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a skilled thief who steals secrets from within the subconscious during the dream state. He is offered a chance to have his criminal history erased in exchange for planting an idea into a target’s subconscious. This “inception” mission takes Cobb and his team through a series of complex dream worlds.

Analysis Of The Main Key Point

Direction: The direction of Christopher Nolan in this movie is just mind-blowing and masterful. The way he combines complex storytelling with groundbreaking visual effects is just exceptional. His ability to add multiple layers of dreams into a coherent narrative is respectable.

Script: There is a strong sense of character development and a gripping plot in the screenplay, which is intelligent and thought-provoking. Furthermore, the dialogues were very sharp and effective and contributed to the depth of the story.

Acting: Every cast of the movie delivers a strong performance. Leonardo DiCaprio brings emotional depth to Cobb’s troubled character. Besides this, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy also stand out with their charismatic roles.

Cinematography: The cinematography by Wally Pfister is visually stunning, especially the dream sequences that defy the laws of physics. As a result of the smooth integration of visual effects, the film takes on a surreal quality.

Music and Sound: The sounds by Hans Zimmer enhance the suspense and complement the film’s tone perfectly.

Editing: The editing is tight and well-paced by professional editors to keep the viewer engaged through the film’s complex structure. The transitions between different dream levels are smooth and effective.

Themes and Messages

“Inception” studies the themes of reality, dreams, and the subconscious. It questions the nature of reality and the power of the mind, which leaves the audience entertaining.

Overall Impression

“Inception” is a brilliant and innovative film that combines a convincing narrative with mind-blowing visuals and strong performances. It challenges the audience intellectually and, at the same time, provides an exciting cinematic experience. Highly recommended for fans of sci-fi and psychological thrillers.

8.8 out of 10 or (⭐⭐⭐⭐✰)

Example of Movie Review Summary 2

Title of the Movie: Lady Bird

Director: Greta Gerwig

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Timothée Chalamet, Lucas Hedges

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Release Date: November 3, 2017

Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is a senior in high school in Sacramento, California. The film shows her rough relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf), her desire to attend college on the East Coast, and her journey of self-discovery.

Direction: Greta Gerwig’s direction is sensitive and fine which catches the spirit of youth with authenticity and warmth. Her personal touch is noticeable throughout the film.

Script: The screenplay is very sharp and heartfelt throughout the film. Furthermore, the dialogue feels natural and genuine. The characters are well-rounded and relatable, making their experiences interlink with the audience.

Acting: Saoirse Ronan’s acting in the movie is as great as Lady Bird. She shows feelings of being both sensitive and brave. Laurie Metcalf plays the role of her mom who is both complicated and loving. Timothée Chalamet and Lucas Hedges play smaller roles but act well.

Cinematography: Sam Levy’s cinematography beautifully captures the suburban scenery of Sacramento. He uses close-up shots that focus on the characters, which helps to tell the story effectively.

Music and Sound: The soundtrack includes songs that match the right time-period. Also, an original score by Jon Brion matches the film’s nostalgic and emotional feel.

Editing: The editing by Nick Houy is completely smooth and in narrative flow. Undoubtedly, he effectively balanced the film’s comedic and dramatic elements.

“Lady Bird” movie clearly shows the themes of identity, family, and the transition from youth to adulthood. It highlights the complexities of mother-daughter relationships and the search for self-acceptance.

No doubt, “Lady Bird ” is a touching and beautiful movie for the upcoming ages. Greta Gerwig’s authentic storytelling tactics perfectly combined with outstanding performances. And for that reason, this movie left a heartfelt and relatable experience for the audience. Overall, It’s a must-watch for anyone who appreciates genuine and emotionally rich narratives.

7.4 out of 10 (⭐⭐⭐✰✰)

Common Mistakes To Avoid In Movie Review Writing

Writing an effective movie review demands a complete attention to detail and an exact approach. Here are common mistakes to avoid:

• A common mistake that most review writers make while reviewing is that they exploit the main spoiler in plot summary.
• Another mistake is writing a review without a clear organization or structure.
• Only focusing on personal preferences and neglecting a fair assessment.
• Ignoring elements like direction, cinematography, sound, and editing.
• The most major common is not considering who the review is for.
• A shift between formal and informal tones or inconsistent writing styles can make the reviewing experience bad.
• Make grammatical errors and typos to distract the reader from your review. To tackle this mistake, you can utilize free grammar and punctuation checker tools to make your review go smoothly.

When you avoid these mistakes, you will likely have an idea about how to write a good movie review in a more insightful, engaging, and professional way.

The Author’s Top Recommended Movies To Review

Now that you have learned every aspect of how to start a movie review, it’s time to write your first one. Below are some top movies that the author has recently watched and wants students, critics and movie lovers to write reviews about them. You can choose one according to your interests.

• Joker (2019): A psychopath, thriller and crime based movie
• under paris (2024): Horror, action mystery
• Unfrosted (2024): Comedy/ Drama
• After everything (2023): A romance/ thriller movie
• The Nest 2020: A thriller/ drama movie
• The Guilty (2021): Triller and chrome
• Uncharted (2022): Action + Adventure Movie
• Return to sender (2015): A psychological thriller and action movie
• Spaceman (2024): Sci-fi + adventurous
• The Green Mile (1999): Crime/Fantasy Movie

Before going to wind up, we recommend you to watch these movies and write a compelling movie review on your own. In case anything remains unresolved, feel free to contact our creative writing helper and let them help you in writing a movie review.

Final Thoughts

Overall to understand how to write a movie review all you need is a template for a movie review, some helpful tips and some movie review examples. 

Surprisingly, we cover all of these factors to help you write an effective review. Just follow the tips, and you’ll be able to turn your ideas and observations into reviews that people can’t put down.

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Introduction

Writing a movie review can be a fun and rewarding experience, allowing you to express your thoughts on the latest film in an engaging way. Whether you’re reviewing for your personal blog, social media, or a magazine publication, understanding the basics of writing a movie review is essential. This article will guide you through the process, providing you with tips and sample reviews to help you craft an effective and entertaining review.

Step 1: Watch the Movie

As obvious as it sounds, the first step in writing a review is to watch the movie. Make sure to watch it attentively and take notes during the screening process. Focus on details such as plotlines, characters, dialogues, and visuals to support your review later on.

Step 2: Research

Researching the production and background of the movie can provide useful context and additional information. This includes learning about the director’s past work, genre conventions, or any behind-the-scenes tidbits that could enhance your review.

Sample Review:

“In ‘Inception,’ director Christopher Nolan – best known for his work on ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy – constructs a mind-bending universe that explores the possibilities of dreams within dreams.”

Step 3: Analyze

Break down different aspects of the movie, such as its plot, characters, acting, music score, cinematography, and visual effects. Analyzing each element will provide a comprehensive perspective on the film’s strengths and weaknesses.

“While ‘La La Land’ boasts stunning visuals and memorable musical numbers by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, its predictable storyline loses some momentum in the latter half.”

Step 4: Consider Your Audience

Your writing style may vary depending on who you’re writing for. Make sure to adjust your tone and focus based on what your readership might find interesting or entertaining.

“If you’re a die-hard Marvel fan, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ delivers a satisfying conclusion to the decade-long story arc. However, newcomers may struggle to keep up with the film’s numerous plotlines and characters.”

Step 5: Express Your Opinion

A good movie review should provide a balance of analysis and personal opinion. Be honest about your feelings towards the film and use your analysis to support your point of view.

“‘Get Out,’ directed by Jordan Peele, is an instant horror classic that combines social commentary with chillingly suspenseful storytelling. I highly recommend it for fans of thought-provoking thrillers.”

Step 6: Structure Your Review

Organize your review into clear sections, such as introduction, background research, plot summary (avoid spoilers), character analysis, technical aspects, and conclusion. This will make it easier for your readers to follow and digest your thoughts on the movie.

Step 7: Edit and Revise

Proofread your review for grammatical errors and inconsistencies in the flow of thought. Don’t be afraid to make changes to improve your review’s clarity and coherence.

Writing a movie review can be an enjoyable process, offering an opportunity to share your insights on a film while honing your critical thinking skills. Follow these steps and use the sample reviews provided as inspiration on how to craft an engaging and insightful movie review that both informs and entertains your audience.

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How to Write a Film Review: Preparation, Steps, Examples

• by Anastasiya Yakubovska
• 06.10.2022 10.05.2024
• How to write ...

How to write a film review (true, professional, and comprehensive) and not be limited to the phrase “What a great movie!”? In this article, you will find answers to the next questions:

• How long is a movie review? 
• How many paragraphs does a movie review have? 
• Features of the Film Review 
• Functions of the Movie Review 
• How to Write a Film Review: Preparation for Writing 
• 10 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Start Writing a Movie Review 
• How to Write and Structure a Film Review: Step by Step 

What Is a Film Review?

A film review is a critical judgment or discussion that informs about the release of a new film and contains its analysis, assessment, summary, as well as personal impressions and experiences after watching.

How long is a movie review?

On average, the length of a film review is about 1000 words.

How many paragraphs does a movie review have?

It is recommended that the film review should consist of 5-7 paragraphs.

Read also article “How to Write a Book Review: Step by Step and Examples”.

Features of the Film Review

A film review is a persuasive piece of writing, it has some features as:

• A less formal style of writing. 
• You need to write objectively about the film. 
• But, on the other hand, movie reviews contain personal thoughts and feelings. 
• The film review’s audience is wider and more diverse. 

Movie reviews can be written by two groups of reviewers: professional critics and ordinary consumers. Therefore, the text of the review will differ. In the first case, when the reviewer is a professional critic, he will describe the movie instead of evaluating it. While consumer critics mostly write from a personal perspective. 

What is the main purpose of a film review?

The main purpose of a film review is to inform readers about the film (what can expect from it) and to help them determine if they want to watch the movie. 

Functions of the Movie Review

The film review performs several functions at once: it informs, analyzes, persuades, and entertains. If you can include all of these points in your review, then you will have an excellent result in the end. 

How to Write a Film Review: Preparation for Writing

Writing a review is, of course, a creative process, but you should not forget about the analytical approach to creating a convincing and high-quality text. You must take the work responsibly, which we will do now.

To write a professional film review, you first need to complete the following preparation steps:

• Of course, the first step is to find a film, if it has not been previously chosen by the manager/client/boss. There will be more chances to write a good review if the film was liked by both – film critics and you personally.
• Watch the movie at least 2-3 times. After the first viewing, you will get a general impression of the picture, and try to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the film. Pay attention to the details the next time you watch it: the sound, the actor’s play, the editing, the plot. 
• If you have difficulty understanding the events covered in the film (for example, historical), be sure to find additional information and research the topic.
• If after two viewings you still do not have a final assessment of the film in the form of a brief thesis, watch the film again. You can look at other works of the director who worked on this film, this will help you determine his characteristic style. Also, as an option, you can look at the game of actors in other films (for comparison).
• When watching a movie, take notes: key scenes, interesting plot twists, inconsistencies, details, and quotes. Then, based on them, you can build a review text, and a good quote can become an excellent epigraph.
• Find information about the filming: location, duration, season, details about the filming process, difficulties the production team faced, casting, etc. Such information will make the review more attractive to readers.
• If the film is nominated for awards and prizes, please include this information in your film review. For a potential viewer, such an assessment of the film will be a weighty argument in the direction of -> compulsory viewing.

10 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Start Writing a Movie Review

• Does the film split into multiple parts? A sequel, prequel, or one of the movie series? 
• What is the film genre (action, comedy, historical, drama, fantasy, Western, political, thriller, gangster, horror, tragicomedy, romance, sports, mystery, science fiction)? Is the movie based on real or fictional events?
• Did the screenplay writer create an exciting plot?
• Is the rhythm of the film slow and quiet, heavy and static, or chaotic and frantic?
• What is the film’s rating according to the MPAA? ( G – General Audiences. All ages admitted. PG – Parental Guidance Suggested. PG-13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned. R – Restricted. Under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 – Adults Only.) 
• Are there any films with a similar/same theme? Sometimes it is worth mentioning some of them in a review, as a comparison.
• How can you characterize the work of a cinematographer? How accurately are the most expressive compositional, lighting solutions, as well as camera angles, selected and embodied?
• Is the film entertaining or covers a serious themes?
• Was the casting successful? Did all the actors cope with their roles?
• Is the atmosphere of the film tense, mysterious, sinister, relaxed, or romantic?

The answers to all of the above questions will help you understand how to write a film review, and above all, create a draft version of your future review. But, of course, this is not enough for the final result.

How to Write and Structure a Film Review: Step by Step

Writing a film review is a long and complicated process. Therefore, it is better to break it down into stages and move step by step. This will help you not to get lost and not get confused in the details.

• The catchy introduction.

The introductory part of the review should contain important information about the film: title, director, release date, and genre. 

You can mention nominations and awards, as well as indicate the box office (if the numbers are impressive) and the cast. 

In addition to “technical” aspects and a simple presentation of the plot, it is necessary to express your impression of the film in the form of a thesis, for example, to tell:

• about the connection of the film’s central idea with current events and social problems;
• about the similarity of the film’s plot with a personal life situation, personal experience, and feelings;
• about the connection of technical elements (lighting, sound, editing) with the theme of the film.

2. Pass the verdict.

Do not torment the reader and express your opinion about the film in the first paragraphs of the review.

You should not leave all the most interesting “for later”. If you decide to give a final assessment of the film at the end of the review, what are the chances that the reader will read to this end?

3. Write a summary of the plot.

Choose 4-5 main events.

Avoid the film’s ending and spoilers. Keep the intrigue. If you want to spoil and share an unusual story development, warn the reader about this.

4. Bring the feelings.

In addition to presenting the plot of the film, you should add emotions to the text of the review and show what you felt while watching it.

5. Define the main purpose of the movie. 

Perhaps the film’s purpose is hidden in its plot. Or maybe the film does not pretend to solve global problems at all. Perhaps the film is entertaining, and this is its advantage – it is relaxed and simple.

Sometimes the main idea of a serious and deep film can be found in an interview with a film crew, a screenwriter, or a director.

6. Add some details of the filmmaking process. 

It is important to know the measure and not to overdo it with the terminology. Here’s what you can write about:

• Cinematography: visual mood, lighting elements, shot sizes and widths, camera angles, etc. 
• Sound. The main goal is to create the necessary atmosphere in the film. Sound in movies includes music, dialogue, sound effects, ambient noise, background noise, and soundtracks. 
• Editing is the creation of a finished motion picture from many shot scenes. A film editor must creatively work with the layers of images, story, dialogue, music, pacing, as well as the actors’ performances to effectively “re-imagine” and even rewrite the film to craft a cohesive whole.
• Mise-en-scène (from French – placement on the stage) is the mutual arrangement of the actors and their environment on the set, natural or pavilion. Mise-en-scene includes landscapes, visual effects, the psychological state of the characters, etc.

7. The deep meaning.

You may be able to spot specific symbolic items, repetitive moments, or key phrases that give depth to the film.

8. Give examples.

It is not enough to say “ an excellent game of actors ”. Explain what exactly caught your attention (appearance, facial expressions, costumes, or movements of the actor). 

9. A convincing conclusion.

Write about the moments in the film that made the biggest impression on you. Share a recommendation. To whom and why do you advise to watch this movie?

10. Reread the review text several times .

Edit, and correct mistakes that can spoil the impression even from a professionally written film review.

Examples of Film Reviews

To consolidate the received information, let’s move from theory to practice. Below are two examples of film reviews.

Apocalypse Now

Review by Roger Ebert

Francis Ford Coppola’s film “Apocalypse Now” was inspired by Heart of Darkness, a novel by Joseph Conrad about a European named Kurtz who penetrated to the farthest reaches of the Congo and established himself like a god. A boat sets out to find him, and on the journey the narrator gradually loses confidence in orderly civilization; he is oppressed by the great weight of the jungle all around him, a pitiless Darwinian testing ground in which each living thing tries every day not to be eaten.

What is found at the end of the journey is not Kurtz so much as what Kurtz found: that all of our days and ways are a fragile structure perched uneasily atop the hungry jaws of nature that will thoughtlessly devour us. A happy life is a daily reprieve from this knowledge.

A week ago I was in Calcutta, where I saw mile upon square mile of squatter camps in which hundreds of thousands live generation after generation in leaky huts of plastic, cardboard and scrap metal, in poverty so absolute it is impossible to see any hope of escape. I do not mean to equate the misery of those hopeless people with a movie; that would be indecent. But I was deeply shaken by what I saw, and realized how precious and precarious is a happy life. And in such a mood I watched “Apocalypse Now” and came to the scene where Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) tells Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen) about “the horror.”

Kurtz is a decorated hero, one of the best soldiers in the Army, who has created a jungle sanctuary upriver inside enemy territory, and rules Montagnard tribesmen as his private army. He tells Willard about a day when his Special Forces men inoculated the children of a village against polio: “This old man came running after us and he was crying, he couldn’t see. We went back there, and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile, a pile of little arms. . . .”

What Kurtz learned is that the Viet Cong were willing to go to greater lengths to win: “Then I realized they were stronger than we. They have the strength, the strength to do that. If I had 10 divisions of those men, then our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling, without passion, without judgment.” This is the “horror” that Kurtz has found, and it threatens to envelop Willard, too.

The whole movie is a journey toward Willard’s understanding of how Kurtz, one of the Army’s best soldiers, penetrated the reality of war to such a depth that he could not look any longer without madness and despair.

The film has one of the most haunting endings in cinema, a poetic evocation of what Kurtz has discovered, and what we hope not to discover for ourselves. The river journey creates enormous anticipation about Kurtz, and Brando fulfills it. When the film was released in 1979, his casting was criticized and his enormous paycheck of $1 million was much discussed, but it’s clear he was the correct choice, not only because of his stature as an icon, but because of his voice, which enters the film from darkness or half-light, repeating the words of T.S. Eliot’s despairing “The Hollow Men.” That voice sets the final tone of the film.

Film review: example

Diana biopic Spencer wobbles between the bold and the bad

By Nicholas Barber

You may feel that you’ve had enough of Princess Diana’s story on the big and small screens, what with Naomi Watts taking the role in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s awful Diana in 2013, and then Emma Corrin playing her in the most recent season of The Crown, with the mantel set to be passed in Elizabeth Debicki in the next run. But, to give it its due, Pablo Larraín’s Spencer marks the only time the People’s Princess has been shown delivering a lecture on Anne Boleyn to an old coat that she has just stolen off a scarecrow, and then having a chat with the ghost of Boleyn herself shortly afterwards. The Chilean director doesn’t go in for conventional biopics, as anyone who has seen Jackie (starring Natalie Portman) or Neruda will know. And here again he has gone for a surreal portrait of his iconic subject. The snag is that his experimental art house spirit keeps bumping up against the naffness and the familiarity of British films set in stately homes, so his psychodrama ends up being both ground-breaking and rib-tickling.

It’s set over three days in 1991, from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, at Sandringham House in Norfolk. The rest of the Royal Family has arrived for their holiday in a fleet of chauffeur-driven cars, but Diana (Kristen Stewart) rocks up on her own in a Porsche convertible, having taken a detour to visit the aforementioned scarecrow: her dilapidated childhood home, from the days when she was Lady Diana Spencer, is a field or two away from Sandringham. Her late arrival concerns the sympathetic head chef (Sean Harris) and bothers the Scottish army veteran (Timothy Spall) who has the job of ensuring that everything goes the way the Queen wants it to. Her Majesty’s insufferable Christmas traditions include weighing all the guests when they arrive and when they leave to ensure that they’ve been sufficiently gluttonous. But Diana is in no mood for festive japes. Her Christmas present from Charles (Jack Farthing) – a necklace with pearls the size of golf balls – is identical to the one he has given his mistress. And the whisper in the servants’ quarters is that the Princess is “cracking up”. The filmmakers apparently agree.

Steering away from the same territory as The Crown, Larraín and Knight don’t fill the film with awkward meals and heated arguments (although there are one of each of those). Prince Charles does some grumbling, but the Queen has hardly any lines and Prince Philip has none: they are closer to menacing waxworks than people. For most of the time, Diana is either talking to her young sons, her trusted personal dresser (Sally Hawkins) or to herself. It’s interesting, this lack of dramatic conflict and discernible plot, but it can leave the film seeming as listless and purposeless as Larraín’s Diana herself. Her favourite occupation is to wander around the estate until she finds something that has an ominous symbolic connection to her, and then make an unconvincing speech about it. Ah, pheasants! So beautiful, yet bred to be killed!

Stewart is such inspired casting that she makes all this eccentric nonsense watchable. She’s been practising Diana’s signature moves for years – dipped head, hunched shoulders – and she certainly knows what it’s like to put up with intrusive tabloid photographers. She also looks suitably fabulous in the many outfits that Diana is required to wear over the long weekend. And unlike Watts’s performance in 2013, hers doesn’t seem distractingly like an impersonation. Mind you, she delivers all her lines in little bursts of hissing whispers, so if you don’t see it with English subtitles, as its first audiences did at the Venice Film Festival, you might not understand more than half of what she says.

The effect is a bit odd, but there are lots of odd things in the film, not least the tone and the pacing, which lurch around like someone who’s had too much after-dinner port. Between Jonny Greenwood’s squalling jazz soundtrack, the hallucinations, and the blush-making sexual confessions, Spencer is a folly that wobbles between the bold and the bad, the disturbingly gothic and the just plain silly. In some scenes, it’s heart-rending in its depiction of Diana’s self-harm and bulimia. In others, it’s almost as risible as the Diana biopic from 2013, and that’s saying something. I didn’t know any more about Diana afterwards than I did beforehand, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. This is a film that echoes The Shining at the start and 2001: A Space Odyssey at the end. The Crown Christmas Special it ain’t.

Sources of information: 

• “The Film Analysis Handbook” by Thomas Caldwell. 
• https://payforwriting.com/writing/creating-review/how-to-write-movie-review
• www.mtsu.edu
• www.sciencedirect.com/science
• Image:   freepik.com
• Poster from the film Apocalypse Now

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8-Step Guide On How To Write a Movie Review

An ability to write an impeccable movie review is considered to be a great feature, which develops one’s critical skills and helps to capture minor things, which are thoroughly hidden at a first glance. Moreover, knowing how to write a film review advances writing skills so that you can not only write it but also a variety of different essays. However, at the very beginning, one does not know where to start so it may well take plenty of time to get your review done. In such a case, take a look at a movie review example and be sure how to arrange your thoughts and time in order to write a flawless report. Down below the guide on how to write a film critique has been designed to fulfill your requirements related to writing a movie review.

Watch It Twice

Whether it is a documentary or a movie, you should watch it twice simultaneously taking notes of the events, characters, and locations, which might be significant. Do not count on your memory, because sometimes it tends to forget a piece of important information. What is more, our memory is prone to eliminate information we overlook, so that it just deletes those folders. 

After watching, conduct a research

Watching a film is nothing unless you do research. Meaning by that, seek for details such as the filmmaker, film director, their motivation to record a movie. Moreover, locations, characters, dialogues play a crucial role. As a result, your examination slowly collects information, which sheds light on the overall aim of making a specific film.

Fully Understand the Film

Before you start working on your review you must ensure that you got the main point of it. Assess the film from A to Z; if it happens that you found something perplexing re-watch that part and notice what caused confusion, try to find a concealed meaning on the web. 

Declare your takes and support your criticism

Do not be shy to tell what you liked and disliked about the movie. Provide examples, attach some specific events from a film, for example, an awkward plot, stunning cinematography, impressive way of recording, a breathtaking job of a cameraman, in other words, what to your mind was hard to swallow, and so on. 

Do not be a spoiler!

Provide your readers with some basic ideas of the plot, but make sure not to go to far and not to spoil the entire movie. Bear in mind that a great review means to get people interested in watching the film. In order to learn how not to be a spoiler, yet to hook your readers to go to the cinema, check how professionals write them .

Write an Outline

source: unsplash.com

Create bullet points that you will stick to and develop in order to make your review short to the point and united. Include solid examples, for instance, if the character is poorly depicted or the overall quality of the movie is irrelevant, include it in your review and mention the timeline of such an issue. If you want to be persuasive and the reader to agree with your opinion and analysis, it is vital to back up your notion with proof. It is extremely important to avoid making it seem like you are complimenting or harshly disapproving the film without any reason.

A Proper Structure

In order to succeed in writing a movie review, one should organize the paper. Meaning by that, your review has to have essential paragraphs, which are to be further explained.

Starting with the introduction, you provide a reader with the title of your work, a release date of the film, and short background information. Then, you do a short summarizing of the story , which should take no more than half of your introduction. By using transition words, create an analysis of storyline essential features, which means rising action, climax, etc. Then the creative component goes, which draws your attention; it can be dialogues, characters, tone, use of colors, symbolic elements, and so on. Apart from that, you should express your opinion supported by facts and pictures from the story. The last aspect to include is indisputably a conclusion, where you simply paraphrase your proof and evaluate the filmmaker’s success or failure of the movie. 

Do not commit a mistake

Still, there are some things to avoid in order to be clear and understandable while writing a movie review. Pay substantial attention to them because they may well decrease your overall grade. 

Focusing on false things. While writing a review, try to avoid writing about things such as the history of that precise cinematography genre whatsoever. 

No need to write in first person all the time for the reason that it is already considered to be a personal movie review. Substitute it with ‘one’, that will definitely work out.

Negligence in verifying facts about the release date, casting, director, and film background. There may well be some hidden aspects, which are airbrushed to the regular viewer, so, it is always good to know about something, which can hook the viewer.

Being excessively objective, especially without mentioning any reason why you think like that. If you want to express your point of view, be ready to support it with the examples from the film. Last but not least, avoid writing generalities, for instance, ‘awesome acting,’ ‘cool effects,’ ‘it was dissatisfying’, etc. Honestly, it does not have any meaning in it and it sounds neutral. You can find some awe-inspiring examples in terms of vocabulary and overall language and structure.

The Bottom Line

Knowing how to write an exquisite movie review demands solid writing skills and full awareness of the proper structure. As follows, the aspects mentioned above give a clear understanding of what to include in the report to get it done fast, meaningful, and flawless, including all the necessary information to do a thorough analysis of it. Moreover, by making bullet points and writing down the key elements one is to acknowledge that writing a report has never been so easy. Just watch the film or documentary carefully, write down your observations, and the other part will go smoothly, good luck with that!

• Acting - /10 0/10
• Cinematography/Visual Effects - /10 0/10
• Plot/Screenplay - /10 0/10
• Setting/Theme - /10 0/10
• Watchability - /10 0/10
• Rewatchability - /10 0/10

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How to Write a Movie Review and Where to Get Help

The first thing you do after watching a movie is to go online and write a comment about it. Comments about movies are usually posted on social media profiles or public pages, review sites, blogs, among other platforms. You can make the process easier with tools available online.

Writing a movie review is a common assignment that students have to do in high school and college. Even though it may seem simple, movie reviews require time and proper organization. It’s not just about writing what happens on the screen, the review goes deeper than that.

Movie Review Purpose

The main purpose of a movie review is to inform the reader about the film and its ideas. Seems simple, right? Reporting all events that happen and stating one’s opinion about them is a common mistake that many students make. While movie review allows writers to express their opinions about some film or documentary, there is also the need for the unbiased and objective approach. An ideal review combines both.

The review determines whether someone will want to see the movie. Even if the professor (or teacher) assigned a specific title and film to review, one should act like this is the perfect opportunity to introduce the cinematography work to their lecturer. Always assume they haven’t seen it before. As a result, it becomes easier to analyze events that happened on the screen.

Film review should be detailed enough to provide assistance in making an honest decision i.e. whether the reader wants to see it or if they’d like it. Why is this type of paper a common school assignment? Lecturers want to get more insight into a student’s critical thinking skills and the ability to report event (one or more of them) in a manner that others understand easily.

In addition, they want to assess the way you analyze plot and characters. After all, movie reviews also involve the analysis of events that happened in a documentary or “regular” film. Reviews test writing and vocabulary skills, adapting to different genres and events they portray, and your capacity to sum up some major work and report it in a cohesive, logical, and interesting manner.

While reviews entail more responsibility than initially thought, students find them fun and with this guide, you will too.

How to Write a Good Movie Review

You have to write a movie review for school and now what? Where to start, how to make it look more “academic”? Today, we have the opportunity to use numerous tools to make every part of our lives easier, and movie review writing isn’t the exception. Throughout this tutorial, you’ll learn how to compose a report about some film and what tools to use to simplify the process.

Step-by-Step Guide to How to Write a Movie Review

Beginnings are always the hardest. This is the point where you set the pace and determine how to approach this assignment in the most efficient manner. Here are some useful tips to kick-start the movie review writing process:

• Watch the movie or documentary twice and take notes of both major and minor events and characters. It’s a mistake to rely on the power of your memory only, there’s always something we overlook or forget
• Carry out a thorough research . Watching the movie isn’t enough, research is equally important. Look for details such as the name of filmmaker and his/her motivation to make that film or documentary work, locations, plot, characterization, historic events that served as an inspiration for the movie (if applicable). Basically, your research should serve to collect information that provides more depth to the review
• Analyze the movie after you watching it . Don’t start working on the review if you aren’t sure you understand the film. Evaluate the movie from beginning to an end. Re-watch it, if necessary, if you find some parts confusing. Only when you understand events that happened on the screen will you find it easier to create the review
• Draft an outline that you will follow to write the review in a concise and cohesive fashion
• Include examples for claims you make about the movie. If the plot has holes, then mention an example of a situation or scene when that was evident. Also, if the character(s) is poorly developed or bad casting affected the movie quality, name examples too. Provide examples when commenting dialogues, locations, plot, everything. If you want the reader to agree with you, it’s essential to back up your claims with evidence. You don’t want to make it seem like you’re praising or criticizing the movie without any reason whatsoever
• Consider and comment a movie’s originality and quality of scenes . Explain how the movie stands out or whether it just uses the same approach that worked for previous works in the industry

How to Organize Your Movie Review

Quality of your paper depends on the level of organization you implement. Never underestimate the importance of well-structured outline, regardless of the type of paper you have to write. Outlines help you focus on the subject and contribute to a logical flow.

In addition, getting things organized before you start writing is a great way to save time later on. Instead of trying to figure out what to include, you’ll have a well-structured plan to follow. It’s needless to mention you won’t be too stressed out. Here’s how to organize your movie review:

• Introduction (with title, release date, background information)
• Summary of the story
• Analysis of the plot elements (rising action, climax)
• Creative elements (dialogues, characters, use of colors, camera techniques, mood, tone, symbols, costumes or anything that contributes or takes away from the overall plot)
• Opinion (supported with examples and facts from the story)
• Conclusion (announcing whether the filmmaker was successful in his/her purpose, re-state your evidence, explain how the motion picture was helpful for providing a deeper understand of course topic)

Movie Review Elements

• The title of the film/documentary – just because your headline features the name of the movie or documentary it doesn’t mean should skip mentioning it in the text. Always name the feature you’ve watched in the introductory paragraph. This may seem like a stupid thing to point out, but it’s one of the most common mistakes that students make
• Summary – the whole point of the review is to summarize the documentary or movie for people who haven’t watched it yet. To make this as effective as possible, always assume that your professor hasn’t seen it either (as mentioned above). Why is this important? You won’t leave out some important details thinking he/she watched it already so they won’t bother. As a reviewer, your job is to explain what happened in the film and express whether the filmmaker failed or succeeded. Again, saying you liked or disliked it isn’t a viable comment. Your opinion has to be supported by specific reasons and examples from the feature itself
• Filmmaker – do a little research on the person who directed the piece. Is that person a controversial figure? Is he/she known for a political stance? Does the filmmaker have a significant background? Devote a paragraph or two to the person behind the movie and their other works in order to establish the significance of the film you are reviewing for the director’s career
• Significance to your class – How does the content of the documentary or film fit into your course topic? Is it important for historical accuracy? If you are watching the motion picture for history class, make note of over-dramatization. If the motion picture is based on the book you’ve analyzed in English class, you can mention similarities, differences, or some elements that film contains, but book doesn’t and so on
• Creative elements – filmmakers work hard to include creative elements into their motion pictures. How are these elements important to the plot and movie in general? For example, costumes can either enhance the movie or betray its intent. Colors can be vivid and lift the atmosphere or mood in the movie or they can be dull and make it seem depressing. Good sound effects enrich the viewing experience while bad ones only destroy everything. Moreover, camera movements and angles also add elements to the story. Take notes of symbols in the story, if any.
• Actors – let’s not forget the casting! Were the actors realistic? Did they portray the role of a specific character successfully? Did they have good acting skills? Do you believe that some particular actor was the right fit for the role?

Checklist / Outline for a Good Movie Review

• Introduction (title, topic, release date, background information)
• Accuracy of depiction
• Use of sources in the documentary
• Creative elements that enhance or tarnish the overall story (quality of script, visual design, performance, lighting, hair, and makeup, costume, set design, symbolism)
• Your opinion

Mistakes to Avoid

• Not focusing on the film – while connecting the plot to some specific historical event is a good idea (when applicable), strive to avoid writing about unnecessary details or introducing irrelevant information such as the history of cinematography or that particular genre, snacks, among other things
• Inserting yourself – you’re the one who’s writing the review. The paper reflects your understanding and opinion of the motion picture you’ve seen and there is no need to write in first person all the time: I noticed this, I saw that I liked this, I disliked that
• Failing to check facts about movie background and release date, director, casting etc.
• Giving out your opinion without mentioning any reason why you think that way
• Talking about irrelevancies
• Writing a review without a structure
• Writing generalities such as great acting, cool effects, a good movie, it was bad etc.
• Writing a review without substance or analysis of the feature

Finished papers

Customer reviews

Movie Review Examples

• The Hunger Games and the idea of dystopia
• Mean Girls review: does it exploit stereotypes about high schools or it helps to undermine them?
• The Martian review and its connection to Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe
• The Last Jedi review: all the reasons it’s far from the original saga
• Manchester by the sea and ideas of forgiveness and grief
• Forrest Gump review
• I am Sam review
• Runaway Bride review and its role in modern understanding of marriage

Movie Review Help

Like other types of writing, movie reviews require patience and time. Being a student isn’t the easiest task in the world and you don’t have enough time to dedicate to one assignment only while neglecting others. There’s no need to despair; you can use the internet to get much-needed assistance with this assignment. Here’s how:

By Markers Expectations / Rubrics

Clear Organization – as stated above, the clear organization is vital for a well-structured movie review. You can use the Edusson website as a guide through this process via numerous posts about writing, self-help resources, and Essay Examples that serves as an excellent platform to sharpen writing skills and compose your paper.

RobotDon Essay Checker  platform proves to be handy when you complete the writing process and want to make sure it’s unique, without fluff and wateriness, repetitive words and expressions.

Let’s not fort that you can hire an essay writer  who will write a perfect review for you.

Use of Sources – just because it’s movie review, it doesn’t mean you should avoid using sources to support your claims. Sources are particularly important for reviews of documentaries or when you’re trying to connect the review with some problem in society. Research requires more time than any other part of the process and you can easily hire a professional i.e. a helper who will do that for you

Opinion – a movie review is about the equilibrium of unbiased report and personal opinion. While it’s okay to say what you think about the movie, you also have to approach certain aspects in an objective manner to help the reader get a better understanding of the motion picture. Finding the balance between subjective and objective writing can be frustrating, which is why professional service comes handy. All you have to do is to provide title, information, your opinion and a pro writer takes it from there

Essay Writing Service – there is no need to be stressed out because you have a ton of work to do when professional writer service can write movie review easily. Services like Edusson are used by students who can’t keep up with constant demands in school or college, but they don’t want to jeopardize their grades. With over 1000 writers, Edusson is a perfect assignment writing service . You have the full control of the project through set deadlines, choosing the writer for this task etc.

Essay Editing Service – sometimes students don’t need help with the writing process, but they need someone to edit it. Don’t ask your friends and family members to do it for you, hire professionals. Improve your paper. Raise your grades! Editors and proofreaders from Edusson correct grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation mistakes, check the style, formatting, organization and other aspects of your work to boost its quality. You can also use RobotDon to edit an essay on your own.

Movie Review FAQ

Do I have to write a movie review in a certain formatting style? Everything depends on the instructions your teacher gives you. It often happens that a movie review can be free of academic formatting. But don’t exclude the possibility that you will have to complete this paper in MLA or get task writing a paper in APA .

Can I copy an existing movie review? Well, of course, it is important to look at examples of other movie reviews to get to know the structure and ways of ideas expressing better. But if you copy a film review directly from the other source, your curator will detect plagiarism in it.

My major is not moviemaking. Why am I assigned to write a film report? Students are assigned movie report writing, first of all, to broaden their mind and evaluate the way they can analyze material and express their opinion. Don’t feel confused if on the Psychology class your professor asks you to review a movie. It is a common practice for students who are completing their degree in various fields of study.

Will you just give me someone else’s review?

No, not at all! Edusson stands out as the writing service with full transparency. All essays and other papers are written from scratch by professional writers with strong work ethic and desire to help their clients get better grades. The movie review you receive is 100% original, which you can check with RobotDon’s plagiarism checker.

Will you send my review to someone else?

The answer is – no. Not only are the clients in control of the process, but author’s rights are transferred to them the moment the review is done. Once the writing process is over, the review is yours and can never be sent to someone else.

What if I need more edits?

If you need edits or want some specific info to be added, our writers will be happy to make necessary revisions.

I need more help with movie review service, how can I contact you?

Our customer service is always available through 24/7 live chat feature.

Do you like movies? Who doesn’t? Movie and documentary reviews give you a unique opportunity to improve your writing skills by combining school assignment with someone you really like. Although it’s not that difficult to compose a review of a motion picture or some educational/informative feature, feel free to use all the available resources to get the most out of your assignment. Use the advantage of the internet to work on your review for major benefits such as:

Improve Your Paper

Practice makes everything better and the internet allows you to make it happen. For instance, Edusson acts as a perfect tutorial + professional writing service platform as it allows you to improve writing skills while getting assistance from professional writers and editors when necessary . The do-it-yourselfers benefit greatly from RobotDon, a cute little helper that analyzes the review and identifies mistakes you need to correct. The result of using these resources is a well-written movie review that meets or exceeds your lecturer’s expectations.

Raise Your GPA (Grade)

Using multiple resources and platforms to your advantage can only be a good thing for your GPA. When you’re a student, everything you do counts and contributes to GPA. It all comes down to learning how to make student life easier for you and one way to do that is to incorporate online tools into your assignments. Your professor will appreciate the effort and thanks to the improved writing skills, good grades are unavoidable.

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Breakout English

How to write a film review

Writing a review is an option in many different English language exams, and films are such an obvious choice for reviews, so knowing how to write a film review is pretty important. It’s a great topic for the classroom too. Everyone watches films and there is a lot of opportunity to teach vocabulary, either film-related vocabulary or film review adjectives. I like to start off a class about films with some chat, or my personal favourite, the Movie Music Quiz , which also now has an excellent Movie Picture Quiz version too.

The structure of a film review

Like any writing task, it’s essential to know the structure of a film review before you start writing. A basic film review template shows you how to write a film review using a simple structure. Film reviews for First (FCE) and Advanced (CAE) Cambridge exams, as well as Trinity ISE exams, should all use a 4 paragraph structure. Another thing to remember is that your review should always have a title, and that title should include the name of the film.

• Introduction – Essential details and mini-summary
• Summary – A description of the film and some important details
• Analysis – An evaluation of different elements
• Conclusion – Your opinion and a recommendation

Introduction

In the introduction of a film review, it is crucial to mention the film title and the names of the director and the main actors. A brief summary of the film’s plot and background information can also be included, but it should not give away too much detail. The introduction should engage the reader and entice them to continue reading the review. Additionally, it is important to mention the genre and target audience of the film, which will give the reader an idea of what to expect.

In the summary section, the film review should give a comprehensive but concise description of the film, focusing on the plot, characters, and any significant events. The summary should be written in a way that does not give away the ending or spoil the film for the reader. It is important to maintain objectivity and not include personal opinions in this section. This section should provide enough detail for the reader to have a clear understanding of the film without giving too much away.

The analysis section is where the reviewer can showcase their critical skills and provide an in-depth evaluation of the film. The review should examine various elements of the film such as the script, direction, cinematography, acting, and special effects. You could also make a comparison to similar films in the same genre. The analysis should be written in an objective style with the opinion only showing through the language used.

In the conclusion, the reviewer should give their personal opinion of the film, summarising their thoughts on its strengths and weaknesses. They should also consider the target audience and whether they believe the film will appeal to them. Finally, the reviewer should provide a clear recommendation. The conclusion should be concise, leaving the reader with a clear understanding of the reviewer’s overall opinion of the film.

Using adjectives in reviews

Reviews are a great way to show off your language with impressive adjectives. If you read a film review in a newspaper or magazine, you’ll notice that the reviewer rarely, if ever, gives an explicit direct opinion. However, their opinion of the film is always crystal clear. This is through the use of adjectives.

Many adjectives have a clear connotation. They are either perceived as positive or negative. Compare these two examples. Which one is a positive description and which is negative?

• It’s a first-rate experience with an imaginative plot and a star-studded cast.
• The second-rate writing combined with weak performances is typical of this director’s work.

When using adjectives in a film review, it is important to choose words that accurately convey the reviewer’s opinion. Adjectives with strong connotations, either positive or negative, can be very effective in expressing the reviewer’s thoughts about the film. However, it is also important to use a variety of adjectives to avoid repetition and keep the review interesting. The use of adjectives can also help to paint a picture of the film, allowing the reader to get a sense of its atmosphere and tone.

The materials

Many exams, such as the Cambridge First (FCE) and Advanced (CAE) exams, as well as Trinity ISE exams, require students to write a film review as part of their writing task. These materials will provide students with a solid understanding of the structure of a film review and help them to develop their writing skills. This will give them the confidence they need to write a review that meets the requirements of the exam and impresses the examiner.

The materials will help you learn how to write an introduction, summary, analysis, and conclusion of a film review. You will also see a range of useful adjectives that you can use to express your opinions in their reviews. Finally, you will get an opportunity to practise writing film reviews, which will help you to develop your skills. Then you can check your answers with the samples provided in the answer key. Whether you’re preparing for an exam or just looking to improve your writing skills, these materials will provide you with everything you need to write a great film review.

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How to Write a Movie Review for College

Updated 26 Jul 2024

If you wish to know how to write a movie review, then you are on the right page. A movie review forms part of essays college students writes. While many cinema-loving students find it interesting, others don’t. A film review does not mean writing what happened in a film; instead, it involves doing a critical assessment of the same. Also, you can proof your paper instantly with the Edubirdie plagiarism tool .

What is a movie review? A movie review is a detailed analysis of a film or a documentary. It involves analysis, research, and reporting the writer’s views in a structured way. The writer assumes a position of educating readers whether they have watched the film or not. In fact, many people read movie reviews to decide whether they want to see a film or not.

A film review tests students' critical thinking and reporting skills. It also examines their dexterity in writing in a logical, concise, lucid, and creative manner. This post shall teach you to craft the best film review in your class without being redundant in writing , and you can find many interesting tips on how to write a movie review for college and movie reviews examples. Writing a movie review requires critical analysis and attention to detail, and if you need assistance, a literature review writing service can help you craft a comprehensive and insightful review.

How to Write a Movie Review Like a Professional Critic

Writing a movie review though challenging for some students can be quite easy. What you should know is that the format of presenting a review are the same which makes it an interesting task. Here we offer a step-by-step process of how to write a good film review or how to write an introduction for a movie review that any student can follow:

• Watch the movie: Before you can review any film, you must watch it. You cannot review a motion picture you have not watched. Therefore, for success watch the film at least twice. Note: do not watch it like you’re a regular moviegoer or movie enthusiast. Be focused and conscious through the film. Take notes if necessary.

You will need to take notes hence have a notebook and pen handy. Record all events and characters (major and minor). Try to be meticulous do not overlook anything.

• Research the movie: Watching the film should give you the overview and feel of the movie. With that, it should be easy and exciting to research the movie. The research augments what you have watched in the movie. In your research, you should find out who the filmmaker is, what prompted the making of the movie, the characterization, historical events the lead to the film, location, plot and so on.

If you are aware of the details behind the movie, the movie will be more understandable and engaging. Note also that if you do not understand the movie you cannot move to the next step which involves analysis. Try not to proceed to the next step unless you vividly understand the movie. If it entails watching it again until you fully get it, do it. The following should form part of your findings regarding the film:

• Title and year
• Names of the lead actors
• Name of the director
• Title of the book (if based on a book)
• Draft the review outline: Draft an outline with which you will write the review. The overview will help you organize your review concisely and logically. The outline is more like the skeletal frame on which the whole study will stand. A good draft will yield a perfect report, and the reverse is also true.

An outline enhances the quality of the film review, and it is essential you have your outline before you start writing. A sample outline looks like this:

1. Introduction

• Date released
• Background info

2. Summary of the story

3. Analysis of the plot elements

4. Creative elements

5. Opinions (add examples to back up your claims)

• Camera techniques
• Special effects and so on

6. Conclusion

• Analyze the movie: After fully understanding the movie, you can start its analysis. Critically evaluate the film from the beginning to the end, noting every detail. While analyzing, if you observed any confusing part, re-watch to grasp the idea portrayed there fully. After you fully understand it, then you are set to write the movie review. To write a decent analysis, you need to know how to write a film critique.
• Augment Your Review with Examples : While watching the movie, your observations should be supported with examples, i.e., mention scenes the event took place. If the plot is faulty, mention it but state examples to support that claim. You can also mention poorly developed characters evident in the movie and others. Everything you observed in the film must be noted.

Examples of notables include locations, faulty or beautiful dialogues, quotes that appeal to you, poorly made speeches, bloopers, editing errors and so on. Do take note that it is not enough to make general statements about how awesome or awful the movie is, you must support your claim with evidence in the film. That is why it is called a movie review and not opinion sampling interview about the movie.

• Comment on the originality of the movie: Finally mention the uniqueness of the film which you noticed in the one you’ve watched. But even if the movie happens to be a standard feature with conventional approaches, you can still mention this as well. A regular film is still a film.
• Write Your Review: With all the fact gathered above, you can now use the outline to write your film review. Make every part easy and enjoyable to read. Importantly, make the introduction engaging and captivating. You should go for a grand opening that will grab the attention of any reader. A good opening keeps the reader on the article.

Let us assume your introduction is watertight and engaging; any sloppy body will lose your reader. Hence, make the body informative and engaging. The review aims to reveal as much information as possible. Therefore, do your best to give all the details in the film to the reader. Engage your analytic mind.

Another essential part of the review is the closing or conclusion. Here you give your view about the movie with evidence revealed in the body. Connect the conclusion with the introduction creatively.

• Edit Your Final Draft: After writing your first version of the review, you can re-write the final one after editing. Also, you should check the final draft for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and so on. Ensure sentences connects logically to each other and watch the format used. Make a final comparison of your work with the requirement by your professor or lecturer.

With the help of free word counter check the number of words required and cut them if more than needed but if not, add relevant information to make them up. Do not add irrelevant details for the sake of space. Ensure your final submitted draft is well edited, polished, plagiarism-free and presented in the recommended format or style.

Need more writing assistance?

Connect with our top writers and receive a movie review sample crafted to your needs.

Tips to Follow While Writing a Movie Review

Since a movie review essay requires dedication and time investment, you might want to know the special tips to get you through the assignment seamlessly. Do recall that perfect conclusion of this assignment will add to your grades, hence the need to take it seriously. If you wish to know How to write a movie critique easily, then this section will tell you that.

The useful tips you should consider are as follows:

• Watch the film at least two times
• If you have seen it before, make sure you re-watch it for the assignment.
• Watch the movie not as a moviegoer but with an analytic mindset of a professional reviewer
• Pay attention to details
• Take notes as you watch
• Don’t be in a rush - take your time, but be aware of the deadline
• Do not write out of the contest of your coursework
• Follow the requirements of your professor
• Use an outline to organize your work
• Start working on the body of your film review first and the introduction next
• Write an engaging introduction and a powerful closing.
• Never forget to edit your work.

Read also: How to write an editorial Essay: Useful Tips for Those Who Want To Perfect Their Skill 

Elements of a Professional Movie Review

One similar thing about these reviews is that they all should contain the same elements regardless of the genre. The elements of a movie review provide the structure on which you will base the analysis. A proper movie review format comprises the following components:

• The Title: It’s not enough that the movie title appears on the headline, it must appear in the review too. Mention it in the text and feature it in the introductory paragraph; there is no harm in doing that.
• The Storyline (Plot): The motion picture review itself refers to the summary of the movie. Present it in a concise way for people who are yet to watch it. When you are beginning to write a movie review, never have the mindset that your professor or any would-be reader has watched the movie. Therefore, never leave important points or events out. Your job is to elucidate the movie clearly to the reader: mention the faults observed, and the filmmaker’s brilliant points or downers.
• Filmmaker: What is a movie analysis without the filmmaker? Your review must feature him or her. Therefore, dedicate a paragraph to him, write about the kind of personality he or she is. Reveal the filmmaker's political stance (if relevant), background, the controversial life of the person (if he is one), etc. You can also use the opportunity to talk about other movies the director has worked on before now, and then connect it with the one under review.
• Significance to your class: Relate the content of the film or documentary to your course topic. Check its importance for historical accuracy. If the film is for history class, discuss any over-dramatization noticed in the act. However, if the film was based on a book you have reviewed in one of your classes, mention the connection between the book and the movie: state variances, comparisons and other elements present in the book that are missing in the film.
• Creative elements: Creative elements make or mar films, that is why filmmakers go out of their ways to add them to their movies. It is your job to state how these elements work in the plot and the film in general. For instance, comment on the effectiveness of the sound effect in enriching the viewing experience of the movie? Talk about the lighting, costume, makeup, colors, camera, etc.
• Actors: The cast carry the movie; without them, there is no movie. Your review should reveal if they acted well or poorly. State if their acting was realistic or not. Do not fail to mention if they have the skills and charisma to portray the role they played. You can also state if they were the right actors to play the role they did. Furthermore, you can suggest actors who could have played certain roles better than those in the film.

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Common Movie Review Mistakes You Should Avoid

After your arduous work of submitting your film report, you might be shocked to learn that your hard work received a query. You may wish to know why, well it could be because you commit any of the following common mistakes:

• Focusing on the wrong thing: Do not shift your focus. You might want to connect the film with some historical events, however, do not give unnecessary analysis or details that are not relevant to the movie under review. For instance, avoid giving the history of motion picture unless the film is about the development of the industry. Try and be focused.
• Alienating yourself from the review: You are the one writing the review, therefore, do not insert yourself in it. The review already has your name and signature on it so adding the possessive pronoun "I" should be discarded. The mistake most student make is writing in the first person, e.g., “I like the movie a lot, I admired the lead character,” and so on. Since the review exposes your understanding, opinions, likes, and dislikes, then it is unnecessary to insert yourself in it.
• Not doing your research: As said earlier, watching the movie is one side of the coin, you need to check out other details. Researching the film is highly critical because it would expound to you all the nitty-gritty details, not in the motion picture.
• Lack of evidence: In writing about a motion picture, you must substantiate any opinion or claim. You need to state your reason for liking, disliking, etc. of the film.
• Avoid irrelevant discussion: Do not start explaining issues not related directly with the motion picture you are analyzing.
• Unstructured review: Never write a movie review without structure, it would reveal you as an unorganized student. Hence structure your review properly by first creating the outline and organize your work.
• Avoid Generalization and be Precise: Never generalize ideas when you write a movie review. Avoid general statements like “a fantastic movie,” “beautiful set,” “excellent acting,” and such like. Support any comment you make with evidence from the film.
• Review lacking substance and analysis: Avoid writing a motion picture review that does not have substance or analysis. A review is a piece of educational literature, therefore, add intelligent analysis to it.

Movie Review Example from Top Writer

Here are a few examples of movie review topics to steer you in the right direction:

• Avatar Movie Review
• Beautiful Woman Movie Review
• Black Panther and its Global Significance
• In Pursuit of Happiness: Lessons to Learn
• iRobot: The Depiction of AI in the Future
• Matrix Movie Review
• Roots and Its Implication on the Life of the Black Men
• The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Movie Review
• The Last Holiday Movie Review and the Lesson of Living Life Too Cautiously
• Titanic Movie Review

Quick & Reliable Writing Help

As you can see, a movie review essay is an interesting paper to write. Recall that the whole point of a movie review is to inform the reader about the film and the ideas behind it. Also, it reflects your unbiased and objective view about the film. Adopt all our tips, and you shall submit a professional-looking report.

However, if you don't care about movies or still have issues coming to terms with all we have explained above, then contact us for help. At EduBirdie, our movie and book review writing service  are poised to help with your assignment and guarantee a high-quality review at an affordable price. With us, you shall learn how to do a movie review that will wow any professor.

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English for life.

How to Write a Movie Review

For the B2 FCE Cambridge exam

A movie review is an informal piece of writing that describes and evaluates a movie. Movie reviews are usually written by experts giving their opinion about the movie and published in newspapers, magazines, or blogs.

Parts of a movie review

This should include the movie title and an eye-catching heading

2. Introduction

This paragraph should include the name of the movie , the genre , the director , the stars and any prizes they have won. You can also include information about the place and the time the movie is set and filmed. The purpose of this paragraph is that you engage the reader and give them a general idea of the type of movie you are going to review.

This part should include an outline of the main events along with general information about the characters and the plot. Your summary should NOT spoil the film . Therefore, you should not mention anything about the ending of the movie.

4. Analysis

In this section you should share your opinion about the movie . Your review should examine the plot, the actors, the special effects and the soundtrack. You can also compare the movie you are reviewing to a similar film in the same genre. In this section you can also give examples of the good elements and the bad elements in the movie.

5. Conclusion

In this part you should summarize your thoughts on the good and bad elements of the movie . Finally, you should evaluate the movie (give stars ⭐⭐⭐, thumbs up 👍 or thumbs down 👎) and make a recommendation. You should mention why you recommend/ don’t recommend the movie.

Now that you know which parts should be included in a movie review 🎞️🍿, let’s see an example:

Check the movie trailer out to learn more about “Little Boy”

Useful language to describe movies

Movie genre.

• an action movie
• an animated movie
• a historical movie
• a horror movie
• a romantic comedy
• a science fiction movie
• a war movie

People and things in movies

• cinematography
• special effects

Adjectives to describe movies

Verbs and phrases

• It was directed by …
• It was written by…
• It was dubbed into [languge]
• The movie explores themes of …
• The movie shows…
• [Actor] played the part/role of [character]
• It is set in…
• It is based on the book…
• It was shot on location in [city]
• It’s about…
• One of the main storylines is…
• It stars…
• In the end…
• My favourite scene is…
• I strongly recommend the movie because…

Pro tips for writing a movie review

• Remember to write the movie’s title.
• Write an eye-catching heading.
• Remember to mention the genre of the movie.
• Don’t forget the audience. Who is the movie for?
• Don’t forget to include the names of the characters, the year the movie was made and if the movie or the actors have won any awards (For example, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, an MTV Movie Award, etc).
• Never ever mention the ending!!! You don’t want to spoil the movie.
• Remember to share your personal opinion and your evaluation.

Time to practice

You see this announcement in your English school magazine.

Type your answer in the box below, and I’ll give you personalized feedback.

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Quick Guide on How to Write a Movie Review Essay

What Is a Movie Review

The internet has revolutionized the realm of film criticism. No matter a movie's level of quality, it is always worth analyzing. Despite the growing number of individuals attempting to write about movies, few are successful. Most people do not provide insightful analysis, instead simply state how much they liked or disliked the film.

A movie criticism, usually composed by a professional in film studies, takes a comprehensive look at the film from a historical, social, political, or theoretical standpoint. This is unlike the opinion or suggestion given in a movie review, which is shorter and more concise.

A remarkable aspect of a good film review is that it doesn't just rate the movie but provides explicit views that form the critique's basis. This form of writing, like crafting essays, research papers, and term papers, should be insightful and draw the reader in quickly. It's important to discuss the reputation of the lead actors and directors and to write about what you expected and if they were met. The reviewer must explain a story's development without recalling major plot points and endings. The review must be concise, engaging, and should involve metaphors, specific words, analogies, etc.

Movie Review Purpose

Most film reviews are intended to guide readers in deciding whether to view, rent, or purchase the film. They should provide the necessary information to aid readers in deciding without divulging any fundamental details, such as the storyline or any surprises. This paper is common in schools because the lecturer wants to evaluate the student's ability to think critically and report the event easily for others to understand.

Movie reviews typically present a brief summary of the film's storyline. They provide readers with an overview of the characters, relationships, and scenarios but do not convey the complete narrative. Perusing the review should be different from seeing the movie. Nonetheless, feel free to highlight the essential moments or pivotal points that make the film worthwhile viewing.

Our college essay writing service has put together some advice on composing a movie review essay like a real critic, so let's explore the article further!

How to Write a Movie Review: Movie Review Outline

The structure is key when it comes to the quality of your paper. Don't neglect the power of a good outline, no matter what paper you're writing. Outlines help you stay on track and make sure your paper flows well.

Taking the time to arrange your ideas before starting to write is an effective way to save time further down the line. With a well-structured plan already in place, you won't have to worry about other elements. This will also make the writing process less stressful. Here is a guide on how to organize your movie review outline:

How Do You Start a Movie Review Essay: Introduction

The introductory paragraph is the first obvious step in crafting a movie review essay outline. Here, you want to quickly captivate the reader. Deliver your viewpoint instantly and make it unambiguous. Don't leave the audience wondering whether you enjoyed the film. Tell them right off the bat so you have time to justify your assessment throughout the remainder of the process.

In the introduction movie review should also describe your thesis. Develop the main concept for your essay that you can support using your perceptions of the movie's various aspects. The reader should be able to tell from this statement if you thought the film was fantastic, awful, or simply alright. By including a thesis statement, you may move your analysis beyond the plot synopsis phase into the movie critique category, which is considered a separate creative process.

Crafting Your Essay Movie Review Analysis

According to our research paper service , film analysis is similar to building a case. You're attempting to influence the reader to follow your recommendation to watch or disregard the film. So, you must ensure your essay movie review will be convincing. Giving instances that demonstrate the validity of your personal opinion is the only method to do this. If you find any dialogue in the movie that you think best exemplifies whether the work is strong or not, utilize quotes. This also applies to all of the movie's artistic decisions. But, just because a movie's narrative isn't strong or engaging doesn't indicate the rest of the film is worthless. Carefully highlight how some factors might undermine the movie in your explanation.

The movie's plot is only one component and shouldn't dominate the overall piece. The following are the important aspects to include in your movie review structure:

Cinematography - Cinematography covers much more than simply camera angles. It includes how the picture is lit, how it moves, appears, and what lenses are used. Here you can try the following analysis: 'Warm, gentle colors are used throughout the film, combined with soothing whites and grays, to simultaneously create and gradually tear away the characters' romantic sentiments for one another. There is a painting-like quality to each image.'

Editing - The editing is arguably the absolute star of what creates a good movie review example. It affects both the duration and the flow of a movie. Without effective editing, there would be uncomfortable gaps between pictures and many errors.

Costuming - The clothing the characters wear is called a costume, but there are a number of things to consider while evaluating movie costumes. You should be able to decide if the outfits suit the characters and the movie's atmosphere.

Casting and Acting - Finding the ideal performers to bring characters to life is the goal of casting. This sometimes entails seeing performers portray both familiar personas and figures who are entirely at odds with who they are. Casting, therefore, involves more than just finding talented performers. You can assess the acting in the following way: 'Even though he excels while on the go, his stoic behaviorism causes him to fall short of his co-star during calm scenes where he keeps a blank look on his face.'

Once you have finished analyzing the acting, directing, cinematography, setting, etc., wrap up with concise, stimulating wording to sustain readers' attention. Don't forget to provide a few examples to support your statements about the film.

Concluding Your Essay Movie Review

Finalize your review by coming full circle. Close the review by returning to your introductory fact or thesis. Give your readers a refresher on the movie's most intriguing aspects. It's important to remember that before choosing a movie, viewers check reviews. Finish with a statement indicating whether it is worthwhile for them to view. Be specific about who this movie will be more fascinating to and why in your suggestions. Remember that your ending is your last shot at influencing your audience, so use it wisely.

No matter the kind of movie review you have to complete, our professional specialists are willing to help you. Directly forward your needs to our research paper service and get it done quickly.

Need Help With MOVIE REVIEW WRITING?

No matter what type of movie review you want, our qualified specialists are ready to assist you.

Short Movie Review Form

If you are currently working on a new or old movie review, reading our suggestions should be sufficient to help you earn an A. So what if you'll be writing many reviews in the future? In this situation, we advise you to develop a uniform movie review template, which will enable you to save time and complete your upcoming projects successfully.

So, how to write a movie review template, you may ask? Well, our essay helper prepared a simple yet great movie review template you may use as a foundation for your own writing if you need some help getting started:

Example Papers

Once you know how to review a movie and learn the most valuable tips to handle this assignment, it is time to look at some movie review examples to get you on the right track.

Check out the following pieces to see which of these movie review essay examples you might want to keep at hand when working on your own assignment:

Helpful Tips on Writing Movie Reviews

Here are some extra helpful tips to keep in mind when unsure how to write a movie review essay:

• Add Your Own Personal Feel to Your Movie Critique - You might not have much spare time for your pastime of reviewing. You won't be able to write a movie review, though, if you just wing it without reading what others have said. Make a note of the things that intrigued you, alarmed you, made you uncomfortable, or caused you to pause and consider something, and then use that list as the basis for your research.
• Develop a Distinctive Writing Style - Have an idol—it's good for you. You must be careful not to just paraphrase and duplicate what they say without adding your own original viewpoint. Instead, in order to stand out from the throng, you must discover your own voice. When writing movie reviews, you should also have a distinct writing style.
• Include Extensive Information -Mention the film's photographer, special effects designer, and director. Your review might be significantly impacted by this. Then you may list all the memorable movie moments that also stuck with you.
• Voice Your Views and Back Up Your Criticism - Give your own assessment of the film. Make sure you have evidence to support your criticisms. Use the movie's details that most shocked or humiliated you. Review genuine information rather than merely expressing your opinions without supporting details.

Final Thoughts

Composing a good movie review essay sample is easy if you follow this article's main steps and techniques. Furthermore, we strongly believe that this guide will assist you in achieving remarkable outcomes and ease your writing process. The staff at EssayPro is always available to provide a helping hand if you need a little additional push with movie review examples or even if it's simply coming up with a catchy essay title .

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FAQs on Writing an Essay Movie Review

Here are the most frequently asked questions on how to write a movie review. We provided extra details on movie analysis to simplify writing film reviews.

What are the 6 Important Things to Include in a Film Review?

How long should a movie review be, what are the 5 c's in film.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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How to Write a Movie Review: Outline and Format

If you do not know how to write a movie review, this short informative tutorial will help you. Presenting your personal analytical perspective is the first thing you need to remember to start writing a film review. Furthermore, using quotes from movie scenes effectively, but without focusing on summarizing events is another point to consider.

1. Outline of a Film Review Paper

Based on the table above, take into account the following points. Importantly, in introduction, you can use some quote or scene from the film to draw reader’s attention to the movie’s message. Furthermore, in analysis, you an include in-text citations to others sources that can support film’s relevance to present-day issues.

While watching the movie to review, write a draft, using the outline above. Include short key phrases in the description parts for you to develop them further. Highlight important points while taking notes related to the key movie ideas.

2. How to Write a Movie Review vs. Movie Critique

On the one hand, to write a movie review, you need to provide your personal perspective and a fresh insight into film issues and ideas. On the other hand, to create movie critique, do not use the first-person perspective because such a type of paper focuses on film design, production, and quality. For example, it may relate to sound design and its effects on actors’ performances to attract cinema-goers.

3. Format of Quotes from the Movie

Use the following format of a film in the list of references (References, Works Cited, or Reference List depending on the style you use):

The Founder is used as an illustrative example here. It can serve as an excellent business case study related to McDonalds and help you look beyond your business idea and learn how to make your business grow.

4. Useful Phrases to Write a Film Review

The following phrases can be used for a smooth flow of thought in your movie review:

• Long story short;
• The story line or the movie depicts, shows, represents the world of… or conveys, captures, presents the setting/atmosphere;
• The film is filled with…;
• Symbolic scenes throughout the film are…;
• Plot twists and a realistic story or dialogues;
• It is well worth seeing, entertaining, action-packed, fascinating, powerful depiction.

Importantly, in your movie review, you can provide a fresh perspective on any film. Thus, your work can help the viewer choose the best movie to watch and to get some lessons from.

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How to Write a Great Movie Review Like a Professional Critic

Moviemaking is an amazing and colorful world filled with magic, joy, and fantasy. The films have become an important part of our culture. We watch them, we discuss them, and we love them. And one more thing: we write movie reviews. Unfortunately, creating a high-quality review may seem a difficult task, especially for beginners.

We examine all aspects of writing great papers in our guideline on how to write a movie review: structure, preparatory work, purposes, stages, etc. The writing process can be exciting and easy if you have detailed and helpful instructions. Don’t miss your chance to learn more about the mysterious world of film criticism!

What Is a Movie Review?

A movie review is a well-balanced synthesis of personal opinion about the film and critical analysis of its technical and thematic content. As a rule, the word limit of a movie review is about 1000 words. Although the text should not be very long, the preparatory work may take a few days. That is why you should not wait until the last minute to start working on your movie review.

The film review is classified as a creative review. It means that any film is considered as artwork, and you need to pursue both analytical and creative approaches while writing your review.

Their combination will allow you to create an exhaustive and persuasive paper. In order to produce a high-quality review for the chosen film, you should, in the first place, figure out how to write a good movie review. Our article includes all necessary information to help you learn more about writing film reviews.

The Main Purposes of Your Movie Review

The fundamental functions of a professional movie review can be expressed in four words: to inform, analyze, convince, and entertain. Let’s take a closer look at each of these aspects.

Your top-priority task is to inform your readers about the content and the quality of the film. Without basic knowledge, it is impossible to decide whether you’d like to watch the movie or not. If you write only about technical elements without a word about the genre of the film or its cast, your review will not be informative enough. For example, imagine your reader has a soft spot for the movies featuring Ryan Reynolds and doesn’t actually care about formal techniques. You may discourage him or her (more likely her) from watching the movie that she’d probably like if you omit mentioning Ryan Reynolds in your review and concentrate exclusively on the editing or plot.

If you are sure that the movie is great and worth watching, you have to be persuasive enough in order to convince your readers that your evaluation is correct. On the other hand, if you want to keep your readers out of wasting their time on bad movies, you also have to use your power of persuasion. The destiny of their leisure time is in your hands!

Sometimes, an inexperienced audience needs some instructions for the right way of watching a certain movie. A detailed analysis will help them to notice the most important film elements and not to look over the best scenes. Moreover, particular movies have a confusing plot with unexpected twists that need additional explanations.

Finally, your movie review should be exciting and catchy. Nobody would prefer reading a boring list of advantages and disadvantages without interesting facts and funny stories about the actors and shooting the film.

Now that you are already aware of the main purposes of the movie review, we can proceed to the next subpoint about the preparatory work.

How to Prepare for Writing a Movie Review

Before we explain bit by bit how to write a film review, it is necessary to tell more about the prewriting activities.

As mentioned above, the length of a movie review doesn’t usually exceed the limit of 1000 words. Unfortunately, even a short film review requires thorough preparation that may last a couple of days.

First of all, you should choose the movie if your instructor doesn’t assign it. Sometimes, the instructions only specify the genre or the thematic content of the film. In that case, try to find a renowned film that has been well received both by critics and the audience. As a result, chances are high that you’ll enjoy the movie and write a good review.

Next step is to watch the film. Be ready for two or even three viewings, because it is almost impossible to notice all details on the first attempt. During the first viewing, you should immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the movie in order to get an overall impression. At that moment, don’t worry about details and content; just go with the stream of the story. The second viewing requires much more attention than inspiration. Look closer at the specific aspects of editing, cinematography, acting, sound, etc. If the film touches on some events or issues that you don’t know much about, provide research. You have to gather enough information, otherwise your opinion can’t be considered as cogent and credible.

If you don’t succeed at formulating a central claim for your review after two viewings, you should probably watch the movie for the third time or, at least, a few key scenes. Your task is to find a suitable way to connect the thematic and the technical content of the film in order to evaluate their combination.

You may also watch the movies created by the same director for a better understanding of his or her individual style. Since acting is the base of every film, you can also check out how actors portray other characters and decide if this particular role corresponds with their regular specialization.

Take notes about the breathtaking scenes, key moments, and impressive details. Your memos will serve you as a starting point for your review. You should also note verbatim some phrases of the main characters. They may serve as a great epigraph for your movie review.

You can’t know everything about the film just from watching it. Investigate the background and, with a bit of patience and luck, you’ll find a great number of interesting facts that can decorate your review and make it more attractive for readers. You should mention some details about the process of shooting, the difficulties faced by the production team, and other curiosities.

If the movie claimed prestigious awards, it would sound like an immaculate argument for cinephiles to watch it immediately. You shouldn’t neglect the informative details, but don’t get carried away! Remember that the review has to also include your personal opinion along with general information about the movie. Before writing your own movie review, you can read some professional reviews written by professional critics. You can find them on the websites of well-known newspapers or magazines like The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, etc.

10 Questions to Ask Before Writing a Movie Review

• Is this film part of a franchise? How does it suit the series?
• Is the plot based on a novel, fantasy, or real-life events?
• Did the writer manage to create a clear and captivating plot?
• Is the rhythm of the movie dynamic or smooth? Are there too many needless details?
• What is the target audience of the film? Is it G-rated, R-rated, or unrated?
• Do movies on the same theme/topic that are worth mentioning in your review exist?
• What sorts of shots does the cameraman use in the film? How do these techniques affect the overall impression?
• Does the movie have an exclusively entertaining character or touch on serious issues?
• Was the casting successful? Did all actors manage to portray their characters?
• What is the general atmosphere of the movie? Is it tense/joyful/obscure?

If you answer all these questions, you’ll get an approximate draft for your movie review. Of course, that is not enough. Now, we will continue our helpful guideline on how to write a movie review step by step.

How to Write a Great Movie Review Step by Step

Writing a film review is a complex and long process. The reasonable question here would be, “How do you write a movie review and avoid getting puzzled by all the details?” The easiest way to complete your paper is to break the writing process down into a few stages. This method allows for managing your time more accurately.

1. Begin with a catchy introduction.

Your introductory paragraph should include essential information about the movie: title, genre, director’s name, and release date. You can also mention, if appropriate, the awards (the most prestigious ones), the budget and the box office (if they are impressive), and the cast members. In addition to the general information, it is necessary to include your thesis into the introduction. A compelling thesis is a starting point for the critical part of your review that goes beyond the elementary plot summary and description of the technical elements. The thesis may display different aspects such as:

the connection between the film’s central idea and the current issues or events; the similarity between the plot and your personal experience; the interrelation between the thematic content of the film and its formal elements.

2. Don’t put your evaluation into cold storage.

If your readers don’t have much time to read the entire review, you can, at least, provide them with your evaluation at the beginning of the text. Don’t reserve your personal opinion for the concluding paragraph. You are not a crime writer: lay your cards on the table in the first or the second paragraph.

3. Compose a brief plot summary.

Describe four or five major events but don’t reveal the ending. Besides, avoid the “spoilers” by all means because your readers will hate you for destroying the suspense. If you still want to mention a significant turn, please, warn the readers about it.

4. Describe an overall impression.

The main purpose of the plot summary is to tell what the film is about. The description should inform the readers not about what you’ve seen but what you’ve felt. Mention the emotions and thoughts awakened by the concrete scenes, the most touching score, and the moments that pulled your heartstrings. Share your cinematic experience in order to make your review less formal and more personal.

5. Determine the purpose of the movie.

Answer the question, “Why was this film created?” Sometimes, you may find the response in the interviews with the members of the shooting team. In other cases, the purpose can be obvious thanks to the plot. If the movie has an entertaining characteristic, don’t try to dig deeper to find some implied sense. Certain films are good because of their simplicity.

6. Add some details about filmmaking.

The analysis of the formal techniques is an indispensable part of any exhaustive movie review. Concentrate your attention on one or two elements that you consider to be the most significant for this particular film. Be careful with the specific terminology because your movie review shouldn’t look like a crossword. Here are some aspects that you can describe:

• Cinematography

This term includes everything that happens with cameras during the shooting. You can describe three main aspects of cinematography if you see them as important for comprehension of the film: camera movement, camera angles, and camera distances.

Although the sound affects the atmosphere of the movie as well as the visual elements, it is often underestimated. However, talented film score composers are highly praised in the movie-making world. Every sound in the film can be classified as diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic sound is like thunder, birdsong, barking, or conversations in the restaurant are the part of the narration. Non-diegetic sound is like off-screen commentaries or film scores that come from outside the universe of the film.

In a nutshell, the goal of editing is to create a smooth connection between all pieces of the film. The editor creates the “world of the story” in order to give the viewer a sense of space. The filmmakers use various methods to compose the integral reality of the movie: graphic similarities, eyeline match, establishing shots, etc.

• Mise-en-scène

This aspect is the most global because it includes literally everything that you see on the screen. Every landscape, actor’s smile, and visual effect is a part of the mise-en-scène.

7. Look for the deep meaning.

A good movie is never superficial. There are always key phrases, symbolic things, and repeating elements that are significant for the deeper understanding of the film and, consequently, for your overarching review. Be attentive in order to unlock all secrets of filmmaking!

8. Provide the examples.

No review can sound trustworthy without examples. Phrases like “the acting is great” or “the sound is bad” don’t inspire trust. Be more specific! For example, when you talk about the portrayal of a particular character, mention what exactly makes the actor relevant for this role: appearance, manner of speaking, facial expressions, etc.

9. Write a strong conclusion.

Remind your readers about the film elements that impressed you the most. Add some personal recommendations and specify for whom this film will be more interesting and why. Remember that your conclusion is the last chance to convince your readers, so do your best!

10. Edit and proofread your movie review.

Read your paper two or three times. Correct all the mistakes: word choice, grammar, style, spelling, typos, etc. Errors can spoil even the most professional review!

How to Write a Movie Review: Example Analyzed

In our opinion, the best way to explain how to write a movie review paper is to provide you with a particular movie review examples . Below, you’ll find not only an excellent example of a review, but the comments written by one of our professionals who describes different elements of the movie review template and their functions.

Click the images to see their full size.

We hope that our guideline has given you a detailed and extensive response to the question, “how to write a great movie review?” We are always glad to provide you with helpful information about writing academic papers of any kind. Read our guidelines and improve your writing skills every day with our paper writing service !

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Fiction review

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Movie Review Outline

Ai generator.

Last March 4, 2018, the 90th Academy Awards was held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Big names and personalities from all over Hollywood came to pay their respects and tribute to the nominees that were selected by the Academy for being the best at their craft. But what makes a best picture? What particular criteria would make for a best director? How is the best actor or actress chosen?

• Entertainment News Outline Examples
• Famous Movie Marketing Examples

The Academy is made up of at least a panel of judges who have their own personal opinion on which motion picture truly deserves to win. It is almost very impossible that a mainstream movie would be nominated for the Best Picture. But just in case it gets nominated however, it will only be limited to the other categories such as Best Cinematography or Best Sound Mixing (Star Wars: The Last Jedi). There are roughly 5800 members of the Academy of Motion Pictures that help decide on what movie truly deserves to win an Oscar. You may also see essay outline .

All movies released by Hollywood undergo screening as to whether it does not only meet their criteria for a great and worthwhile movie, but as to whether that movie was able to deliver a strong message to the public. Now, you may not part of the Academy, but that does not mean that you cannot voice out your opinion about what you feel about the movie. Although movie reviews are often very subjective, keep in mind that your comments about the film are also there to make room for improvement on whatever aspect you think needs improving; be it in the cinematography part, the acting, or perhaps the sloppy story per se. You may also see free outline .

Film Review Outline

Although there is no right or wrong format in writing a movie review, it is always to best present it in such a way that all the thoughts are neat and organized that will provide the readers a very smooth transition of your review. You may also see topic outline .

I. Introduction.

A. Describe a scene, incident, or dialogue from the film.  When writing a movie review about a certain motion picture, do not start directly with your opinion or criticism on the film, but instead begin by recalling a certain part of the movie that you find the most intriguing, something that you cannot forget so easily and start talking about it. You may also see program outline .

B. Remind the reader of the last film by this director or lead actor.  If this movie was the director’s first ever solo movie (Jordan Peele on his movie Get Out ), then you can try proceeding to the movies that the lead actor or actress has starred on. If that was also a first for the lead actor, then try connecting the film with a current event or situation. You may also see speech outline .

C. Or connect the film with some current event.  Although this is not normally seen in movie reviews, it is still very much applicable especially when you are unable to do the previous option. In Get Out, the film may still address racism, but it is not done in a traditional way. The kind of racism this film addresses is a little more subtle– a type  that is more covert and not so obvious. You may also see script outline .

This particular racism is possibly the reason why you have to watch the tone you speak while talking to police to not sound treating and wind up in the obituaries. Jordan Peele was a true genius when he not only directed, but also produced and wrote “Get Out” layering the film with symbolism and satire that mirrors the current black experience. You may also see biography outline .

II. Thought Organization

1. Description/summary.  You have already given a scene that was able to intrigue you. Now that is done and over with, it is time that you provided the audience a detailed version of the movie itself. Not necessarily scene per scene, but present it in a way that all the important points of the movie are covered and accounted for. You may also see content outline .

2. Analysis (Literary, Dramatic, and Cinematic).  After giving a detailed synopsis about the motion picture, you then proceed to the analysis stage wherein you begin to break down the technical and physical aspects of the film that have either impressed you, or completely failed you, or you feel like that it could be worked on and eventually improved. As mentioned before, it can range from the cinematography, the story, the color grading, the music, the story, the acting, the special effects. Whatever you aspect you feel like needs recognition, put it there. You may also see leadership outline .

3. Evaluation (Was the film entertaining or not? Why?).  Once you finished your analysis, provide your final evaluation of the film as to whether you have enjoyed it or not. If you have enjoyed it, provide a reason why. If not, provide a reason why. Provide justice to the film. You may also see tentative outline .

4. Conclusion.  Start strong and end strong to any form of literature that you are going to write.

Film Review Outline Example

Studying Your Source Material

1. Gather basic facts about the movie. Be it before or after the movie, you should learn to gather the important details of the movie such as:

• The title of the film, and the year it came out.
• The director’s name.
• The names of the lead actors.

2. Take notes on the movie as you watch it. That’s like a job of a journalist or something. But if you are really serious about reviewing a specific movie, grab a notepad or even your laptop. You may also see chapter outline example .

• Write whatever aspect you think stands out in a positive or negative way. Think about how this detail relates to the rest of the movie and what it means in the context of your review.
• Take note of patterns you begin to notice as the movie unfolds.
• Don’t be afraid to hit the pause button once in a while. Rewind if you need to.

Documentary Movie Review Outline

• Direction. How do you think the director wanted his or her story to be told? If there are some specific gaps that were not answered in the movie or it was just plain slow, you can ask the director about it. At the same time, do a comparison to the movies that were directed by the same person and identify which you liked better. You may also see research paper outline .
• Cinematography. What techniques were used to film the movie? What setting and background elements helped to create a certain tone?
• Writing. Script writing is the heart of every good story, which also includes the dialogues and the character’s personality. Did you think the plot was interestingly unique, or was it too cliche and boring?
• Editing. Another important aspect in making movie magic are the people behind the computer making the magic. The transition of the scenes, the kind of cuts they use, the color grading, the sound or special effects used, the computer-generated image (CGI). All these are very important to make a movie be as realistic and creative as possible. You may also see training outline .
• Costume design. Do the costumes fit the scene or the action sequence that he or she is playing? In the world of cinema and film, you need to have an eye for fashion especially when you want to make the icon more memorable. Take the costume of Wonder Woman or Indiana Jones.You may also see book outline .
• Set design. Consider how the setting of the film influenced its other elements. Did it add or subtract from the experience for you? If the movie was filmed in a real place, was this location well-chosen?
• Score or soundtrack. Indiana Jones. Star Wars. The Extra Terrestrial (E.T.). All composed by the man and the legend, John Williams. He does not choose any song willy-nilly. He takes the time to conduct an in-depth analysis of each scene in order to determine what specific mood must be set for that particular sequence in order to achieve maximum effect, especially among the audience. You may also see thesis outline .

4. Watch it one more time . It’s impossible to fully understand a movie you’ve only seen one time, especially if you’re pausing it often to take notes. Take the time to review it once more completely, without any disturbances and look back on the things that you’ve written as to whether they are correct or not. You may also see APA outline .

Performance Review Outline

Reviewing your Movie Review

Edit your review. Once you’ve finished the first draft, read it through and decide whether it flows well and has the right structure. At this stage, you may need to shift around paragraphs or even delete the unnecessary parts in order to have the correct flow of ideas and thoughts. Give your review at least one editorial pass, before you consider it to be editorially sound. You may also see rough outline .

• Proofread your review.  In proofreading your movie review, make sure that you are able to get all the details right, the scenes, the names, every single detail, so that it can be considered an accurate portrayal of the movie. You may also see presentation outline .
• Publish or share your review.  You might want to consider publishing your review online or on the newspapers. In doing so, this will accomplish two things: people who would have wanted to make their review about that particular movie, but was unable to do so now have the means of sharing what they think through your words, or allow yourself to be open to feedback from other “film critics” to engage in an intellectual discourse about the film. You may also see course outline .

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Explore and Read the Best Free Movie Scripts Online (with PDF Downloads)

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I ntroducing StudioBinder’s screenplay library — your one-stop-shop for reading, downloading, and analyzing the best movie scripts online. Our collection contains all the feature-length screenplays in our database as well as scripts that we have broken down by plot, character, ending, quotes, and more. Our hope is that screenwriters everywhere can have access to these iconic screenplays and that the lessons therein can make us all better writers. Enjoy!

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12 Years A Slave

Written By: John Ridley (screenplay), based on the book by Solomon Northup

Synopsis : In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

crime, drama

12 angry men.

Written By: Reginald Rose

Synopsis : A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence.

Written By: Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (screenplay), based on the book by Aron Ralston

Synopsis : A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

horror, thriller

Written By:   Matt Greenberg and Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (screenplay), based on the short story by Stephen King

Synopsis : A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.

Written By: Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns

Synopsis : April 6th, 1917. As a regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.

sci-fi, Drama

2001: a space odyssey.

Written By: Stanley Kubrick & Arthur C. Clarke 

Synopsis : After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, mankind sets off on a quest to find its origins with help from intelligent supercomputer H.A.L. 9000.

comedy, Action

21 jump street.

Written By: Michael Bacall

Synopsis : A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.

Action, War

Written By: Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon (screenplay), based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller & Lynn Varley

Synopsis : King Leonidas of Sparta and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C.

comedy, romance

The 40 year-old virgin.

Written By:  Judd Apatow, Steve Carell 

Synopsis : Goaded by his buddies, a nerdy guy who's never "done the deed" only finds the pressure mounting when he meets a single mother.

romance, comedy

(500) days of summer.

Written By: Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

Synopsis : An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.

drama, musical

Written By:  Scott Silver 

Synopsis : A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.

sci-fi, thriller

Written By: James Gray & Ethan Gross

Synopsis : Astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

drama, comedy

How Charlie Kaufman Twist Real Life  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Charlie Kaufman (screenplay), based on the book by Susan Orlean 

Synopsis : A lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.

comedy, fantasy

The addams family.

Written By: Charles Addams & Caroline Thompson and Larry Wilson

Synopsis : Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.

animation, action

The adventures of tintin.

Written By: Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish (screenplay), based on "The Adventures of Tintin" by Hergé 

Synopsis : Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor.

sci-fi, horror

Written By: Dan O'Bannon

Synopsis : After a space merchant vessel receives an unknown transmission as a distress call, one of the crew is attacked by a mysterious life form and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.

comedy, drama

Almost famous.

Written By: Cameron Crowe

Synopsis : A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.

American Beauty

Written By: Alan Ball 

Synopsis : A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.

drama, crime

American history x.

Written By: David McKenna

Synopsis : A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.

American Pie

Written By: Adam Herz

Synopsis : Four teenage boys enter a pact to lose their virginity by prom night.

American Psycho

Written By: Mary Harron & Guinevere Turner (screenplay), based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis

Synopsis : A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

Written By: Will Ferrell & Adam McKay

Synopsis : Ron Burgundy is San Diego's top-rated newsman in the male-dominated broadcasting of the 1970s, but that's all about to change for Ron and his cronies when an ambitious woman is hired as a new anchor.

Written By: Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman

Synopsis : Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.

animation, romance

Written By: Charlie Kaufman

Synopsis : A man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary.

The Apartment

Written By: Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond

Synopsis : A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.

Written By: Eric Heisserer (screenplay), based on the novel by Ted Chiang

Synopsis : A linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.

sci-fi, action

Written By: James Cameron

Synopsis : A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

action, sci-fi

The avengers.

Written By: Joss Whedon

Synopsis : Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.

Avengers: Endgame

Written By: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely

Synopsis : After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.

action, crime

Baby driver.

Written By: Edgar Wright

Synopsis : After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

Back to the Future

 Back to the Future & the Flat Character Arc  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale

Synopsis : Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent thirty years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the eccentric scientist Doc Brown.

The Babadook

Written By: Jennifer Kent 

Synopsis : A single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home.

comedy, crime, drama, tv

Barry (pilot).

Written By: Alec Berg & Bill Hader

Synopsis : A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.

action, fantasy

Batman begins.

Written By: Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer (screenplay), based on the comics by Bob Kane

Synopsis : After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption.

Being John Malkovich

Synopsis : A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.

romance, fantasy

Beauty and the beast.

Written By: Stephen Chbosky & Evan Spiliotopoulos (screenplay), based on the 1991 animated film "Beauty and the Beast" animation screenplay by Linda Woolverton

Synopsis : A selfish Prince is cursed to become a monster for the rest of his life, unless he learns to fall in love with a beautiful young woman he keeps prisoner.

The Big Bang Theory (S2 EP4)

Written By: Stephen Engel & Tim Doyle (teleplay), based on the story by Bill Prady & Chuck Lorre 

Synopsis : The guys struggle to cope with Raj's arrogance after he is featured in a People magazine article.

drama, fantasy

Written By: John August (screenplay), based on the novel by Daniel Wallace

Synopsis : A frustrated son tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life.

comedy, crime

The big lebowski.

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Written By: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Synopsis : Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

The Big Sick

Written By:  Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani

Synopsis : Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.

crime, comedy, drama

The big short.

Written By: Charles Randolph & Adam McKay (screenplay), based on the book by Michael Lewis

Synopsis : In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the US mortgage market. In their research they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.

Written By: Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Nicolás Giacobone & Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo

Synopsis : A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.

Black Panther

Written By: Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole (screenplay), based on the comics by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby

Synopsis : T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.

BlacKkKlansman

Written By: Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz & Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee (screenpaly), based on the book by Ron Stallworth

Synopsis : Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, CO, successfully manages to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan branch with the help of a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.

Blade Runner

Written By: Hampton Fancher & David Webb Peoples (screenplay), based on the novel by Philip K. Dick

Synopsis : A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space, and have returned to Earth to find their creator.

Blade Runner 2049

Written By: Hampton Fancher & Michael Green (screenplay), based on the novel by Philip K. Dick

Synopsis : Young Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.

action, thriller

The bourne ultimatum.

Written By: Tony Gilroy and Scott Z. Burns & George Nolfi (screenplay), based on the novel by Robert Ludlum

Synopsis : Jason Bourne dodges a ruthless C.I.A. official and his Agents from a new assassination program while searching for the origins of his life as a trained killer.

The Breakfast Club

Written By: John Hughes

Synopsis : Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.

DRAMA, tv, crime

Breaking bad - pilot (s1e1).

Written By: Vince Gilligan and Sam Catlin & Moira Walley-Beckett

Synopsis :  Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, chemistry teacher Walter White teams up with former student Jesse Pinkman to cook and sell crystal meth.

drama, tv, crime

Breaking bad - the fly (s3e10).

Written By: Vince Gilligan and Sam Catlin & Moira Walley-Beckett 

Synopsis : There is a fly loose in the lab. Walt and Jesse must do whatever they can to kill it before it contaminates the meth.

COMEDY, romance

Bridesmaids.

Written By: Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo 

Synopsis : Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.

crime, western

Butch cassidy and the sundance kid.

Written By: William Goldman 

Synopsis : Wyoming, early 1900s. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are the leaders of a band of outlaws. After a train robbery goes wrong they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. Their solution - escape to Bolivia.

romance, drama

Call me by your name.

Written By: James Ivory (screenplay), based on the novel by André Aciman

Synopsis : In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father's research assistant.

Written By: Lawrence D. Cohen (screenplay by), based on the novel by Stephen King

Synopsis : Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.

romance, war

Written By:  Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch 

Synopsis : A cynical American expatriate struggles to decide whether or not he should help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape French Morocco.

Catch Me If You Can

Written By:  Jeff Nathanson (screenplay), based on the book by Frank Abagnale Jr & Stan Redding

Synopsis : Barely 21 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl, becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.

Written By:  William Broyles Jr.

Synopsis : A FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.

Citizen Kane

Written By:  Herman J. Mankiewicz & Orson Welles

Synopsis : Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance; 'Rosebud'.

Chernobyl (Episode 1)

Written By:  Craig Mazin

Synopsis : In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics becomes one of the world's worst man-made catastrophes.

Written By:  Robert Towne 

Synopsis : A private detective hired to expose an adulterer finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.

A Chrismas Story

Written By:  Jean Shepherd & Leigh Brown and Bob Clark

Synopsis : In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.

A Clockwork Orange

Written By:  Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), based on the novel by Anthony Burgess

Synopsis : In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.

Written By: Adrian Molina & Matthew Aldrich

Synopsis : Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.

thriller, crime

Written By:  Stuart Beattie

Synopsis : A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Written By:  Charlie Kaufman (screenplay), based on the novel by Chuck Barris 

Synopsis : An adaptation of the cult memoir of game show impresario Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell), in which he purports to have been a C.I.A. hitman.

The Conjuring

Written By:  Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes

Synopsis : Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

Crazy Rich Azians  

Written By:  Peter Chiarelli & Adele Lim (screenplay), based on the novel by Kevin Kwan

Synopsis : This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family.

Written By:  Ryan Coogler & Aaron Covington

Synopsis : The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Written By:  Juel Taylor & Sylvester Stallone 

Synopsis : Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Written By:  Hui-Ling Wang and James Schamus & Kuo Jung Tsai (screenplay), based on the book by Du Lu Wang

Synopsis : A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.

thriller, romance

The crying game.

Written By:  Neil Jordan

Synopsis : A British soldier kidnapped by IRA terrorists soon befriends one of his captors, who then becomes drawn into the soldier's world.

CSI (S4EP15)

Written By:  Anthony E. Zuiker & Carol Mendelsohn (teleplay), based on the story by Elizabeth Devine

Synopsis : Two masked men show up at a house and kill the husband and wife execution-style with two bullets at the back of the head.

action, THRILLER

The dark knight.

Dan Harmon Story Circle  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer (screenplay), based on the original comics by Bob Kane

Synopsis : When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

The Dark Knight Rises

Written By: Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan (screenplay), based on the story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer, based on the characters by Bob Kane

Synopsis : Eight years after the Joker's reign of anarchy, Batman, with the help of the enigmatic Catwoman, is forced from his exile to save Gotham City from the brutal guerrilla terrorist Bane.

action, comedy

What is Breaking the Fourth Wall  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick 

Synopsis : A wisecracking mercenary gets experimented on and becomes immortal but ugly, and sets out to track down the man who ruined his looks.

western, tv

Deadwood (s1 e5).

Written By:  David Milch & John Belluso

Synopsis : Swearengen transforms the Gem into a courtroom as Deadwood is forced to make its own laws to try a cowardly murderer. With Calamity Jane off on a bender, Trixie is enlisted by Swearengen to help Alma with the orphaned child and to keep her pliable to his purposes. Fearing Andy's illness might threaten his business, Cy banishes him to the woods, where he is discovered by Jane.

The Departed

Written By:  William Monahan (screenplay), based on the movie Infernal Affairs  by Alan Mak & Felix Chong

Synopsis : An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.

The Detectorists (S1. E2.)

Written By:  Mackenzie Crook

Synopsis : The lives of two eccentric metal detectorists, who spend their days plodding along ploughed tracks and open fields, hoping to disturb the tedium by unearthing the fortune of a lifetime.

Dexter (Pilot)

Written By:  James Manos Jr. (teleplay), based on the novel by Jeff Lindsay

Synopsis : By day, mild-mannered Dexter is a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police. But at night, he is a serial killer who only targets other murderers.

Written By:  Jeb Stuart & Steven E. de Souza (screenplay), based on the novel by Roderick Thorp

Synopsis : An NYPD officer tries to save his wife and several others taken hostage by German terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.

western, action

Django unchained.

Written By:  Quentin Tarantino

Synopsis : With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

Dog Day Afternoon

Written By:  Frank Pierson 

Synopsis : Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.

sci-fi, fantasy

Donnie darko.

Written By:  Richard Kelly 

Synopsis : After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

Written By:  John Patrick Shanley

Synopsis : A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.

comedy, war

Dr. strangelove.

Written By:  Stanley Kubrick & Terry Southern and Peter George

Synopsis : An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a War Room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.

Written By:  Alex Garland (screenplay), based on the characters by   John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra

Synopsis : In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.

Written By:  Hossein Amini (screenplay), based on the book by   James Sallis

Synopsis :  An action drama about a mysterious Hollywood stuntman and mechanic moonlighting as a getaway driver finding himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbor.

action, war

Written By:  Christopher Nolan

Synopsis : Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army, and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

fantasy, romance

Edward scissorhands.

Written By:  Caroline Thompson (screenplay),  based on the story by Tim Burton & Caroline Thompson

Synopsis : An artificial man, who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands, leads a solitary life. Then one day, a suburban lady meets him and introduces him to her world.

ROMANCE, sci-fi

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.

Written By:  Charlie Kaufman

Synopsis : When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories.

Written By:  Alex Garland

Synopsis : A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.

The Exorcist

Written By:  William Peter Blatty 

Synopsis : When a 12-year-old girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her.

Euphoria (Pilot)

Written By:  Sam Levinson (teleplay), based on the Israeli Series from HOT that was created by Ron Leshem & Daphna Levin

Synopsis : A look at life for a group of high school students as they grapple with issues of drugs, sex, and violence.

action, sci-fi, comedy

Everything everywhere all at once.

Written By:  Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

Synopsis : An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, in which she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.

The Favorite

Written By:  Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara 

Synopsis : In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend, Lady Sarah, governs the country in her stead. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.

crime, thriller

Written By:  Ethan Coen & Joel Coen 

Synopsis : Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

The Farewell

Written By:  Lulu Wang 

Synopsis : A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.

Written By:  August Wilson 

Synopsis : A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Written By:  John Hughes 

Synopsis : A high school wise guy is determined to have a day off from school, despite what the Principal thinks of that.

thriller, drama

Written By: Jim Uhls (screenplay), based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk

Synopsis : An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soapmaker form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more.

horror, sci-fi

Written By: Charles Edward Pogue & David Cronenberg (screenplay), based on the short story by George Langelaan 

Synopsis : A brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.

The Fifth Element

Written By: Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen 

Synopsis : In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.

Written By:  Christopher Nolan 

Synopsis :  A young writer who follows strangers for material meets a thief who takes him under his wing.

Ford v Ferrari

Written By: Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller 

Synopsis : American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

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Forrest Gump

Written By:  Eric Roth (screenplay), based on the novel Winston Groom

Synopsis : The presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal and other historical events unfold from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, whose only desire is to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.

animation, musical

Written By:  Jennifer Lee (screenplay), based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen

Synopsis : When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister Anna teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition.

Friends S1E8

Written By:  Marta Kauffman & David Crane

Synopsis : Monica and Ross mourn the loss of their grandmother. Chandler is shocked to find that people think he is gay.

Game of Thrones (Pilot)

Written By:  David Benioff & D.B. Weiss (screenplay), based on the book by George Martin

Synopsis : Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.

horror, THRILLER

Written By:  Jordan Peele 

Synopsis : A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.

thriller, mystery

The girl on the train.

Written By:  Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay), based on the novel by Paula Hawkins

Synopsis : A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.

Written By:  Kenya Barris & Tracy Oliver 

Synopsis : When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there's enough dancing, drinking, brawling, and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.

comedy, sci-fi

Ghostbusters.

Written By:  Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis

Synopsis : Three former parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.

The Godfather

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Written By:  Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola 

Synopsis : The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Written By:  Gillian Flynn

Synopsis : With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.

Written By:  Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese

Synopsis : The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob, covering his relationship with his wife Karen Hill and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito in the Italian-American crime syndicate.

Good Will Hunting

Written By:  Matt Damon & Ben Affleck

Synopsis : Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.

The Goonies

Written By:  Chris Columbus (screenplay), based on the story by Steven Spielberg

Synopsis : A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.

romance, comedy, drama

The graduate.

Written By:  Calder Willingham & Buck Henry

Synopsis : A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.

Written By:  Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón

Synopsis : Two astronauts work together to survive after an accident leaves them stranded in space.

The Green Mile

Written By:  Frank Darabont (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King

Synopsis : The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.

romance, comedy, fantasy

Groundhog day.

Written By:  Danny Rubin & Harold Ramis

Synopsis : A weatherman finds himself inexplicably living the same day over and over again.

Grown Ups 3

Written By:  Tom Scharpling

Synopsis : Five years after the events of Grown Ups 2 , Lenny, Kurt, Eric and Marcus  reunite with their old friend Rob at a nightclub.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Written By:  James Gunn

Synopsis : The Guardians struggle to keep together as a team while dealing with their personal family issues, notably Star-Lord's encounter with his father the ambitious celestial being Ego.

The Hangover

Written By:  Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

Synopsis : Three buddies wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas, with no memory of the previous night and the bachelor missing. They make their way around the city in order to find their friend before his wedding.

Hannibal S1E7

Written By: Jennifer Schuur &   Bryan Fuller (teleplay), based on characters from the book "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris 

Synopsis : Lecter's patient Franklin Froideveaux worries that his friend Tobias may be a psychopath, but Franklin's growing obsession with Lecter is what concerns the latter more. 

Written By:  John Carpenter & Debra Hill 

Synopsis : Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.

western, crime

The hateful eight.

Synopsis : In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Written By:  Steve Kloves (screenplay), based on the novel by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis : An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.

Written By:  John Hughes

Synopsis : An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation.

animation, fantasy

How to train your dragon 3.

Written By:  Dean DeBlois

Synopsis : When Hiccup discovers Toothless isn't the only Night Fury, he must seek "The Hidden World", a secret Dragon Utopia before a hired tyrant named Grimmel finds it first.

comedy, action

Written By:  Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg 

Synopsis : A skilled London police officer is transferred to a small town with a dark secret.

romance, sci-fi

Written By:  Spike Jonze

Synopsis : In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

horror, drama

Written By:  Ari Aster

Synopsis : A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

Human Nature

Written By:  Charlie Kaufman 

Synopsis : A woman is in love with a man in love with another woman, and all three have designs on a young man raised as an ape.

crime, comedy

Written By:  Martin McDonagh

Synopsis : Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.

Synopsis : A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O.

The Incredibles

Written By:  Brad Bird 

Synopsis : A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.

Raider of the Lost Ark

Written By:  Lawrence Kasdan

Synopsis : In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before Adolf Hitler's Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.

Inherent Vice

Written By:  Paul Thomas Anderson (screenplay), based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon 

Synopsis : In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles private investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.

animation, comedy

Written By:  Pete Docter & Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley

Synopsis : After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.

crime, Drama

The irishman.

Written By:  Steven Zaillian (screenplay), based on the book by Charles Brandt

Synopsis : An aging hitman recalls his time with the mob and the intersecting events with his friend, Jimmy Hoffa, through the 1950-70s.

Action, sci-fi

Written By:  Mark Furgus & Hawk Otsby & Art Marcum & Matt Holloway 

Synopsis : After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.

Written By:  Steven Rogers 

Synopsis : Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

Inglourious Basterds

Synopsis : In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.

The Insider

Written By:  Eric Roth & Michael Mann 

Synopsis : A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.

Written By:  Hillary Seitz (screenplay), based on the 1997 screenplay by Nikolaj Frobenius & Erik Skjoldbjærg

Synopsis : Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

sci-fi, action, drama

Interstellar.

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Written By:  Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan 

Synopsis : A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.

Written By:  David Robert Mitchell 

Synopsis : When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.

Jerry Maguire

Written By:  Cameron Crowe 

Jojo Rabbit

Written By:  Taika Waititi (screenplay), based on the novel by Christine Leunens

Synopsis : A young boy in Hitler's army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

Written By:  Todd Phillips & Scott Silver

Synopsis : In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: the Joker.

Written By:  Derek Kolstad 

Synopsis : An ex-hit-man comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog and took everything from him.

Written By:  Diablo Cody 

Synopsis : Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child.

Jurassic Park

Written By:  Michael Crichton & David Koepp (screenplay), based on the novel by Michael Crichton 

Synopsis : A pragmatic paleontologist visiting an almost complete theme park is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.

Written By: Rian Johnson

Synopsis : A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

ACTION, crime

Kill bill vol. 1.

Written By:  Quentin Tarantino 

Synopsis : After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.

Kill Bill Vol. 2

Synopsis : The Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Written By: Shane Black (screenplay),   based on the novel by   Brett Halliday

Synopsis : A murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling actress, and a thief masquerading as an actor.

fantasy, musical

Written By:  Terry Jones

Synopsis : Sixteen-year-old Sarah is given thirteen hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother Toby when her wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King Jareth.

L.A. Confidential

Written By:  Brian Helgeland & Curtis Hanson

Synopsis : As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.

romance, musical

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Written By:  Damien Chazelle 

Synopsis : While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.

Last Action Hero

Written By:  Shane Black & David Arnott (screenplay), based on the story by Zak Penn & Adam Leff 

Synopsis : With the help of a magic ticket, a young movie fan is transported into the fictional world of his favorite action movie character.

The Last Boy Scout

Written By:  Shane Black (screenplay), based on the story by Shane Black & Greg Hicks

Synopsis : A private detective's protected female witness is murdered, prompting him and the victim's boyfriend to investigate the crime that leads to a corrupt politician and a crooked football team owner.

Legally Blonde

Written By:  Karen McCullah & Kirsten Smith (screenplay), based on the novel by Amanda Brown

Synopsis : Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a fashionable sorority queen is dumped by her boyfriend. She decides to follow him to law school, while she is there, she figures out that there is more to her than just looks.

Lethal Weapon

Written By:  Shane Black 

Synopsis : Two newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.

Lethal Weapon II

Written By:  Jeffrey Boam (screenplay), based on the story by Shane Black & Warren Murphy 

Synopsis : Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats who are using their immunity to engage in criminal activities.

The Lobster

Written By:  Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthymis Filippou 

Synopsis : In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.

Written By:  Luke Davies (screenplay), based on the novel by Saroo Brierley

Synopsis : A five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple after getting lost hundreds of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

drama, horror

The lighthouse.

Written By:  Robert Eggers & Max Eggers

Synopsis : Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity whilst living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Written By:  Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts & Linda Woolverton 

Synopsis : After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.

Little Miss Sunshine

Written By:  Michael Arndt 

Synopsis : A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.

Little Women

Written By:  Greta Gerwig (screenplay by), based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott 

Synopsis : Jo March reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the March sisters - four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.

Written By:  Scott Frank and James Mangold & Michael Green

Synopsis : In a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Written By:  Shane Black

Synopsis : Samantha Caine lives in a small town with her daughter. Eight years ago she emerged, two months pregnant, from a nearby river with no memory of her past or who she is. However, she's getting closer to finding out about her past.

Written By:  Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio (screenplay), based on the book by Dr. Seuss

Synopsis : A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

FANTASY, action

Lotr: the fellowship of the ring.

Written By: Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson (screenplay), based on the novel by   J.R.R. Tolkien

Synopsis : A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.

fantasy, action

Lotr: the two towers.

Written By:  Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens & Stephen Sinclair & Peter Jackson (screenplay), based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien

Synopsis : While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.

LOTR: Return of the King

Synopsis : Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.

Lost in Translation

Written By:  Sofia Coppola

Synopsis : A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.

Love Actually

Written By:  Richard Curtis 

Synopsis : Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Written By:  Todd Louiso and Jacob Koskoff & Michael Lesslie (screenplay), based on the play by William Shakespeare

Synopsis : Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

Mad Men (Pilot)

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Written By:  Matthew Weiner 

Synopsis : A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.

Manchester By The Sea

Written By:  Kenneth Lonergan 

Synopsis : A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.

The Martian

Written By:  Drew Goddard (screenplay), based on the novel by Andy Weir

Synopsis : An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

drama, romance

Marriage story.

Written By:  Noah Baumbach

Synopsis : Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

Written By:  Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski 

Synopsis : A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.

Written By:  Tina Fey (screenplay), based on the book by Rosalind Wiseman

Synopsis : Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.

Midnight in Paris

Written By:  Woody Allen 

Synopsis : While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.

Written By:  Ari Aster 

Synopsis : A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Written By:  Lee Isaac Chung 

Synopsis : A Korean family starts a farm in 1980s Arkansas.

Written By:  William Goldman (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King 

Synopsis : After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.

Written By:  Frank Darabont (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King 

Synopsis : A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.

Mission: Impossible

Written By:  David Koepp & Robert Towne (screenplay), based on the story by David Koepp & Steven Zaillian

Synopsis : An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.

Written By:  Christopher Nolan (screenplay), based on the short story "Memento Mori' by Jonathan Nolan

Synopsis :  A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.

horror, fantasy

Monster squad.

Written By:  Shane Black & Fred Dekker

Synopsis : A young group of monster fanatics attempt to save their hometown from Count Dracula and his monsters.

Modern Family

Written By:  Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd 

Synopsis : Three different but related families face trials and tribulations in their own uniquely comedic ways.

Written By:  Barry Jenkins & Tarell Alvin McCraney 

Synopsis : A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Synopsis : The Griswold family's plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.

Written By:  Paddy Chayefsky 

Synopsis : A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit.

The Nice Guys

Written By:  Shane Black & Anthony Bagarozzi 

Synopsis : In 1970s Los Angeles, a mismatched pair of private eyes investigate a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star.

Nightcrawler

Written By:  Dan Gilroy 

Synopsis : When Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.

Night of the Living Dead

Written By:  John A. Russo & George A. Romero 

Synopsis :  A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the East Coast of the United States.

Written By:  Bob Nelson 

Synopsis : An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.

No Country for Old Men

Written By:  Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (screenplay), based on the novel by  Cormac McCarthy 

Synopsis : Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.

Ocean's Eleven

Written By:  Ted Griffin

Synopsis : Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

The Office (Pilot)

Written By:  Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant 

Synopsis : A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium.

biopic, drama

Oppenheimer.

Written By:  Christopher Nolan (screenplay), based on the book by Kai Bird Martin Sherwin

Synopsis : The story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

On the Waterfront

Written By:  Budd Schulberg 

Synopsis : An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

war, action

The patriot.

Written By:  Robert Rodat

Synopsis : Peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.

The Parasite

Written By:  Bong Joon Ho & Jin Won Han 

Synopsis : Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.

Peaky Blinders (S1 E1)

Written By:  Steven Knight 

Synopsis : A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England; centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby.

Pet Sematary

Written By:  Stephen King (screenplay), based on the book by Stephen King

Synopsis : After tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Written By:  Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert (screeplay),

Synopsis : Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.

Written By:  Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope (screenplay), based on the book by  Martin Sixsmith 

Synopsis : A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.

The Postman

Written By:  Eric Roth & Brian Helgeland (screenplay), based on the novel by David Brin

Synopsis : A nameless drifter dons a postman's uniform and bag of mail as he begins a quest to inspire hope to the survivors living in post-apocalyptic America.

The Princess Bride

Written By:  William Goldman 

Synopsis : While home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

The Predator

Written By:   Fred Dekker & Shane Black (screnplay), based on the characters by Jim Thomas & John Thomas 

Synopsis : When a young boy accidentally triggers the universe's most lethal hunters' return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled scientist can prevent the end of the human race.

The Prestige

Written By:   Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan (screenplay), based on the novel by Christopher Priest

Synopsis : After a tragic accident, two stage magicians engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.

The Producers

Written By:  Mel Brooks

Synopsis : A stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.

Pulp Fiction

Written By:  Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary

Synopsis : The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

A Quiet Place

Written By:  Bryan Woods and Scott Beck & John Krasinski

Synopsis : In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.

Written By: Ronald Bass & Barry Morrow (screenplay), based on the short story by Barry Morrow

Synopsis : Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.

Ratatouille

Written By:  Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava & Jim Capobianco

Synopsis : A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant.

Rear Window

Written By:  John Michael Hayes (screenplay), based on the short story by Cornell Woolrich

Synopsis : A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window, and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend.

Written By: Scott Z. Burns 

Synopsis : Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.

Reservoir Dogs

Synopsis : When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

Rick and Morty (S1. E5.)

Written By:  Justin Roiland & Dan Harmon

Synopsis : An animated series that follows the exploits of a super scientist and his not-so-bright grandson.

Road To Perdition

Written By:  David Self (screenplay), based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins & Richard Piers Rayner

Synopsis : A mob enforcer's son witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.

musical, drama

Written By:  Lee Hall

Synopsis : A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.

Written By:  Sylvester Stallone

Synopsis : A small-time boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavy-weight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

Rosemary's Baby

Written By:  Roman Polanski (screenplay), based onthe novel by Ira Levin 

Synopsis : A young couple trying for a baby move into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, but find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.

comedy, romance, drama

Written By:  Tommy Wiseau

Synopsis : Johnny is a successful bank executive who lives quietly in a San Francisco townhouse with his future wife, Lisa. One day, putting aside any scruple, she seduces Johnny's best friend, Mark. From there, nothing will be the same again.

The Royal Tenenbaums

Written By:  Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson 

Synopsis : The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.

Saving Private Ryan

Written By:  Robert Rodat 

Synopsis : Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.

Crime, drama

Written By:  Oliver Stone 

Synopsis : In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

School of Rock

Written By:  Mike White

Synopsis : After being kicked out of his rock band, Dewey Finn becomes a substitute teacher of an uptight elementary private school, only to try and turn his class into a rock band.

comedy, action, romance

Scott pilgrim vs the world.

Written By:  Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright (screenplay), based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley 

Synopsis : In a magically realistic version of Toronto, a young man must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes one by one in order to win her heart.

Written By:  Kevin Williamson

Synopsis : A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game.

thriller, horror

Secret window.

Written By:  David Koepp (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King

Synopsis : A successful writer in the midst of a painful divorce is stalked at his remote lake house by a would-be scribe who accuses him of plagiarism.

Seinfeld (S.6 E.11)

Written By:  Bruce Kirschbaum & Sam Kass 

Synopsis : The continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends.

Written By:  Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio & Joe Stillman & Roger S.H. Schulman (screenplay), based on the book Willaim Steig 

Synopsis : A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.

Written By:  Andrew Adamson and Joe Stillman & J. David Stem & and David N. Weiss (screenplay), based on the book  William Steig 

Synopsis : Shrek and Fiona travel to the Kingdom of Far Far Away, where Fiona's parents are King and Queen, to celebrate their marriage. When they arrive, they find they are not as welcome as they thought they would be.

Written By:  Taylor Sheridan 

Synopsis : An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.

Silence of the Lambs

Written By:  Ted Tally (screenplay), based on the novel by Thomas Harris 

Synopsis : A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.

The Simpsons S8E2

Written By:  John Swartzwelder (written by), based on the characters by James L. Brooks & Matt Groening & Sam Simon  

Synopsis : After moving to another town for a new job, Homer must decide whether or not to stay when the family have a hard time with the transfer.

The Sixth Sense

Written By:  M. Night Shyamalan 

Synopsis : A boy who communicates with spirits seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.

The Shape of Water

Written By:  Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor 

Synopsis : At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.

Shawshank Redemption

Written By:  Frank Darabont (screenplay), based on the short story "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King 

Synopsis : Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.

horror, comedy

Shaun of the dead.

Written By:  Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright 

Synopsis : A man's uneventful life is disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.

The Shining

Written By:  Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King 

Synopsis : A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.

The Sopranos (Pilot)

Written By:  David Chase 

Synopsis : New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.

Written By:  Pete Docter & Mike Jones & Kemp Powers 

Synopsis : After landing the gig of a lifetime, a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife.

The Spectacular Now

Written By:  Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (screenplay), based on the novel Tim Tharp 

Synopsis : A hard-partying high school senior's philosophy on life changes when he meets the not-so-typical "nice girl."

Written By:  Graham Yost 

Synopsis : A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

Written By:  David Koepp (screenplay), based on the comics by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko 

Synopsis : When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a nerdy, shy, and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family.

ACTION, FANTASY

Spider man 2.

Written By:  Alfred Gough (screenplay), based on the comics by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

Synopsis : Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a brilliant scientist named Doctor Otto Octavius.

ANIMATION, ACTION, FANTASY

Spider-man: into the spider-verse.

Written By:  Phil Lord & Rodney Rothman 

Synopsis : Teen Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man of his reality, crossing his path with five counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities.

fantasy, horror

Sleepy hollow.

Written By:  Andrew Kevin Walker 

Synopsis : Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, with the culprit being the legendary apparition, The Headless Horseman.

action, drama

Stand by me.

Written By:  Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King

Synopsis : After the death of one of his friends, a writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.

Star Wars: A New Hope

Written By:  George Lucas

Synopsis : Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.

ACTION, SCI-FI

Star wars: the empire strikes back.

Written By:  Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan & George Lucas 

Synopsis : After the Rebels are brutally overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker begins Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader and a bounty hunter named Boba Fett all over the galaxy.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Written By:  Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams & Michael Arndt

Synopsis : As a new threat to the galaxy rises, Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, an ex-stormtrooper, must join Han Solo and Chewbacca to search for the one hope of restoring peace.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Written By:  George Lucas 

Synopsis : Two Jedi escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their old glory.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Synopsis : Three years into the Clone Wars, the Jedi rescue Palpatine from Count Dooku. As Obi-Wan pursues a new threat, Anakin acts as a double agent between the Jedi Council and Palpatine and is lured into a sinister plan to rule the galaxy.

Step Brothers

Written By:  Will Ferrell & Adam McKay (screenplay), based on the story by John C. Reilly

Synopsis : Two aimless middle-aged losers still living at home are forced against their will to become roommates when their parents marry.

Straight Outta Compton

Written By:  Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff & S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus & Andrea Berloff

Synopsis : The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.

drama, tv, sci-fi

Stranger things (pilot).

Written By:  Matt Duffer & Ross Duffer 

Synopsis : When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief and his friends must confront terrifying supernatural forces in order to get him back.

Written By:  Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg

Synopsis : Two co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.

noir, drama

Sunset boulevard.

Written By:  Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder & D.M. Marshman Jr. 

Synopsis : A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.

Synecdoche, New York

Synopsis : A theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

Taxi Driver

Written By:  Paul Schrader 

Synopsis : A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action by attempting to liberate a presidential campaign worker and an underage prostitute.

Training Day

Written By:  David Ayer 

Synopsis : A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.

The Terminator

Written By:  James Cameron & William Wisher 

Synopsis : A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Synopsis : A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her teenage son, John Connor, from a more advanced and powerful cyborg.

Synopsis : Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

Written By:  James Cameron 

Synopsis : A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

There Will Be Blood

Written By:  Paul Thomas Anderson (screenplay), based on the novel by Upton Sinclair

Synopsis : A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.

Thor: Ragnarok

Written By:  Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost

Synopsis : Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Written By:  Martin McDonagh 

Synopsis : A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

Written By:  Kevin Jarre

Synopsis : A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.

Written By:  John Lasseter & Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton

Synopsis : A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's room.

Toy Story 2

Synopsis : When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends set out on a rescue mission to save Woody before he becomes a museum toy property with his roundup gang Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye.

Toy Story 3

Written By:  John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich 

Synopsis : The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.

Toy Story 4

Written By:  Andrew Stanton & Stephany Folsom  

Synopsis : When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.

western, drama

Written By:  Ethan Coen & Joel Coen (screenplay), based on the novel by Charles Portis

Synopsis : A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.

romance, crime

True romance.

Synopsis : In Detroit, a lonely pop culture geek marries a call girl, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood. Meanwhile, the owners of the cocaine, the Mob, track them down in an attempt to reclaim it.

drama, sci-fi

The truman show.

Written By:  Andrew Niccol 

Synopsis : An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.

Written By:  Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay), based on the book by Stephenie Meyer 

Synopsis : Bella Swan moves to Forks and encounters Edward Cullen, a gorgeous boy with a secret.

The Two Popes

Written By:  Anthony McCarten 

Synopsis : Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.

Written By:  Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie

Synopsis : With his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.

Written By:  Pete Docter & Bob Peterson

Synopsis : 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.

Up in the Air

Written By:  Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner (screenplay), based on the novel by Walter Kirn

Synopsis : Ryan Bingham enjoys living out of a suitcase for his job, travelling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by the presence of a potential love interest, and a new hire.

Written By:  Jordan Peele

Synopsis : A family's serene beach vacation turns to chaos when their doppelgängers appear and begin to terrorize them.

The Usual Suspects

Written By:  Christopher McQuarrie

Synopsis : A sole survivor tells of the twisty events leading up to a horrific gun battle on a boat, which began when five criminals met at a seemingly random police lineup.

Written By:  Alec Coppel & Samuel A. Taylo

Synopsis : A former police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with a hauntingly beautiful woman.

Storytelling Without Dialogue in WALL-E

Written By:  Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon (screenplay), based on the story by Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter 

Synopsis : In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

War for the Planet of the Apes

Written By:  Mark Bomback & Matt Reeves (screenplay), based on the characters by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver 

Synopsis : After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.

Wedding Crashers

Written By:  Steve Faber & Bob Fisher

Synopsis : John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, a pair of committed womanizers who sneak into weddings to take advantage of the romantic tinge in the air, find themselves at odds with one another when John meets and falls for Claire Cleary.

The Wizard of Oz

Written By: Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson & Edgar Allan Woolf & Noel Langley (screenplay), based on the book by L. Frank Baum Synopsis: Dorothy Gale is swept away from a farm in Kansas to a magical land of Oz in a tornado and embarks on a quest with her new friends to see the Wizard who can help her return home to Kansas and help her friends as well.

ROMANCE, comedy

When harry met sally.

Written By:  Nora Ephron Synopsis : Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

Synopsis : A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.

The World's End

Synopsis : Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from twenty years earlier unwittingly become humanity's only hope for survival.

Wreck-It Ralph

Written By:  Rich Moore and Phil Johnston & Jim Reardon & Phil Johnston & Jennifer Lee

Synopsis : A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.

Written By:  Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick 

Synopsis : A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the last Twinkie, and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America.

Written By:  Jared Bush & Phil Johnston 

Synopsis : In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

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Film&Movie Review Examples and Samples

Reviewing films can seem fun, but it actually takes discipline to explain all the elements of a film and to express your opinion succinctly. Check out our film review samples to gain a better understanding of how to write one yourself.

How to Write a Movie Review: A Comprehensive Guide

Writing a movie review is an engaging process that combines film criticism, analysis, and personal opinion to create an informative and thought-provoking piece. A well-crafted review not only serves as a helpful guide for potential viewers but also deepens our understanding of the cinematic experience. In this article, we will explore the essentials of review writing, focusing on crucial elements such as plot summary, thesis, opinion, characters, cinematography, and more.

Start with a Plot Summary

Begin your movie review with a brief synopsis, offering an overview of the film’s storyline. This recap should be concise and engaging, giving readers a general idea of the movie’s premise without revealing too much. For a more structured approach, consider using an AI literature review generator to help you summarize key points efficiently. Remember that your summary sets the stage for the critique and analysis that follow.

Develop a Thesis

Your thesis is the central idea or argument that you will explore in your movie review. This main point should be clear and focused, serving as the backbone of your critique. Consider what themes or aspects of the film stood out to you, and build your thesis around these observations.

Express Your Opinion

A significant aspect of writing a movie review is sharing your personal viewpoint or perspective. Offer your judgment on the film’s strengths and weaknesses, providing specific examples from the movie to support your appraisal. Be honest and thoughtful in your assessment, considering both your own preferences and the film’s intended audience.

Analyze the Characters

Discuss the film’s characters, examining their roles, personas, and the actors’ performances. Consider how the cast contributes to the overall narrative and whether their portrayals are convincing and memorable. Analyze the characters’ development throughout the movie, as well as the relationships between them.

Examine the Cinematography

Cinematography plays a crucial role in a film’s visual style and storytelling. Delve into the camera work, lighting, photography, and framing, evaluating how these elements enhance or detract from the movie’s overall impact. Consider how the cinematography supports the film’s themes and emotions.

Conduct a Thorough Analysis

A comprehensive movie review requires a detailed examination of various aspects of the film. Study the director’s choices, the music and sound design, and the technical elements such as craftsmanship and artistry. This thorough scrutiny will help you provide a well-rounded critique that captures the essence of the movie.

Discuss the Director’s Role

The director is the creative force behind a film, responsible for shaping its vision and execution. Analyze the director’s choices, considering their impact on the film’s storytelling, pacing, and overall atmosphere. Reflect on the director’s previous work, if applicable, and how this film fits into their oeuvre.

Evaluate Music and Sound

Music and sound play an essential role in creating a film’s mood and atmosphere. Examine the soundtrack, score, and audio design, considering how these elements contribute to the movie’s overall experience. Discuss the effectiveness of the composition, melody, and soundscapes in enhancing the narrative.

Assess Technical Aspects 

Review the technical aspects of the film, such as the expertise and proficiency of the crew, the quality of the special effects, and the overall production value. Analyze how these elements contribute to the film’s success or shortcomings, and whether they support the movie’s themes and narrative.

Evaluate the Acting 

Analyze the actors’ performances, considering their delivery, expression, and interpretation of their roles. Discuss whether the acting feels authentic and engaging, and how it contributes to the film’s overall impact. Pay attention to standout performances or any instances where the acting may have detracted from the movie’s overall quality.

In summary, writing a movie review involves a careful balance of plot summary, thesis development, opinion sharing, and thorough analysis of various aspects of the film, including characters, cinematography, directorial choices, music and sound, and technical elements. By considering all these factors and incorporating the appropriate keyword density and LSI keywords organically throughout your review, you can create an engaging, informative, and well-rounded critique that will appeal to readers and enhance their appreciation for the film. Remember to be honest and thoughtful in your assessment, and most importantly, enjoy the process of delving into the world of cinema.

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How to Make a Movie Review

Whether you are an amateur or professional film critic, video editing skills are a must. Learn how to make a video in a few simple steps!

How to review a movie

Many people watch films and like to review them. Moreover, the more reviews the movie has, the better understanding of it can be for the average user. Each reviewer is different from others in some way, be it discussing the specifics of movies, making movie summaries for those who haven't watched it yet; explaining how and which genre features are used, or even focusing on a specific topic based on a particular scene.

Do you have something to say about films that interest you and wonder how to do a movie review? Specific details may vary between genres and depend on the style you're going for in your movie critique, but in general, the following steps can help:

• Start with a short introduction, present yourself, and name the film's title.
• Highlight the features of the movie that made it unique or piqued your interest — the reason why you are reviewing it.
• Describe the main plot without revealing too many spoilers (if necessary, during editing, include a warning and a time stamp to jump to avoid spoilers).
• Evaluate the technical aspects of the film: the acting, the directing style, and the cinematography. You can also pay attention to the score and sound effects if they are important.
• Include favorite quotes or interesting dialogue from the film — some may be useful as recurring gags if they fit your script.
• In the end, summarize your review, highlight key points, express your overall rating of the movie, and whether you would recommend it or not, depending on that.

When all the material has been filmed, there is only one thing left to do, but it may be the most important one – editing. It may seem complicated if you don't have enough experience yet, but if this is the case, our online editing tool will help you out. Working with it is pretty simple:

Open Clideo’s Online Video Editor and click "Get started", then the "+" icon to import media files from your device. You can also upload them from online cloud storage.

You can also use the built-in media libraries to look for audio, images, clips, and other elements that would fit the style of your video or help illustrate your point better.

Edit the video

In the "Canvas" tab, you can change the aspect ratio if needed — for example, 16:9 if you post the video on YouTube, and there are other options as well.

To cut out the excess footage, place the playhead on the starting point of the unwanted part, then click "Split" at the top left of the timeline and repeat at every point where it's required. Then, select them and click "Delete" to remove them.

Splitting will also help when you want to change the look of a certain part of the video, like altering colors, applying blur or transparency, etc. Such adjustments can be made by selecting a file in the timeline and applying one of the options in the tab above.

To add music or sound effects, simply place the audio file above the video fragment where it should play. Then, adjust the sound using the "Volume" slider and apply fade-in and fade-out effects in the options tab if needed.

You can also overlay an image or clip over the main video in the timeline and adjust its position in the preview window. This way, you can fit many fragments into one frame while controlling the layers on the timeline.

If you need to add captions, click + on any preset in the "Text" tab or drag it to the preview or timeline. Then, write the text and edit it according to your taste.

When done, click "Export" and choose your preferred export option.

Save the result

Watch the preview to see if everything looks good in the final video. To add changes, click "Edit", otherwise, download your movie review to your device or cloud storage.

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Screenplay Examples: 70+ Examples of Top Hollywood Films

When you’re planning out your next visual storytelling project, creating the treatment, or writing the actual script , you can refer to screenplay examples to guide you. These examples are fully written scripts that have been produced in the industry, and many developing screenwriters, directors, actors, and other filmmaking professionals read scripts to improve their skills.

Here, we cover some of the most instructive screenplay examples in each genre from some of the industry’s best writers and filmmakers.

Action/Adventure

The dark knight.

This grim superhero film is not only one of director Christopher Nolan’s most notable films, but it also established one of the most intriguing villains, thanks to The Joker’s mixture of sinister and goofy characterization. Nolan and the other writers combine the comic book hero action with dark, crime-thriller choices for the protagonist, Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Ocean’s Eleven

With sequels and a spin-off film, this movie is a modern remake that follows a motley crew of skilled but quirky “professionals” in a fun, twisting heist adventure. It covers exposition in a skillful way to let the audience in on the plan without over-explaining, and readers and watchers alike invest quickly in the suave protagonist Danny Ocean as he leads his team through hiccups, improvisations, and terrific comedy riffs.

An oldie but a goodie, this Bruce Willis-lead film pits his rough-around-the-edges cop against a story-driving villain. With the tower as such a limited location, the action is contained and the tension of every scene carries over and builds, increasing suspense.

Other examples include:

• Inglorious Basterds
• The Bourne Ultimatum
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• Lone Survivor

Diablo Cody’s Oscar-winning script weaves quirky teenage humor, quick flashbacks, and high emotional stakes to tell a story about family, love, and motherhood. It uses the conventions of romantic comedies, like boy and girl getting together at the end, as well as memorable lines, props, and characters that make it just plain funny.

(500) Days of Summer

This script uses a nonlinear structure that bounces around the 500 days of the protagonist Tom’s relationship with the hard-to-pin-down Summer and the funny, odd, and sad impacts on his life during and after their relationship.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

This ’80s comedy uses the road movie structure and conventions to show a straight-laced family man who just wants to get home, Neal, played by Steve Martin, traveling with the bumbling and well-meaning Del, played by John Candy. With great physical comedy, comedic tension, and a lot of heart, this script is a great example of playing up the hilarity of two very different characters.

• The Disaster Artist
• The Way, Way Back
• Bridesmaids
• The Hangover
• Hannah and Her Sisters
• Stranger than Fiction
• There’s Something About Mary
• When Harry Met Sally

Straight Outta Compton

This script is a terrific lesson in writing biopics, which are films based on the lives of real people. Read to see the themes and struggles represented in N.W.A’s music first-hand through the characters’ experiences as they create music, navigate the industry, and take their own paths.

The Truman Show

Combining a high concept with a down-to-earth protagonist, this script follows a man who is unknowingly living inside a reality TV show about his life. It features meta elements that set up a whole world within another world that resembles but isn’t quite the same as our own.

American Beauty

This script actually starts at the end of the story with the protagonist Lester telling us what would be the big reveal. Then, the story restarts at the beginning to show how Lester, his family, and his neighbors got there. In available versions of the script, you’ll notice early scenes covering more of the story’s end that were cut from the final film.

Other notable films include:

• Boogie Nights
• Forrest Gump
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Good Will Hunting
• Jerry Maguire
• Little Children
• Lost in Translation
• Up In the Air
• The Visitor

This sci-fi/horror script uses a very minimal style, with short, punchy action lines that rarely go over one line long. The tension builds quickly, and we learn only what we need to know about each character and event of the film, creating hyper-focus on the terror.

The Conjuring

This script uses precise visuals, emphasizes sounds, and characterizes the house where the paranormal activity takes place to fully set the scene and create an eerie atmosphere from beginning to end. The formatting of the script itself, with the use of all caps sounds and actions as well as double dashes, creates a fast and tense pace that’s captured in the film itself.

Ticking clocks are great storytelling devices to amplify stakes and create intense pacing. Combined with the story itself, this script becomes a tense, horrifying lesson in creating obstacles, establishing vivid scenes, and keeping the audience guessing.

• A Quiet Place
• The Babadook
• Dawn of the Dead
• Final Destination
• Jennifer’s Body
• The Sixth Sense

This Oscar-winning script by Jordan Peele blends comedy into this satirical thriller/horror story that sheds light on topics like race and class distinction. The visuals and the creation of “the sunken place” amplifies the unsettling nature of the white, upper-class setting and teases out the big, dangerous reveal of what the protagonist’s hosts are really up to.

Training Day

As a first-day-on-the-job movie meets hectic crime thriller, the script follows a clean-cut rookie detective riding with his new, more seasoned partner to learn the ropes. Slowly, small choices become large hurdles as this experienced cop tests the protagonist’s values and traps him in impossible situations, revealing that he’s in some bad business himself.

The Silence of the Lambs

Another Academy Award winner, this screenplay is a great lesson in adaptation writing. It follows an ambitious FBI trainee on a mission to catch a serial killer. This script features gripping interactions between Clarice and Hannibal Lecter, unnerving scenes with the killer on the loose, and a heart-pounding final sequence where Clarice meets her target face-to-face.

• Pulp Fiction
• Shutter Island
• The Departed
• The Girl on the Train
• Nightcrawler
• No Country for Old Men
• Reservoir Dogs
• The Usual Suspects

What To Look For in Screenplay Examples

There are many lessons to learn from reading professional scripts and even comparing them to their filmed counterparts. Some of those lessons include:

• Inspiring character development: Look out for memorable introductions, clear goals, unique quirks, and life-like personalities. Use the hero’s journey structure to track your protagonist’s growth in the film.
• Realistic dialogue:  What your characters say should feel natural to the world they’re in and to the audience watching. Find lines that bring out character personalities and show, not tell, the story. Consider also using localized slang or affectations to really bring people and places to life.
• Great scene description: Scripts can really show readers what they can expect from a scene’s setting by choosing unique locales, using precise language and visuals, and integrating thematic settings, objects, and colors.
• Well-executed plot points: Review both chronological and more complex or non-chronological structures that complement or improve the story. For example, Quentin Tarantino chose a structure of three interrelated stories for Pulp Fiction .
• Engaging scenes: Many script-to-film examples demonstrate how strong tension is built into scenes that keep readers and audiences on the edge of their seats. Scenes with clear obstacles and protagonist motivations keep eyes on the page and screen.
• Twists on genre conventions: Writers can subvert reader and audience expectations by making deliberate choices that go against the norm for a specific genre, such as in Cabin in the Woods . Others choose to blend genres together. Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a lesson in covering the whole gamut, including spy thriller, Western, sci-fi, and Indiana Jones- style adventure, not to mention the screwball comedy of the Looney Tunes.

Where To Find Screenplay Examples

There are many trusted sites that provide links to PDF files of scripts for you to download, read, and analyze. Some great sources include:

• The Script Lab
• The Internet Movie Script Database
• Simply Scripts
• The Black List’s “Go Into the Story”
• Daily Script

Reviewing scripts and produced films helps you develop as a filmmaker and visual storyteller. You can learn other techniques in cinematography, production design , and directing when comparing scripts to their final films. A professional filmmaking program like NFI’s Cinema Production Program can provide you the resources to study films and produce your own stories.

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 has released four script samples for the new movie… but only one of them is real

Can you guess which script is real?

The team behind the Five Nights at Freddy’s video game celebrated 10 years of the iconic franchise by releasing behind-the-scenes pictures of the animatronic workshop, and a copy of four screenplay pages for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie sequel. But there’s a catch, only one of the scripts is the real thing. 

"There is one more surprise before the day is over. We will be releasing one page from the actual Five Nights at Freddy's 2 movie screenplay," said game creator ScottGames on Twitter. "Of course, it might be more interesting if it were released alongside three FAKE screenplay pages. It will be up to the fanbase to figure out which page is REAL."

The first of the four pages depicts a scene where it seems like Vanessa, played by Elizabeth Lail in the first movie, is trapped inside the animatronic Chica. In the second, a US General and Captain are talking about Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria being used to test out government-funded robotics, and in the third Abby is telling Mike (Josh Hutcherson) to burn some plushies because they are contaminated. Finally, in the fourth, a man and two kids enter Freddy Fazbear’s, turn on the animatronics and carousel, and then walk downstairs into darkness. Check out the scripts below. 

pic.twitter.com/dCxDOlDcoU August 8, 2024

Fans quickly rallied to figure out which script is the real deal, with many leaning towards script 4 as it lines up with the second game. "My bet is on #4, because if this is an interpretation of FNaF 2 to some extent," said one fan , while another echoed , "The fourth one includes a carousel, which the FNaF 2 location has one, so I think the final page is real."

But another fan pointed out a key detail on number two, adding, "I'm genuinely thinking the military one is the real one, not because it's so out of place, but because it actually might be the reasoning for why the toy animatronics in FNaF 2 have facial recognition tied to a criminal database."

In addition to the screenplays, ScottGames also revealed some behind-the-scenes pictures from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. From the images, which you can see below, it looks like Henson has Toy versions of Freddy and Bonnie and Withered versions of Foxy and Chica. It is important to note that the Toy and Withered versions of the animatronics appear in the second game, which suggests the movie franchise may be following the same storyline as the games.

Let's top off the day with four more images from the amazing Jim Henson's Creature Shop! pic.twitter.com/RL9RNYGZIY August 8, 2024

Similarly to the first game, the first Five Nights at Freddy’s movie follows a security guard on his first night shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, who soon finds out that the restaurant is crawling with killer animatronics that come alive at night. Soon after the original made a splash at the box office , a sequel was announced. Star Matthew Lillard, who plays the villainous pizzeria owner and part-time child killer, confirmed earlier this year that the sequel will start filming this October .

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 releases on December 5, 2025. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies , or keep up with upcoming horror movies heading your way in 2024 and beyond.

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

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