Writing movie reviews is one of the most exciting things to do with regards to creating the entertainment which comes through movies right after writing the movie scripts themselves.
Movie reviews offer more insights into the movies often after the movies are released for viewing – and this is why movie reviews are quite exciting to read and write. However, writing movie reviews is a very technical and somewhat tasking endeavor.
This is because even when a movie is not exciting, it is the responsibility of the reviewer to create an exciting review.
However, movie reviews are mostly considered to be independent stand-alone pieces and are not necessarily part of the marketing strategy of the publicity teams of the movies production companies. Let us consider five secrets to writing interesting movie reviews with some examples from some popular movies.
See the Movie
This may sound corny, but the first step to writing an effective movie review would definitely be to see the movie itself – and not passively. A competent movie review expert would dedicate time to see a movie and actually pay attention to the movie. This is because it is your job to after the movie has been published, provide perspective on the movie, using scenes and action from the movie itself as a reference point. Most movie reviews usually start with the reviewer pointing out that the movie was out in their locality and that they had fun – or not – seeing the movie. Starting your review with the notion that you have seen the movie gives your reader a heightened sense of trust in the capacity of your review. An example of this can be:
“Over the weekend, Marvel Studios in collaboration with Disney Production Studios released the much anticipated Avengers 3: Infinity War movie and I took some time off regular work to go see this much talked about the movie. It was an exciting time in the cinema and everyone was anxious for the movie to start. Also, there was a generally positive vibe as most people were looking forward to putting an end to the anxiety which came from anticipating the movie – although most of them left the cinema in totally low spirits at the end of the movie.”
From this example, note how the review is opened with a notion of being physically present at the screening of the movie – it not only mentions a fact about the movie or of the writer’s experience seeing it, it also talks about the general ambiance of the cinema-goers.
Consider Your Audience
The Second thing you should take note of is the kind of audience you are targeting. You should reflect your target audience in your movie review because movie reviews should give people some information about a movie before they go to see the movie – this way they won’t throw money away seeing a bad movie or socially inappropriate movie. Also, consider mentioning whether or not a movie is suitable for all audiences or not – and this is very important. An example:
“If you’re going to see Deadpool 2 any time soon, please, leave the kids at home. The movie is laced with profanity and features some incredibly gory scenes which may make your children physically uncomfortable or affect their relationships with people in the near future. Pay the babysitter.”
Support Your Criticism with Facts from the Movie
Just stating your criticism of a movie isn’t effective when that criticism isn’t connected to the plot or scenes from the movie itself. Generally, professional reviewers do not run away from the prospect of telling their readers what they thought was wrong with the plot or production of a movie, what was excess in an actor’s performance and what was piss-poor in the cinematography. However, you must provide perspective on this with scenes from the movie and references from the plot otherwise most people would just consider you a ‘hater’.
Don’t Give Away Too Many Spoilers
This isn’t such a bad thing to do until you leak to the world that the Black Panther dissolves in the Avengers 3: Infinity War movie. Keep as far away from giving spoilers as possible. Spoilers can generally ruin people’s moods and interests in movies and this may affect the performance of the movie. Remember that the aim of a movie review is to get your readers interested in seeing the movie, not the other way round. For example, instead of saying “in the Avengers: Infinity Wars movie, everyone dies” you can say “No one saw the end of the Avengers: Infinity War movie coming, at all.” This way, without giving away that there is sadness to be expected at the end of the movie, you heighten the anticipation for the movie.
Be Professional
One last thing to consider is the fact that your review is an insight into the movie which your audience is yet to see. It should be as professional as possible. Study the writing style of professional reviewers, carve out your style. After you finish writing your own review, read, reread, edit and read some more. This way, you minimize the possibilities of making small but crucial technical flaws. Learn key terms related to movie production, also learn what you can about movie production and the history of filmmaking so as not to be hazy when describing important aspects of a movie you are reviewing.
Writing movie reviews is one assignment which is very common among high school and college students. Most times, doing it without help can be strenuous and it is advisable to seek help from professional writing service providers such as AdvancedWriters.com where you can buy custom movie reviews written by experienced writers.