Writing a Review

General Information: How to write great reviews  

When writing reviews of any kind—restaurant reviews, book reviews, movie reviews, art reviews, music or concert reviews, and more—it's important to organize your thoughts carefully and always to keep in mind the people who will be likely to read what you write. Keep a few key pointers in mind to ensure that whatever review you write will be intelligent, informative, engaging, and fair.

1. Ask yourself “what does the reader want to know?”

This is the most important thing to remember when writing a review. You can craft the wittiest prose with the cleverest metaphors, but unless the reader finds out what they want to know, you’ve not done your job as a reviewer.

2. Decide on the overall point you want to get across to the reader.

If you know your subject matter well (which, as a reviewer, you should do), you’ll no doubt have a whole ream of opinions, both good and bad, that you can knock back and forth like a review-writing game of tennis. All those viewpoints can get confusing, so simplify it.

3. Be ruthless when editing – don’t be precious about your “art”.

If it doesn’t help you answer the reader’s question (point number 1, above), or isn’t directly conducive to getting your main point across (number 2), then get rid of it! You might be really proud of a line you’ve written, but unless it helps the review as a whole it’s no good.

4. Don’t write about yourself; it’s about the band, book, movie or whatever you’re reviewing.

A classic novice’s mistake this one. Look at any page of Amazon customer reviews, and you’ll no doubt come across someone who tells a story all about how the guy they work with said The Da Vinci Code is great, but I wasn’t sure because he’s not too smart, but then he did recommend that other book to me that was pretty good, although he’s a religious nut so it probably won’t be my thing, but I suppose I should because otherwise he’ll never shut up about it…WHO CARES?

5. Don’t be afraid to state the obvious.

You’re an expert in your field – anything you don’t know about the works of Stephen King isn’t worth knowing! So it can be a bit frustrating as a reviewer to have to hold your reader’s hand and explain to them that he’s a quite well-known horror writer and that they may even have heard of The Shining – it was made into a film, you know?

 6. Don’t praise—or damn—blindly. If you’re going to enshrine the subject, or entomb it, back up your opinions with concrete evidence. Why is that particular pizza so darn good? What's an example of a particular author's dazzling turns of phrase? What about the artist's technique makes a particular painting so exciting? In what ways did the cabaret singer fail to engage the audience?

7. Have an opinion. Writing a review is not an occasion to be modest or self-effacing. As long as you're capable of backing up your opinion, don’t be afraid to express, emphatically, what you feel or believe. Remember: professionalism is in the details. Specific facts, keen observations, and well-considered insights amount to more than opinions.

8. Avoid “I” and “In My Opinion”

Too many critics pepper reviews with phrases like “I think” or “In my opinion.” Again, this is often done by novice critics afraid of writing declarative sentences. But such phrases are unnecessary; your reader understands that it’s your opinion you’re writing about, not someone else’s. So leave out the “I.”

9. Give Background

The critic’s analysis is the centerpiece of any review, but that’s not much use to readers if he doesn’t provide enough background information.

So if you’re reviewing a movie, that means not just outlining the plot but also discussing the director and his previous films, the actors and perhaps even the screenwriter. Critiquing a restaurant? When did it open, who owns it and who’s the head chef? An art exhibit? Tell us a little about the artist, her influences and her previous works.

How to Write a Movie Review

Writing a movie review is a great way of expressing your opinion of a movie.  The purpose of most movie reviews is to help the reader in determining whether they want to watch, rent or buy the movie.  The review should give enough details about the movie that the reader can make an informed decision, without giving anyway any essentials such as the plot or any surprises.  

Below are our guidelines and tips for writing a good movie review.

 1. Watch the movie (seems obvious, but…)

 The first step in writing the review is to watch the movie.  Watch the movie in a relaxed environment you are familiar with.  You do not want to be distracted by an unfamiliar room.  Watching the movie a second time will help you absorb a lot more detail about the movie.  Take notes as they watch the movie review.  (you will turn these in!)

2. Give your opinion (look over the general guidelines again)

 Most movie reviewers will give their opinion of the movie.  This is important as the reviewer can express the elements of the movie they enjoyed or disliked.  However, as in all good journalism, the reviewer should also give impartial details, and allow the reader to make their own mind over an issue the reader liked or disliked.  Opinions should be explained to allow the reader to determine whether they would agree with your opinion.

 Many regular movie reviewers will develop a following.  If one can find a reviewer who shares a similar taste in films, one can confidently follow the reviewer’s recommendations.

 3. Who is your audience? (In this case it is your peers)

 You need to consider who your likely readers are.  Writing a movie review for children requires a different approach than if writing for a movie club.  Ensure you report on the factors that matter to your likely audience.

 4. Give an outline

 Give the plot outline of the movie, but don't give away essential details such as the end or any surprises.  If there is a big surprise you want to entice readers by telling them something special happens, just don't say what.

 5. Actors

 If the movie contains actors, as most do, detail who is starring in the movie and how well you think they acted. (research the actors / directors, etc)

 6. Structure

 Did the movie follow a regular predictable story line? Flashbacks?  Foreshadowing?

7. Cinematography /  lighting

 Give details about how well the movie was shot and directed.  How did the camera angles contribute to the tone and mood?

 8. Music

Did the movie have its own score, or did it feature songs from popular artists?

9. Many of those literary element terms that have you have had in English classes carry over into the film critic vocabulary: plot (and its various components), setting, characters, tone, dialogue, point of view, imagery and don’t forget to look for symbolism.

10. Read, read and read

 Read and check your review thoroughly.  It can be embarrassing to find errors in your work after it has been published.  This is especially important for reviews that will be published on the Internet, as search engines are always looking for the correct spellings of key words.

ASSIGNMENT: 1. Make sure you have read both the general information on reviews and the specifics as regards writing a film review. As well,  please have read the New Yorker review of The Hunger Games. This is the level of detail that should be in your review. 

                2. Choose a film from the list below and watch it. They are all approximately 1:35 minutes long; hence you have Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in class to watch the movie privately. YOU NEED EAR PLUGS! You may not share!

                3. By the end of class, On Monday, March 18 send along  your detailedoutline, that is your organized collection of notes that you took whilst watching the film.  This may include background information on the actors / director (do a bit of reseach), aspects of sound, cinematography and dialogue examples. Make sure you have a copy for yourself. This is the only material you will use to write your reviews the next couple of days. When I read the reviews it must be obvious this was your source material. You have plenty of class time; the expectation is that you will frequently pause the film for you notes, comments and reflections. Anyone should be able to write the review based upon your notes.

                 4. On Wednesday March 20 send along by midnight- your review, which will be a minimum of 500 words.