Leanne R.
Leanne R.

How to Write a Movie Review Without Spoilers

10 min read

Published on: Jan 4, 2023

Last updated on: Jan 3, 2023

How to Write a Movie Review

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A movie review is an essay that evaluates a film. It discusses the content and quality of the movie and its overall effect on the viewer.

When you watch a movie, it's hard to think of anything else but the film. You may have all sorts of thoughts and feelings while watching them, whether they're excitement or fear for what will happen next- sometimes even both!

There are certain steps you can take to ensure your review is well written and engaging. In this blog post, we will discuss the writing process and provide examples from popular films.

Let's get started!

Movie Review Definition

A movie review is written after watching the movie with an angle to inspect its plot, characters, settings and storyline.

The movies are a great way to escape from reality, but if you're going into the theater with no idea what's happening or who these characters are then it can be difficult. That’s where movie reviews come in!

A review will give enough information for someone unfamiliar with a film, so they know whether its worth watching by giving background knowledge of the movie.

The professional movie reviews are more structured, sharper and detailed than those made by amateurs. They have a deep understanding of different film genres along with filming techniques for each genre as well as their own director's previous works or classic movies.

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Purpose of a Movie Review

To write a great movie review, it is compulsory to understand what’s your purpose behind writing it:

  • To Discuss the Plot: When talking about the characters in this film, don’t give away all their secrets. Make it so that someone who has never seen it still wants to watch and find out what happens!
  • Analysis of the movie: There are many aspects to analyze in a movie for you, as a viewer and reviewer. By the analysis you’ll be able to give objective opinion regarding the movie & tell if the director is successful in portraying the main idea.
  • Your Opinion Matters: You can talk about how the movie had a unique and interesting story that captivated you from beginning to end. Never forget to give your opinion in the movie review. It will help readers decide if the movie is really worth watching.
  • Your Recommendation About the Movie: Write what your readers can expect in the movie. Mention the genre of the movie and its most prominent features. Talk about the positive & negative points of the movie.
  • To Entertain the Reader: One of the most enjoyable things about reading movie reviews is that it gives you an opportunity to make your own opinion. It can be hard deciding which films will impress others, but by reviewing them and seeing what other people think you might discover some new favorite movies!

Movie Review Outline

Structuring is extremely helpful in any type of paper and movie reviews aren't an exception. A written outline will help you organize your thoughts properly. Here are the elements of an outline of a movie review:

  • Introduction: Give general information related to the movie like the title, genre, release date, the main actors in it, the movie company and the total budget it made.
  • Plot Summary:This is a concise summary of the movie plot, characters and their interactions.
  • Analysis of the movie: Add the following in the analysis of the movie:
    • Plot Elements: The starting point of the movie, the rising action of the plot and resolution.
    • Creative Elements: Discuss the characters, the use of the color scheme, angles, mood, symbols, used costumes, etc.
    • Topic Significance: Relate hope the topic is significant in the plot.
  • Your Opinion: Give your point of view with logical reasons.
  • Conclusion: Narrate if the movie was successful & if its worth watching.

How To Write A Movie Review Format

Here is the simple format for a movie review essay writing:

  • Leave 1-inch margins from all sides.
  • Choose a readable & clear font for writing the assignment. The most easily readable fonts are Times New Roman, Bookman and Courier.
  • Pick 12 pt font for writing a movie review.
  • Put the title of the review in the center of the page.

How To Write A Movie Review Essay?

To write a movie review, you need to analyze the film and its content. You also have an opportunity to input in terms of what aspects are most important or interesting about it so that your perspective can stand out when writing for class assignments!

These are the elements of a good movie review that must be present in your review!

  • It contains information about the bibliography.
  • It mentions all the main and minor characters of the movie.
  • It contains a clear description of the plot.
  • It tells about the main themes, setting and the conflicts of the movie.
  • It narrates the positive and negative points of the movie.
  • It overall narrates the movie.

Now you know what makes a review great? Here is the step-by-step writing procedure for your movie review:

1. Selection of the movie for Review

The first step in writing a movie review is to select a good movie. By good movie, we mean a movie with a great plot, good characterization, actions, creative mood and tone.

2. Watch the movie

You need to watch the film with an active mind to review it. At least watch the movie once but if things don’t get much cleared, watch it twice.

When watching the movie for a second time, you can notice all of these little details that contribute towards how someone perceives their film and what they think about it. These things include a focus on characters' emotions as well as clothing or decorating choices throughout the film.

3. Take Notes of Important Events of the Movie

Keep a notepad and pen by your side to write down thoughts as they come, or right after watching an important scene. It’s best if you do this immediately, so the ideas don't escape from memory!

4. Research for the Movie

Filming is an interesting process that involves many people. It's not just the actors and directors who make this shoot so compelling, but also all of those involved in creating visuals for your movie. Try to know about all those behind who made major contributions for the movie.

Facts about production can be really interesting and a great way to make your work more expansive!

5. Deeply Analyze the Movie

What is your opinion on the movie? Did you like it, or do some things bother you about this particular film. Think back to when you first saw the preview and what impression it left with audiences overall- did anyone feel more positive than negative after watching?

Who produced these movies ( studios/production companies), how successful were they at implementing ideas used throughout the narrative storyline. Also add these details in your analysis.

6. Make an Outline

To create a good movie review, you need to think about what your opinion on the film is going to be in advance. Before writing anything concretely (and imperfectly), make an outline of why this particular movie was great or terrible to structure all the thoughts and arguments that will go into it!

7. Decide Your Title for the Review

Make a title for your review. Choose catchy words for the title. For example, ‘Titanic is the Most Romantic movie I Ever Watched!’

8. Write Your Review

You’ve done your research, prepared the perfect arguments and written a great outline. Now it's time to put everything together in an engaging way so that readers can understand what problems arise from this film without knowing too much about how things turn out for them!

9. Proofread & Edit to Make it Better

Make sure to take a break once you’ve written your review. This will help with looking at it from different perspectives and giving more focused input because we know how easily mistakes are made when writing reviews!

Check for spelling errors, grammar problems- everything that could go wrong in such an important document.

Short Movie Review Form

If you're writing a movie review, then following our guide and using these tips should be enough to get an excellent grade.

But what if we tell you there's more than one way of doing it? In that case, we recommend creating standardized templates for future assignments so save time by not having to write everything from scratch every single time.

The general rule for film review writing is to use a template and leave empty text boxes. Alternatively, you can search online or use one of many pre-made templates available on the web.

Here is the basic template for writing a good movie review. Check out this here:

Short Movie Review Form

How To Write A Movie Review - Examples

How to write a movie review in English? Don’t worry we are here to help you. There are many different types of movie reviews out there, but they all have one thing in common: students love writing them! Why? Well for starters it's easy to get started because you don't need any expertise or knowledge about films.

The following pieces are examples of movie review essays that you might want to use when working on your own assignment. In addition, read reviews on the internet to write better.

How to write a movie review for kids? Here is the perfect example that you are looking for!

'Kung Fu Panda' Falls Flat

Though Kung Fu Panda is an adventure about a panda who becomes a kung-fu fighter, it's disappointing because everything in this story has been telegraphed for miles.

The story centers on the enthusiastic, if clumsy Po (Jack Black). He's a rabid armchair kung fu fan and works at his family’s noodle shop during the day while fulfilling an ancient prophecy that was chosen by fate - but will he rise up to meet this challenge?

Despite the panda being voiced by Black, it's a humorful role. If you're going to cast someone as singularly quirky and entertaining like him then take advantage of his eccentric persona!

The supporting characters in this film are so boring that you wonder why the filmmakers bothered to get such a cross section of talent. Sure, it's nice they're trying to encourage kids with confidence issues or something like that but there could have been more creativity put into their message for young audiences.

The most interesting character in this movie is Master Shifu. The film's climactic scene doesn't reveal the fate of its bad guy, which might be because they're planning on making more movies.

This movie is worth watching specially for the kids.

Check out this template to properly structure your essay.

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Things to Avoid in a Movie Review

People make these common mistakes while writing movie reviews but you need to avoid all these:

  • Do not discuss the plot in too much detail. The idea of a movie review is not to put the film on paper—nobody likes spoilers. Only discuss the main plot points in the review. Share with your readers only enough information so they can be curious about seeing it themselves and form their own opinions!
  • Don’t give too general idea of the movie. The best way to summarize a film is by mentioning its strengths and weaknesses. Write according to the level of the target audience.
  • Lack of evidences. When presented with an opinion without any explanation as to why you think that way, it will be difficult for someone else to trust your judgment. The lack of evidence makes the review less valuable.
  • Poor movie research. The output tone of voice should be friendly and inviting. Don't force your readers to conduct their own research, or look for another review on the background information behind a movie.
  • Lacks proper structure. When you have a good structure for your work, it will be much easier to follow and understand what points are being made.
  • No conclusion. If you enjoy a movie, it's always nice to know what other people think about the film. Give a conclusion of the movie for the readers & a few recommendations.

We hope the guide will help to write a film review. Still, if you need help, it is a good idea to ask the professional essay writer of YourEssayWriter.net.

Contact us to place your order and get a written review by professional reviewers!

FAQs

How long is a film review?

The perfect length for your review is 500-750 words. If you want to go beyond this, consider writing in the form of an essay or critically analyzing what's been written.

Leanne R.

WRITTEN BY

Leanne R. (Education, Literature)

Leanne is a Ph.D. graduate from Cambridge and one of our most experienced writers. She has written for newspapers, magazines, and websites around the world as a journalist, editor, and content creator. Her mastery of research and writing make her one of our highest-rated writers on the site.

Leanne is a Ph.D. graduate from Cambridge and one of our most experienced writers. She has written for newspapers, magazines, and websites around the world as a journalist, editor, and content creator. Her mastery of research and writing make her one of our highest-rated writers on the site.

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