10 Effective Steps to Write a Film Review Essay

A film review is one of the most interesting essay types. Most people like to watch films and teenagers adore this activity. Therefore, most folks are enthusiastic about this assignment. Nevertheless, it may be quite complicated too. One should apply critical and analytical thinking to understand the main message of the plot and plainly explain it. Some students struggle and require professional help.

 

A 24-hour essay writing service like CustomWritings will surely handle any impediments with your academic assignments. Skilled and certified experts write an essay according to the official rules and do that extremely fast. They likewise write film review essays in a professional way. Nonetheless, it is an alternative and you should use it if there is no other way or enough time to complete your assignment. You should try to accomplish it using your knowledge and skills. Our ultimate guide provides 10 effective steps to successfully complete a film review essay.

Watch the Movie

The first and most obvious step is to watch the movie. The history of writing film reviews knows many cases when students wrote their essays without watching a movie. Moreover, many of them succeeded. Nonetheless, you should not risk it. It’s really hard to write an objective and precise review reading movie descriptions and the critics of other writers or listening to people who watched it.

 

Other people are likely to miss important plot details, which might have been spotted by you. Therefore, try to find time to watch it (more than once if possible). Thus, you’ll plainly understand the main message of the piece from your own viewpoint.

Gather Facts

Even if you have seen the film, make sure you gather information about it. There are many facts that aren’t stated in the film. These are the year of filming, some interesting facts about choosing the cast, uncommon events, details on production, and something of the kind. It’s quite possible that some facts may perfectly edit your review.

Take Notes

Be an active notetaker. You should take instant notes simultaneously with the watching of the film. Besides, take notes after you simply research the story of filming. Organize them dividing into logical categories and think about what points can be successfully implemented in your text.

Judge the Story

Try to write a brief review soon after you watch the movie. Judge everything that may be relevant. Answer the following questions:

• Is the plot development consistent and logical?
• Did the actors manage to show the atmosphere of the movie?
• Is the script alright?
• Are there any gaps in the plot?
• What should be improved?

Evaluate the Mechanics

Give heed to the mechanics of the movie. If you briefly and clearly disclose them all, you’ll prove your readers that you’re an attentive observer. Make sure you disclose the following essentials:

• Direction;
• Cinematography;
• Sound supervision;
• Writing;
• Colors;
• Editing;
• Costume design;
• Casting;
• Soundtrack, etc.

Rate the Actors

You should evaluate the actors. They are the most important persons who are answerable for delivering the main message and atmosphere of the screenwriter’s intentions. It’s necessary to tell:

• Was the acting good enough?
• How did actors manage to create the general atmosphere?
• Was their acting convincing?
• How was the acting combined with the script?
• Were actors natural enough?

Sometimes a great plot is spoiled by a bad play of actors. However, some actors may play perfectly and make out a bad plot an impressive and captivating story. Make sure you mention these facts.

Avoid Spoilers

Remember one important thing about film reviews – NEVER write spoilers! Remember that this is a REVIEW and not a detailed description. You should be informative and provide many details. Nevertheless, they ought to be implemented without revealing any crucial facts about how the story ends. Your objective is to say how good the movie and the play of actors were in general.

Express an Objective Opinion

When you write your essay, make sure you are objective. No matter whether you’ve liked or disliked the film, don’t praise or criticize it too much. It’s especially important for people who didn’t like the film. They tend to go too subjective and it spoils the general impression and makes readers doubt your professionalism.

Craft a Strong Thesis Statement

After you analyze the main features of the movie, write a thesis. This is the main idea of your review and you’ll build the whole essay around it. Make sure it’s straight to the point, concise, and plain to understand.

Draft and Submit

Finally, you may begin to write. Write at least two drafts to record all the ideas you have and afterward, be able to logically connect them. Obligatorily check the readability and logical transitions of every section. Edit and proofread your film review essay several times and apply different methods. Consider checking some programs to make sure your text doesn’t have grammar mistakes, isn’t plagiarized parts, excludes irrelevant words, etc.

Smart Prompts

There are also several quick prompts, which will help to avoid some mistakes.

• Don’t write too long sentences;
• Don’t add too many descriptions;
• Stick to the active voice;
• Ask other people to read your reviews to add their remarks;
• Avoid unknown words;
• Be concise and straight to the point.

Take our recommendations for your consideration. They are universal and will suit a film review essay regardless of its topic and your purpose. We’re quite confident that you’ll complete this task excellently.