English homework help. Movie Review
This last assignment will be to create a movie review. When choosing a film to review, please
try to choose a relatively recent, well-known film, that would be appropriate for classroom
discussion. Do not choose the same film you chose for last week’s discussion board.Before
beginning, watch the film – see it again if you’ve already seen it – and take notes. Make note of
the names of the actors, the characters, the director and any other relevant information you may
find helpful to include.
As many of you wrote in last week’s discussion board, movie reviews usually discuss the
characters, and the acting and give a brief summary of the plot. Be sure to avoid giving away too
much of the plot! Avoid spoilers – or if they can’t be avoided, warn the reader.
In addition, reviews often analyze and interpret. They may analyze the characters or the plot or
the themes in the film. The acting and the visuals are often discussed. Reviews may also discuss
particulars like special effects and editing and they may also provide background information,
though they need not do so. The first paragraph of a review typically gets the attention of the
reader and introduces the movie while setting the tone for the review. Your review should aim to
do this as well.
Your voice and your opinion are important for a review. It is a persuasive piece of writing.
Reviews ultimately answer the following questions: What can viewers expect from this film?
Does the reviewer recommend this film to his or her reader? Why or why not? Is there a specific
audience it would (or wouldn’t) be appropriate for?
As you can see, your review is not the same as a summary. A review evaluates a film. As a
reviewer, what did or didn’t you think was good about it? How did it make you feel? Did it hold
your interest? How would you evaluate the acting? These are just some ideas you can consider as
you write your review.
For documentaries:
Reviews of documentaries usually discuss the content of the film. They give the reviewer’s
opinion of the film and provide support for this opinion.
Some areas to consider for documentaries include:
Was it effective? Did the movie achieve its objective, whether it was to inform or
persuade?
How was the information delivered? Did it hold the audience’s attention?
If the film was persuasive, did it rely on logic or emotion, or both?
Was the topic presented fairly?
Is it a film you would recommend to others? A specific audience?
For all types of films:
A typical review might be organized as follows: Intro – Brief Summary – Description and
Analysis/Interpretation– Conclusion/Recommendation/Evaluation. The final copy of the
review should be 1 ½ pages long, approx. 4-5 paragraphs/ 350 words.
You may submit the review to turnitin from Mon May 18 up until Wednesday May 20 at 3:35
pm ET.
