Page 2 Writing a Film Review
Completion requirements
Writing a Film Review
It can be expensive to see a film at a movie theatre, so people often check film reviews to see how popular a film is before spending their money on tickets and popcorn.
Figure 1: Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert
Courtesy Karen Pilling/Flickr
A film review is written to share the reviewer's perspective on a particular film and help the audience appreciate the director's decisions that the audience might not have considered. Successful film reviewers try to persuade their audience either to see or to avoid a particular film, without giving away too much of the story. You may have seen film reviews on websites like rottentomatoes.comm or heard of famous film reviewers like Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert
Courtesy Karen Pilling/Flickr
A film review is written to share the reviewer's perspective on a particular film and help the audience appreciate the director's decisions that the audience might not have considered. Successful film reviewers try to persuade their audience either to see or to avoid a particular film, without giving away too much of the story. You may have seen film reviews on websites like rottentomatoes.comm or heard of famous film reviewers like Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert (see Figure 1).
Many film reviewers hope to build a following of readers who value their opinion. As such, film reviewers use persuasive techniques to convince readers of their opinion of the film. They will support those opinions with specific details from the film, perhaps even including quotations from the film, to build the reviewer's credibility with the audience. Confirming whether a film was directed by an award-winning director, or performed by award-winning actors will also contribute to the reviewer's persuasiveness and the reviewer's credibility.
Read the first paragraph of the following two reviews by professional film critics.
As you read, consider:
As you read, consider:
- How the critic uses language to convey his opinion
- What facts the critic provides to support his opinion
- Which review did you want to continue reading? Why?
Skim the first few paragraphs of these reviews, written by students. As you read, look for strategies these writers use to
- convince you to continue reading and
- persuade you to believe their opinions are valid