Twenty Qualities of a Good Movie Review
Compiled by Dr. W. from student responses, September 2002.
Description of Activity: Students selected their own movie review of a movie of their choice. The review could be from the Internet or a newspaper, but they were encouraged to find a reputable and detailed review. They identified five things that the movie review did that made it a good movie review. They first did this by underlining or highlighting phrases from the review. Then, they identified the reason that phrase made it part of a good movie review, by writing that quality next to the underlined passage. Finally, they made a cover sheet which listed the five qualities of a good movie review in a heading format, and placed their underlined passages beneath each heading. The instructor then assessed the work handed in, and compiled the qualities identified by students as those which make a good film review. Students will next use this list as a guide when they write their own review of a movie we are watching in class.
Qualities of a Good Movie Review:
1. Includes bibliographic information, such as date of release, director, studio, etc.
2. Provides a brief characterization of the film (a one-sentence description), including
identifying the genre.
3. Describes plot, but without giving away surprise endings (no "spoilers").
4. Identifies characters and actors, using parenthesis to indicate the actor's name.
5. Identifies setting, including any relevant historical background (conducts research for
information not provided by the film itself).
6. Evaluates actors
7. Identifies themes and conflicts central to the story
8. Compares this film to other films; similar genre, same director, same actor, etc.
9. Evaluates director and direction, as well as editing
10. Includes relevant outside information, such as actual history of events depicted in film
11. Evaluates use of music and soundtrack
12. Discusses technical aspects of the film, including special effects, and any noteworthy
achievements in relation to filmmaking technology and history.
13. Identifies clichés as well as innovations (and analyzes their effect on the film)
14. Uses specific examples, quotes and scenes from the film to support claims.
15. Traces the history of the film itself, from source as a novel or script, to production, to
completed work (as well as history of the director and/or film-makers).
16. Identifies strengths as well as weaknesses (of plot, characters, adaptation to film, etc.)
17. Offers an overall evaluation of the film “on the whole,” including a recommendation
which specifies a target audience.
18. Uses a rating system (and shows highest possible, such as 3 out of 5 stars).
19. Follows writing conventions (Audience attractor, paragraph format, etc.)
20. Makes the review interesting with: humor, illustrations, connections to personal life.
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