Writing Movie Reviews

Pair Activity

• While watching the video, answer the following questions on a size 2:

How did the two critics begin their review of the movie Avatar?

What elements of the movie did they talk about?

Pair Activity

How did they review these elements of the movie?

How did they end their review?

What can you say about the points that they raised in the review?

Avatar Movie Review

Reviewing Movies

What Matters

Audio-visual mediaWhat you hearWhat you see

The Things We See

Characterization

Lighting

Effects

Cinematography

Editing

Direction

The Things We Hear

Dialogue

Sound effects

Music

BUT WHICH OF THESE WILL WE FOCUS ON?

WHAT TO FOCUS ON

Characterization

Direction

Music and Sound Effects

Dialogue/Script

Movie Review Focus

Characterization

the actor’s portrayal of his/her role in movie

the typicality or distinctness of the portrayal of the character

What to ask about characterization?

Are the actors appropriate for their roles?

Did they exude the right amount of emotions demanded by their respective roles?

What to ask about characterization?

Could another actor play that role? Who and why?

Direction

The overall flow of the movie which includes editing and sequencing of events

The overall look and feel of the movie

What to ask about Direction?

Was the sequencing of events appropriate and effective?

Is the overall look and feel of the movie relevant to its theme?

What to ask about Direction?

Was the director able to bring out the best in each actor, in terms of the portrayal of their specific roles?

Music and Sound Effects

audio background of different scenes

What to ask about Music and Sound Effects

Has the audio background enhanced the viewing experience?

Do the effects lead to a better appreciation of the scene? of the emotions felt by the actors?

Dialogue/Script

the words that each character uses in the movie

the language that is used in the conversations between and/or among characters

What to ask about the Dialogue/Script

Was the language of each character appropriate for their role?

Are we allowed to get to know each character through conversation with other characters?

What to ask about the Dialogue/Script

Does the script give justice to the storyline?

How effective was the dialogue in moving the story forward?

In essence, the movie review is an evaluation of

the effectiveness of capturing the

attention of the viewers.