Review writing is a part of the report writing genre. The aim of review writing is to inform and persuade. A review maintains a personal analysis of the positives and the negatives. Ultimately, a reviewer leaves it open ended for the audience to make their own decision(s). You can write reviews of a movie, a book or an experience. First off, we look at reviewing a movie.
Part 1: Movie Review
Let's say you watched a movie today, and you loved it so much that you couldn't wait to share it with your friends. What would you discuss? Most likely, you would talk about the main character, the villain, the plot (without revealing the end) and the parts of the movie that you liked/disliked. Probably, you would recommend your friend(s) to watch the movie (or not) based on your experience.
Consider the following example:
Minion Mania
Minion—the word does have a funny, yet adorable tone, doesn't it? Just like the word, the movie called Despicable Me (2010) features some unusual and interesting tiny yellow characters called Minions. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, this movie takes you through a whirlwind of adventure and comedy. The quality of animation is out of this world: unusual characters, the energy, the background setting and the quality of voice (animated) are top-notch.
The title of the review above is short and attempts to capture the attention of the audience. Introductory paragraph mentions the name of the movie, director(s), release year and the genre. You could even add the name of the actors (if you are aware). The middle paragraphs could include the story plot, snippet of an adventure, the prime characters, etc. Let’s continue with our movie review then.
The movie gained worldwide attention on its release as the round, wobbly yellow bodies and oversized grey glasses (what they refer to as eyes) of the tiny Minions walking the Earth melted our hearts. The movie takes you through a roller coaster of laughter, adventure and thrill.
What's not to love about the movie—searching through the Arctic to the deserts of the world, and a desire to serve an evil person, three minions set out on an adventure. The story comes alive with the use of eye-catchy colours, brilliant animation, impressive voice-overs and a striking Minion language. Believe me, you’ll have a hard time understanding the Minion language, but you'll surely have a stomach cramp with non-stop laughing.
Moreover, the movie carries a meaning: the protagonist (a character named Gru) is a clever villain who uses three innocent girls as pawns; however, it is incredible to see his change of heart to become a caring person. The movie breaks the stereotype of the word ‘villain’—after all, some situations might convince people to take unreasonable steps, but with the right guidance and goodness in the world, people have the power to change for good. Universal pictures have created a masterpiece with this unique and original portrayal of characters, groovy music, vibrant colour setting and the creative Minion language.
Carry on with the review to talk about some parts that seemed painfully dragging or did not seem convincing— a part (of the movie) that you disliked. You could also give an idea about other characters in the movie. Moreover, note the use of certain persuasive devices such as direct address, rhetorical questions, use of triples and figurative comparisons (alliteration, metaphor and hyperbole).
In the concluding paragraph, mention if you'd recommend the movie to your friends and the rating (according to you). For example:
If you like watching hilarious, animated and light movies, then you can't miss Despicable Me. The movie became so popular that many sequels have followed over the years. I am eagerly waiting to watch the next movie in the series. Overall, I would rate ‘Despicable Me’ as 5/5. What are you waiting for? Go, grab a tub of popcorn and get ready for a bite of Minion adventure!
The review (in the example) reflects on the opinion of the reviewer, attempts to persuade and leaves it in the hands of the readers’ to decide. To make the review stronger, you could also talk about the movie’s sound effects, lighting, direction, etc. So, next time you watch a movie, remember to write a review about it.