Film Review: Genre Essay
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Rachel Amity
ENG 310 (01)
29 March 2012
Genre Essay #2: The Film Review
Rhetorical Context
The significance of film in modern society is undeniable. The Motion Picture
Association of America reports that in 2011, $32.6 billion dollars’ worth of movie tickets was
sold worldwide (“Theatrical”). In the United States and Canada alone, 1.3 billion people spent
$10.2 billion dollars on movie admissions last year (“Theatrical”). Many of those attending
movies rely on movie reviews to determine which movies they would or would not like to see.
Although it is a comparatively young genre (obviously originating with the development of the
motion picture at the end of the nineteenth century), the movie review holds an important
position in the nonfiction world because of its wide readership and its influence over its
audience’s thoughts and choices.
Audience
Almost all people watch movies, whether it be in theaters, on DVD, on television, or
through internet streaming. Therefore, almost all people read movie reviews to help decide
whether certain movies are worth watching. Because of this, the movie review is a very widely
read genre. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, an equal number of men
and women visited movie theaters in 2011. Most moviegoers fell between the ages of 12-24
years, and Hispanics were identified as the ethnic group most represented in movie theater
attendance (“Theatrical”). Although these statistics do not necessarily reflect the genders, ages,
and ethnicities of people reading movie reviews, it could be helpful to potential movie review
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writers to use such information to imagine who the average moviegoer is and then tailor their
reviews accordingly.
Movie reviews are found in a variety of media, including print and online newspapers,
magazines, and movie review websites. Some television programs also include oral movie
review segments, and commercials for movies occasionally include brief phrases from movie
reviews as well. The objective of the movie review is to “explore an individual's response to a
film” (“Writing about Film”), ultimately providing the reader with a frank, candid critique of a
movie from an unbiased source. Movie reviews can influence readers to see or not see a movie;
however, the movie review genre does not necessarily aim to persuade readers, but instead to
merely inform them about the film to help them make a more educated decision about which
movies they might like to watch.
Some audiences use movie reviews for very specific purposes. For example, a parent
might rely on reviews to determine whether a movie has too much violence, profanity, or sex for
his/her child to watch. Those who study film or consider themselves “film connoisseurs” might
seek reviews that use technical jargon and film philosophy as means of not only reviewing the
film, but also critiquing and analyzing it (it should be noted, however, that film analysis is its
own literary genre distinct from the film review). Different types of sources will publish
different types of reviews based on readers’ demographics: Parents magazine and Rolling Stone
magazine, for example, would not publish the same kinds of reviews because their audiences are
very distinct and are likely to have different values when it comes to entertainment.
Authors
Many of those who compose movie reviews are professional film critics who work in the
journalism field. They write movie reviews because there is a demand for them: the cost of a
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movie ticket is expensive, and the public needs an unbiased third party to inform them about
movies so they can decide which are worth spending their money to see. Again, those who write
movie reviews are not necessarily trying to persuade the public to see or not see a movie.
Instead, they write to share their reactions. Major movie critics write for newspapers, magazines,
websites, or television, and consequently have access to demographic information about the
particular audience for whom they write. However, the internet allows even those without access
to newspapers, magazines, or television to read movie reviews dispersed through those media, so
when writing their reviews, film critics must think beyond the audience of the
newspaper/magazine/television show for which they write and remember that their reviews are
globally accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
Topics
Movie reviews are typically brief, but include a wealth of information, including plot
summary, character analysis, critiques of the acing and the director’s style, as well as general
thoughts and impressions of the critic. All of these details ultimately “[lead] to a discussion of
the underlying ideas of the film” (“Writing about the Literary Elements of Film”). Sometimes,
more technical elements of movies are included in reviews, such as cinematography, soundtrack,
editing, and lighting (“Guide”). Many reviews will also make reference to similar movies,
comparing and contrasting various elements that the movies have in common to give the
audience a standard of comparison.
Forms
Movie reviews are characterized by informal style and conversational tone. They are
typically “simplistic (thumbs up, thumbs down) and "clever" (employing the pun-driven or
sensational turns of phrase of popular magazines)” (“Writing about Film”). In many examples,
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critics utilize puns or wordplay in either the title or first line of the review to grasp the reader’s
attention. The style, syntax, and grammar of movie reviews are often informal, which lend
themselves to the genre’s overall casual tone. Paragraphs and sentences vary in length, and word
choice is creative, yet clear. Whereas more formal genres call for specific paragraph
organization, movie reviews often adopt a more stream-of-consciousness flow.
Style and word choice are particularly important when writing a negative review for a
bad movie. Rarely do professionally written movie reviews blatantly attack or demean movies.
After all, most sources of movie reviews (magazines, newspapers, television shows, etc.) depend
on positive relationships with actors, directors, screenwriters, and production companies for
interviews and advertising. Therefore, negative movie reviews are written tastefully and
tactfully and often focus on what could have been done differently instead of what was done
wrong. Additionally, reviews that are especially cruel can make the writer seem condescending
and too hard to please, which in turn can make it difficult for audiences to trust and relate to the
writer. Words must be carefully chosen when writing negative movie reviews (or even when
making a single negative observation within a positive review) to avoid alienating readers with
unnecessary harshness.
Processes
Composing a movie review requires many different skills. First, the writer must actively
watch a film. This may sound simple, but with film so present in our lives today, it is easy to be
“lulled into passive viewing” (“Writing about Film”). To work toward more active, deliberate
film watching, the writer might watch the film focusing only on certain aspects. For example, a
writer might watch a movie and note only those elements that are surprising, repeated, or
seemingly symbolic (“Guide”). Sometimes, the writer may need to review certain scenes or
Film Review: Genre Essay
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perhaps even the entire movie (“Writing about Film”). Prior to watching the film, it may be
helpful to research the director and his/her other films to be prepared for themes or styles that are
likely to occur (“Writing Across the Curriculum”). Researching the film’s “historical, cultural,
and stylistic contexts” may also help orient the writer to the world of the film prior to viewing
(“Writing Across the Curriculum”).
After viewing the movie, the writer works through his/her general writing process.
Perhaps the greatest challenge of composing a movie review is deciding what to focus on. As
mentioned above, movie reviews can include plot summary, character analysis, and commentary
about the directing, the acting, the costuming, the setting, the lighting, and much more. Movie
reviews can and should explore more than just one element of movie and the movie-watching
experience, but trying to share reactions to all aspects of the film would result in an overly-long
and jumbled review. Instead, the writer must choose a few key elements to focus on that he/she
feels are most important for potential viewers of the movie to know beforehand.
Mentor texts
Edelstein, David. “The Hunger Games Review.” NYMag.com. New York Magazine, n.d. Web.
24 Mar. 2012.
New York Magazine focuses on the arts, so its movie reviews are relevant and influential.
In this review, Edelstein comments on the emotional and moral implications of the film
and marvels about how the audience roots for Katniss even though hoping for her
survival means implicitly willing twenty-three other children to die. He includes very
little plot overview and primarily discusses the effectiveness of the director, Gary Ross,
concluding that under Ross’ direction, some parts of the movie triumph while others fall
flat. To support his claims, Edelstein suggests ways that some of the underwhelming
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scenes could have been done differently. Stylistically, he uses “we” when talking about
the audience’s experiences and utilizes a very casual, conversational tone. He concludes
the review with a brief paragraph summarizing his final opinions.
Klein, Andy. “The Hunger Games: Movie Review.” The Christian Science Monitor. The
Christian Science Monitor, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
The Christian Science Monitor is a more newsy source that, unlike New York Magazine,
does not specialize solely in arts and entertainment reporting. Therefore, its readership
will have different values than that of New York Magazine, resulting in its movie reviews
taking a different approach as well. In this review, Klein spends a significant amount of
text reviewing the movie’s plot. He makes many references to similar movies and shows,
and concludes with an entire paragraph of commentary on the film’s casting and acting.
Roeper, Richard. “The Hunger Games Review.” Richard Roeper & The Movies.
RichardRoeper.com, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2012.
This review takes the form of an oral report. We talked in class a few weeks ago about
how oral composition and using technology to disseminate information are becoming
more common in the classroom, and this review is a great example of how that could be
accomplished. Roeper comments on a bit of everything, from acting to directing, from
camerawork to the visual spectacle. What I especially like about his review is that he
concludes by stating who he thinks would enjoy the movie and what “grade” he
ultimately feels it deserves. Although he had some negative things to say about the film,
he did so tactfully so that he never seemed condescending or haughty.
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Works Cited
Edelstein, David. “The Hunger Games Review.” NYMag.com. New York Magazine, n.d. Web.
24 Mar. 2012.
“Guide to Writing about Film.” Guide to Writing about Film. The Metropolitan State College of
Denver, 8 May 2000. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
Klein, Andy. “The Hunger Games: Movie Review.” The Christian Science Monitor. The
Christian Science Monitor, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
Roeper, Richard. “The Hunger Games Review.” Richard Roeper & The Movies.
RichardRoeper.com, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2012.
“Theatrical Market Statistics.” Industry Reports. The Motion Picture Association of America,
2011. Web. 21 March 2012.
“Writing about Film.” Dartmouth Writing Program. Dartmouth College, 12 Jul. 2005. Web. 21
Mar. 2012.
“Writing about the Literary Elements of Film.” Writing about Film. College of DuPage, 2004.
Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
“Writing Across the Curriculum: Writing about Film.” Writing Across the Curriculum: Writing
about Film. The Hunter College Writing Center, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.