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How Reviewing a Movie Works for Professional Critics

By Newguy

How Reviewing a Movie Works for Professional Critics

How Do Critics Review Movies

Cinema is one of the most important pieces of media in existence. It is one of the primary methods of storytelling in the modern era, creating intricate narratives in various forms. Cinema has a long and detailed history with critics. The work of a critic is to help point out the best and worst parts of a film. It is thanks to critics that the average viewer can learn more about cinema in ways they couldn’t before. The true motive of a critic should be to help movie producers, actors, and directors improve their storytelling. If not, then you can simply view it as just another opinion. Here, we can tell you exactly how this process works. 

How Reviewing a Movie Works for Professional Critics
How Reviewing a Movie Works for Professional Critics
Purpose of a Review

Some would argue that to be a professional critic, one needs the knowledge and understanding of cinema. With everyone having access to a social platform nowadays, almost anyone can become a self-proclaimed critic. Many movie critics can be found on YouTube, delivering video essays. They can be in the form of informative documentaries or something more comedic and light-hearted. Others can just be them directing simple hate towards something. Examples of YouTube Movie reviewers are: 

  • Nostalgia Critic
  • WeWatchedAMovie
  • Selfie Review
  • Jeremy Jahns
  • Tyrone Magnus

While many of these online personalities can be considered a “critic”, a professional review requires something more. A review is a comprehensive and detailed look into a movie highlighting its most important features. It will then judge if these aspects were done well or done poorly. This will then help form an overall opinion of the movie. If it is positive, they will likely summarise the positive experience towards the end. If it is negative, this will be made clear. 

The ending of a review must be directed toward the reader. It can suggest to the reader to go see this movie for how good it is or to stay away if it is a terrible experience. This final opinion is what most readers will be looking for in a review. 

What Does a Review Contain?

You will find different versions of a review depending on which website you are looking at. For the most part, the layout should be the same. You will find an introduction with basic information on the movie shown above. This can be the total runtime of a movie when the movie came out, what genre the movie is, and even the parental guidance on how it’s rated. Below will be a written description of what the movie was about and what the initial impression is. The style of writing can and what they can all depend on the critic.

The main meat of a review will be based on an analysis of the movie’s structure. It’s about interpreting the story’s meaning and how it leads up to the message. Even if a movie doesn’t have a message or meaning, the reviewer can still work to bring something out of it so readers will know what they are getting into. Depending on if the review allows spoilers or not, the reviewer can also describe specific scenes and how they affected them. This will all tie together to a final point the review is aiming towards. It can be a lot more complex than just deciding if the movie is “good” or “bad”. 

Pros of Reading Movie Reviews

Getting the best review is always crucial. Here is a list of pros for reading a movie review before watching the film.

  • Advice on choosing movies to watch: When deciding which movies to watch, reading movie reviews may provide you with insightful advice. 
  • Time and money savings: By reading movie reviews, you may avoid wasting both on films that might not be worth your time and money. 
  • Finding hidden gems: You can find hidden gems that you would have otherwise missed by reading reviews of movies.
Criticism vs Reviews

A review will be about giving an impression of the movie so people can decide if they want to see it or not. Criticism can be included in the review, but it will not be the main point. Criticism, as mentioned earlier, is about performing a deep dive into the movie and offering feedback. A review is designed to be a lot simpler. It summarizes the main themes, what it does well or what it does poorly. For example, it could mention the style and editing, describing how it captures the viewers’ attention. Another example could be how the dialog is very cheesy or corny. These points help make an impression without wasting too much of the reader’s time. 

Point or Ranking System

This style of reviewing has become especially popular with all forms of media. It is even used in online casinos to help give players a good first impression. With Slotzilla Casino, they are currently offering promos from https://www.slotozilla.com/uk/free-spins/50-free-spins-no-deposit. A rating system is placed at the bottom, which players can give to offer an initial impression of how likely they are to sign up. It is in the form of 1 to 5 stars. You will find a similar star system with other popular movie reviewers. 

A common method is using a point system. This can range from a 1/10 or a 10/10. The whole point is because of how easy it is to understand. Recently, what constitutes a good score can differ based on opinions. A 5/10 could be classed as a good average score. It may not be spectacular, but it’s good enough to watch. 

However, some would consider a 7/10 movie not to be worth watching. It may be good but not good enough for their particular tastes. While it can be a good way to summarize a review, a point score may not send the ideal message the reviewer wishes. Here are some examples of movies with good point scores this year on IMDb: 

MovieScore

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse9/10

John Wick: Chapter 47.9/10

Scream VI6.6/10

Shazam: Fury of the Gods6/10

The Whale7.7/10

How to Be a Movie Critic

If you to become a reviewer yourself for movies, there are a few steps to complete. Ensure you have an educational background that looks great on a resume. This can be from a simple English Literature degree to a background in media development. You can start by developing your portfolio of articles and reviews you have written. This is something you can show to an interviewer how skilled your writing is.  

Once you have the knowledge and experience, you can apply for writing positions on various websites. Some of these jobs may involve you going to movie events to see premiere screenings. This will give you access to a movie before they are released to the public, letting you write a review for it the moment it comes out. To get started, IMDb is a globally recognized brand in movie reviews. 

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