My Film Review Research

A film review should have a number of purposes:

• To inform. The review needs to tell people who is in the film, who it is by and where or when readers can see it.
• To describe. The review should describe the story, characters and some of the action - without spoiling the plot or giving too much away!
• To analyse. A good review gives an opinion on whether the film is good or not and why.
• To advise. Finally, the review should tell the reader whether or not to go and see the film.

These different purposes will give you a basic structure for your writing.

You can divide this review into three parts:

1. Introduction: this gives an overview of who is in the film and what it's about. It also sums up the reviewer's conclusion about the film (so readers can form an opinion without reading the whole of the review)
2. Paragraph 2: the reviewer then describes the plot and the action, while informing the reader which actor plays which role.
3. Paragraph 3: the reviewer then analyses the film, talking about the director and then the actors, looking at good things as well as bad things.
4. Finally: the review informs the reader when the film is out (and sometimes, in a local review, where it can be seen).