Movie Review 1: Initial Response
Movie reviews are a very standard communication tool. Many other forms of communication (music reviews, television ratings etc) are based on review styles that are older than movies. The movie review became a useful tool for movie goers to judge if they wanted to see a movie or not.
The print reviews originally appeared in newspapers and these reviews actually boosted sales so much they became a mainstay on modern culture. Many movie critics, by the late 20th century, became famous and hosted TV shows, radio programs and wrote books on movies that helped a generation understand movies in more depth.
In the digital age, movie reviews have become more complex, wide spread and less formal. One reserved only for journalists, movie reviews today can be presented by anyone in any format online. Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the internet itself all possess the capabilities for any individual to opine about their recent movie watching experiences. At times, this can be a problem as personal opinions can override analysis and individuals can present 'shock' reviews to gain audiences. On the positive side, online reviews can reach a much broader audience, they can identify movies that may NOT be mainstream or pop-culture tropes and they are more readily available in digital archives rather than only on paper.
Initial Response Movie Review
An initial response review is exactly what the definition implies. It is the viewer's initial response to aspects on the movie that struck the viewer while watching.
The review is based on 4 parts:
Introduction
The opening of a film response usually includes the movie's production information, including the title, director, genre and actors. This information can be used to build an introduction that will grab readers' attention and provide essential background at the same time. For example, a response to the film "Lincoln" might read, "From 'Schindler's List' to 'Munich,' Steven Spielberg has built his career on films that dramatize history, and 'Lincoln' is no exception." The reader is likely already curious to see the film, but an effective review makes him or her read on to discover more. (2-4 sentences)
Plot Summary
Since your primary audience may be people who have not seen the movie, you should usually provide a brief plot summary before moving into your evaluation. "Brief" is the key word; it can be easy to get carried away with a summary. When writing a plot summary for a movie response, the author includes the most essential plot points without revealing any information that could spoil the film or its ending for viewers. Austin Peay State University suggests mentioning at least five events in order to cover the broad panorama of the story. Try to avoid spoilers. (3-4 sentences)
Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses
Once you orient the reader to the basic plot of the movie, you can begin your evaluation by sharing the film's strengths. To do this, you can choose one or two aspects that worked well, such as a particularly effective performance, the cinematography and how the director uses music and lighting. Your examples will work best if you specifically state how each element contributes to the movie's success. Just as you considered what made the movie most effective, you should consider things that didn't work well, such as unrealistic dialogue, plot development and inconsistencies in the storyline. Weakness are best described tactfully, using a neutral tone. (3-4 sentences)
Overall Evaluation
In any essay, a good conclusion summarizes the main point while adding some new information for the reader to consider. Therefore, one way to conclude your movie response is with an overall evaluation that synthesizes the different cinematic conventions you've considered. In the case of "Lincoln," you might write that while it is an excellent depiction of Lincoln's Civil War diplomacy skills, viewers who expect battle sequences and intense war action might be disappointed. Because of this, the film is better suited for audiences who like strong, dramatic performances and intense scenes between characters. (2-3 sentences)
This should be written in paragraph form with each step as a separate paragraph. (4 paragraphs)
Assignment:After watching the movie in class write a Initial movie response.