guide to movie critique

7/30/2019 Guide to Movie Critique

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Presentation by: Mrs. N. FrancisThursday, November 7, 2012

6B


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The theme of a film can sometimes bediscovered by asking "what was the centralpoint the director was trying to make withthis film?" What was the central goal of the

film? Boggs and Petrie (2004) list several possible

goals of a movie, including providing pureentertainment, providing a character sketch

of a fascinating personality, or increasing theviewer's awareness of a particular socialproblem.


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There also may be additional supporting, orminor, themes found in the movie. If theseare not substantive enough to be considereda full theme, they may be called motifs.

A motif is an idea or symbol which isrepeated throughout the movie but does notconstitute a full theme of the movie.


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Analyzing the story is often much easier thananalyzing the theme of a film. A story ispresented in film through the plot (simple,complex, timeless, believable), the characters

(appearance, dialogue, interplay betweencharacters, actions, names), and symbolicelements.


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Usually the plot is one of the easiest things abouta movie to describe. Rather than just rehashing astoryline, however, a critic will investigatespecific elements of the plot and whether theywork to make the movie better.

Examples of such plot devices include the waytime is handled in the movie (linear, nonlinear) orhow the important scenes ofclimax anddenouement (ending) are revealed. (In yourreview, include references to Aristotles Unities how does the movie support or depart fromUnities).


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Another interesting aspect of plot is its senseof believability: does the plot tell a universaltruth (the world as it is), an internal truthabout human nature, or a fantastic version of

truth "as it never will be? No matter whether the story is a biography,

or a heart-warming romantic comedy, or thelatest film adaptation of a children's fantasy

novel, the movie must be believable or atleast allow the viewer to suspend disbelief inorder to enjoy the movie.


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The way characters are presented in a movieis essential to the analysis of the story.

A viewer learns about characters primarilythrough the appearance and dialogue of thecharacter, and through character interactionsin the movie.

Clothing, hair, mannerisms, accent, and

speech patterns can be immediate cues to theaudience for how a character is to beinterpreted.


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Main characters can also be categorized intoprotagonists and antagonists.

Complex characterizations of "sympatheticbad guys" or "good guys who do bad things"

are interesting and can make for moreinteresting viewing.

Characters are often described in otherdimensions, such as round (complex) or flat,

mythic (underdogs, messiahs), or in terms oftheir relationships to other characters ("thefemale love interest).


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Other types of characters include the stockcharacter and stereotype.

Stock characters are those with very simpleroles that do not require characterdevelopment (taxi driver, bartender, the fool,the drunken knight).


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(Likewise, stereotypical characters can berelied upon to behave in an easily understoodway, though they may have more dialoguethan a stock character.) Use the term stockcharacter for your review.

Stereotypical characters move the plot along,without the writers having to spend a lot oftime on character development.

Critics are often unimpressed when a maincharacter emerges as a stereotype.


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A film can use symbolism to reinforce its themeor to add depth to the story. Symbols can berepeated for emphasis or can be metaphoric, insuch a way that their value in the story exceedsthe value normally represented by that object

(e.g. Olivias veil) An object can also be given specific value by a

character in order to increase its worth to theviewer. Critical acceptance of symbolism in filmwill often depend on whether the symbol is new

and original or whether it is a clich. Consider the ring that Olivia sends to Viola. Isthis a cliche of asymbol?


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Whether some film elements have symbolicmeaning can also be over analyzed byviewers, so care should be taken not tomisconstrue everything into a symbol with

deeper meaning.


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The genre of a film can be very important in acritical analysis of a film. If a movie is a"gangster movie" or a "western", that genreclassification brings with it an immediate

recognition of certain accepted truths aboutthe movie.

The genre film can be a success either byfollowing these conventions or by breakingthem.


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As with symbols and metaphors, a genre filmthat relies heavily on cliches and does notoffer anything new will be unsatisfying to thecritic.


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Technical elements are used by the filmdirector to enhance communication and makethe film experience more entertaining. Eacheffect in the film represents a choice that the

director made.

As a film reviewer you could comment onhow these effects contribute to theimprovement of the film. Are theyentertaining? Do they improve the film?


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There are several types of technical elementsthat you can consider.

Camera use is a basic technical aspect. Longshot, medium shot, close-up, extreme close-up, low-angle shot and high-angle shot areexamples of the choices that are made duringfilming.

Each of these can communicate a differentmessage and invite a different response fromthe viewer.


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Editing is an important technical aspect toconsider in your film review. Just as eachsentence and paragraph adds together to tella story, each scene builds to form the story

or narrative in the film. Editing represents the choices that the

director makes in arranging the order of thescenes to tell the story.


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Example: An editor might choose short, quickedits with close-ups of two people talking.The effect will be to create a sense of urgencyabout what is being discussed or draw

attention to each characters participation.


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Lighting is important to every scene, but notevery scene requires lighting that will beobvious to the viewer. You could comment onlighting that you feel especially contributes to

the overall effect of the film. Example: In a deserted cabin in the woods or

in a haunted castle, the lighting may be darkand shadowy to create the effect of mystery.


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Special effects are used to improve the filmexperience. The use of these effects variesfrom film to film. In some films this can havea major or critical influence on the film as a

whole. (e.g. in magic, fantasy, sciencefiction).


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Sound will be most noticeable to a young filmreviewer in the form of specialized effectsand music.

You may choose to comment on the successof sound effects by indicating how they addto particular scenes or stimulate or reinforcean emotional response.


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In films that use music, it will be important tocomment on how this affected your responseto the film as a whole.

Be guided by your emotional reaction and beconfident to express these feelings whenevaluating the contribution of sound to thefilm experience.


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I have included a title for my film review. I have summarized the plot without giving away the

ending.

I have included a strong lead/introduction.

I have discussed significant characters and actors.

I have discussed important technical elements. I have evaluated the sound and/or movie soundtrack.

I have stated and evaluated the theme.

I have included a strong conclusion summarizing my

ideas. I have edited my review for spelling and grammatical

errors.

I have included submission details with my review.


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Boggs, J. and D.W. Petrie. (2004). The Art ofWatching Films, 6th Ed. McGrawHill:Boston.

Conklin, M. (2004). How to Critique a Movie:A short guide for amateur film critics,fromhttp://www.whitcraftlearningsolutions.com/Resources/How-To-Critique-A-Movie.pdf

http://tiff.net/templates/learning/docs/

How_to_Write_a_Film_Review.pdf
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