Movie Critics example essay topic

In today's media based culture many facets of everyday life come under the revision of a critic. Moreover people tend to base daily decisions on the opinions and views of these critics. Movies no exception by and perhaps better considered to be the best example of this trend. The critique of theatre goes back to the days of Athenian drama, where if actors put on a poor performance they were banned from the stage for life. Worse yet for the playwright, if their script was not seen as a good representation of what the people demanded, the script was destroyed, along with the playwright. The movie critics of today are not quite as harsh, but they come close.

Movie reviews tend to isolate there criticism on specific area of the movie, which they feel the public must understand in order to understand the movie. Movie reviews are biased to no end and can be quite confusing in not properly comprehended. It is the purpose of this report to identify and explain the basic elements of a movie review. Preamble Movie reviews always begin by identifying the same the same key details. The name and rating of the move, from F (family) to R (restricted) as well as an explanation, i.e. PG - 13 for rude language and violence. This rating and explanation system allows the movie-goer to decide whether or not the film is appropriate.

The preamble also contains the directing and principle acting credits. This lets the public know who the film is by so they can make a decision based on their affection or disdain for certain members of the film. The length and production house are also contained within the preface, the length of the movie is given so patrons can base when they see the movie on later engagements. The movie house is listed merely as point of information. The preamble contains only limited basic information to help the reader better identify the film. Plot Synopsis Good reviews will give a non-biased informative outline of the plot.

It is the purpose of the synopsis to peak the reader's interest by touching on key points while never giving away the ending or plot twists, i.e. .".. at the end of the film Susan makes a difficult decision whether to live or die". NOT. ".. at the end of the film Susan dies". Although primarily regarded as unbiased, occasionally critics will point out flaws or excellence in the plot line, and make recommendation. These are usually done in parentheses, thus giving the reader the option to acknowledge them. Special Effects With today's movie relying more and more heavily on special effects to tell the story critics have begun to evaluate their (the special effects) value as well.

Critics comment on the effectiveness and necessity of the effects when compared to the cost of producing them. The cost of the special effects is also often compared to the overall cost of the movie. Conclusion and Opinion It is at the end the review that the critic summarizes all that has been previously written with special emphasis on the films strong and weak points, and ties up any loose ends alluded to during the body of the review. It is also here that the writer expresses their view on the film, whether they liked it or not and why. In most cases they reference what was written in the plot synopsis as background for there criticism.

The Rating Game Most critics use a simple non-descript rating system to summarize the film at the end of the review. The rating is most often based on a scale, i.e. 4 out 5 stars. The rating comes with no explanation and is used as a quick reference tool so reader can know instantly how the movie failed in the critics eyes.