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4 Ways to Get Paid to Review Movies (Plus Tips to Get Started)

November 11, 2023

Written by:

Jessica Norris

Jessica is a writer for SideHustles.com. Her side hustles include freelance academic writing and editing, which she's done for...

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Watching movies is a great way to unwind after a long day at work. But what if you could also make money while indulging in your film habit?

If you have strong feelings about the Ghostbusters reboot or the latest Tarantino film, your movie-related opinions could make you money. Read on to find out how to turn reviewing movies into a profitable side hustle.

01. The 4 best strategies to make money reviewing movies

We look at four ways to get paid for publishing movie reviews across different outlets and platforms

You can get a movie-reviewing side hustle going with one of these four strategies:

1. Submit movie reviews to websites

There are a lot of sites that allow freelancers to write movie reviews for them. As with most of the other ways to make money writing , you don’t need any special qualifications to do this; you just need writing talent and something to say.

To get your start, you’ll want to have a writing portfolio. If you’ve never written professionally before, whip up a couple of sample pieces to showcase. Selling your first review may be difficult, but the more you publish, the easier it will become to get gigs as you gain recognition among editors and media outlets.

You can try pitching to any of these websites, all of which work with freelancers:

Screen Rant

What it is: Screen Rant is an entertainment website that publishes reviews of movies, TV shows, video games, and more.

How to apply: You can apply on the Screen Rant site to join their ranks of freelance writers for TV and movie features (including movie reviews).

Pay: Screen Rant doesn’t specify their rate per article, but online reports cite rates of $5–$20 .

What it is: Cineaste is a quarterly magazine that’s all about the art and politics of cinema. It publishes various types of film-related content, including movie reviews and DVD and Blu-ray reviews (both of new and vintage/classic films).

How to apply: The Cineaste website gives detailed guidelines on how to write your review, along with instructions on how to submit it .

Pay: Cineaste pays $18–$45 per piece (depending on the type of review you submit).

Cultured Vultures

What it is: Cultured Vultures is a British pop culture website. It features content about movies as well as TV, gaming, and more.

How to apply: Film reviews are among the types of content writers can submit; you can find instructions on how to submit your writing on the Cultured Vultures website.

Pay: The pay starts from a base rate of £5 (approximately $6 ) per article with bonuses for every 200 views you get.

Taste of Cinema

What it is: Taste of Cinema is a website for movie lists and reviews, with a focus on world cinema and classics.

How to apply: To indicate that you’re interested in writing for Taste of Cinema, follow the instructions on the website (which tell you who to email and what information to include in your message).

Pay: Unfortunately, Taste of Cinema doesn’t specify how much it pays. You can ask for more details about their rates when you apply.

What it is: HubPages is an online platform where you can publish articles and create your own pages on various topics—including movies.

How to apply: It’s free to sign up for HubPages. You can then earn money from ads that appear in your content.

Pay: Regarding pay, HubPages says, “ You are not likely to see significant earnings from your articles for up to two years (and that’s two years spent writing high-quality articles on HubPages). When you do begin to see regular payouts, they are likely to be in a range of $50 to $100 a month .”

What it is: Bustle is an online women’s magazine. It publishes TV and movie reviews, as well as other articles on many different topics, such as books, celebrities, music, wellness, fashion, and so on.

How to apply: The Bustle website has specific guidelines on how to write a pitch for the publication. You can send movie review pitches to [email protected] .

Pay: Bustle doesn’t specify how much it pays freelancers. Anecdotal reports cite rates of $50–$200 per article .

Animation Arena

What it is: Animation Arena is a site for people who want to work in the animation, video game, and visual effects industries. The site publishes reviews of movies, video games, comic books, and animation books.

How to apply: The Animation Arena site provides detailed instructions on how to apply , including the email you can use to send them your pitch ( [email protected] ).

Pay: The pay per review is $15 (and you can only publish up to 10 reviews per month).

Cracked.com

What it is: Cracked is a website featuring funny videos, pictures, articles, and more. They have a section on movies and TV, which includes movie reviews.

How to apply: You can send a pitch to [email protected] .

Pay: Articles pay between $100 and $250 , based on length and the number of pieces you’ve written.

What it is: Medium is an open platform where anyone can publish articles, personal essays, stories, opinions, and (of course) movie reviews.

How to apply: To write for Medium, you don’t have to apply or go through a vetting process; you can just sign up and start writing.

Pay: Medium doesn’t pay per article, but has a “partner program” that pays you according to the time people spend reading your stories. Reports suggest that on average, you’ll get paid around $5 per thousand views on your articles, but this heavily depends on how much people engage with them (if they get bored quickly and hit the back button, you won’t make much at all).

2. Write for a newspaper

Instead of writing for an online publication, you can apply to be a movie reviewer for a local or regional newspaper. To land this type of work, follow these steps:

• Research newspapers: First, look for local newspapers (ideally in your city or state) that have a regular movie review section or a dedicated arts and entertainment section.
• Read existing reviews: Study the style and format of movie reviews published in the newspapers you’re interested in writing for. Pay attention to their tone, length, and content.
• Find contact information: Get the contact information for the entertainment or arts editor of the newspapers you’re interested in. This information should be available on the paper’s website or in the print edition.
• Prepare your pitch: Write a concise and compelling pitch expressing your interest in writing movie reviews for the newspaper. Mention your relevant experience and passion for cinema.
• Submit a portfolio: If you have any previous experience writing movie reviews (or other similar work), compile your pieces into a portfolio and include it with your pitch.

In theory, you can also use this approach to apply to work for national papers (like The New York Times or the Washington Post), but you’ll have a tough road ahead of you. Major newspapers usually only hire established movie reviewers with very strong portfolios. If that’s your goal, it isn’t impossible, but you’ll probably have to spend a long time working your way up.

3. Start a movie review blog

Another way to make money from your movie reviews is to start your own blog. This will give you more creative freedom than writing for another publication.

Blogging is also a good way to build your reputation as a movie reviewer. Even if you don’t actually plan to use your blog to make money, you can bulk up your portfolio substantially.

How to set up a movie review blog

It’s possible to start a blog for free, but if you want a domain name, you’ll need to spend a bit of money to get one. Many platforms provide all-in-one services, including a hosting account and domain name registration, along with website-building tools.

• Squarespace

Once you have your blog set up, you’ll have to do the following:

• Attract readers: To make money from your blog, you’ll need an audience. You can do this by using search engine optimization (SEO), which makes it easier for people to find and visit your website, by promoting your blog on social media, and by producing high-quality content.
• Monetize your posts: There are various ways to monetize your blog , such as selling advertising space (e.g., using Google Ads or Media.net ) or asking for donations, which you can set up by using a donation button or a crowdfunding platform like Patreon .

4. Start a movie review YouTube channel

As mentioned, not all movie reviews are written down. If you have a good voice or a compelling camera presence, you can always film them instead.

For inspiration, you can look at some of the many popular YouTube channels that feature movie reviews, such as:

• Jeremy Jahns
• Chris Stuckmann
• Mr Sunday Movies
• Jack’s Movie Reviews
• kermodeandmayo

You can use a YouTube channel to make money in much the same way you’d use a blog—by featuring advertisements, using affiliate links, or seeking sponsorship. These options will allow you to generate passive income from your YouTube videos.

02. How much do movie reviewers make?

Learn how much you can make as a movie reviewer and which factors might affect your earnings

As a movie reviewer or movie critic, you won’t usually be paid an hourly wage or monthly salary. You might be paid by the word or per article, per view (if you’re working with online platforms that track viewership), or per click (if you’re using affiliate marketing).

To give you a rough idea of how much you can earn, the rates paid by the online publications we listed above range from about $5 to $200 per article . They’ll usually pay at the lower end of the scale if you have little or no experience.

If you choose to work for yourself (by starting a blog or a YouTube channel), your earnings will entirely depend on how popular your content is. In the beginning, you shouldn’t expect to make any money at all, but if your site takes off, you may eventually be able to earn thousands of dollars per month.

03. Tips to help you make money reviewing movies

Find out which skills and resources you can use to make money from your movie reviews

If you’re starting your own blog or YouTube channel, you may need to use only some of these ideas. If you want to submit your movie reviews to magazines, film websites, or other publications, all of the following tips will be helpful.

Study the film industry

An understanding of the film industry and the filmmaking process will provide context and background for your movie reviews, helping you to craft more informed and thoughtful pieces.

You can learn how to analyze and rate movies by studying the industry, how movies are made, what role filmmakers play, and other aspects of the filmmaking process.

Cultivate movie-reviewing skills

As we’ve mentioned, you would once have needed great writing skills to be good at reviewing movies. However, you can now just as easily deliver your reviews in video format.

To make videos, you’ll need good verbal communication skills (and video editing skills, unless you plan on hiring someone to help you with that).

You’ll also need other soft skills to get good at reviewing movies. For example, you’ll need attention to detail to analyze all of the different aspects of a movie critically (e.g., the plot, character development, and cinematography).

The more you practice all of these skills, the better you’ll get. As you might expect, the best way to improve is to:

• Watch different types of movies
• Discuss the movies you watch with others
• Read and watch other people’s movie reviews and critiques
• Write or record your own reviews
• Stay up to date on the latest releases and trends in the film industry

Establish an online presence

If you’re planning to share your reviews mainly through your blog or YouTube channel (or if you plan on writing for Medium, which will pay you based on the popularity of your content), your online presence will be key for your income.

You can use social media platforms to amplify your online presence, share your reviews, and engage with your audience. In addition to the main social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, you can also look for more niche sites that focus specifically on film. In particular, check out Letterboxd , which is a social media platform that bills itself as being specifically for film lovers.

Build a great portfolio

As you’ve probably gathered, your portfolio is one of the most important tools you have for showcasing your talents to potential clients and employers.

Your portfolio should include a carefully curated selection of your best movie reviews, covering a diverse range of films from various genres, eras, and styles. It should also feature:

• A personal bio
• Social media and blog links
• Contact details

As we’ve mentioned, a film review blog can be a great addition to a portfolio, even if your main ambition is to write for established publications like film websites and magazines. Naturally, if you have any published work under your belt, link to that as well.

Use job sites to look for gigs

We’ve already mentioned a few publications that you can scope out for opportunities. You can also look for gigs on freelancer sites like:

You may be able to find clients on there who are looking to start film-related publications of their own and need content from writers like you.

You can also check out regular job sites like FlexJobs , Indeed , and ZipRecruiter . Keep an eye out to see if any newspapers or magazines put out a call for film reviewers.

You can often find opportunities by networking with people in the same field. When you’re starting out as a movie reviewer, look to network with:

• Established reviewers
• Movie critics
• Editors of movie-related publications
• Other people in the film industry

You can connect with these people through social media and also by attending film festivals, screenings, film clubs, or other events.

04. Other ways to get paid to watch movies

Mystery shopper sites and movie focus groups will sometimes pay you to watch movies in the theater or at home

The following opportunities won’t pay you to produce reviews per se. However, they might pay you (or offer other incentives such as free movie tickets) to watch movies and then complete questionnaires or participate in discussions about your experience.

Mystery shopper sites

Mystery shopper sites like the ones below sometimes feature opportunities to get paid for going to the theater:

• Amusement Advantage

For this type of gig, you’ll usually have to watch the movie and then complete a questionnaire on your experience, sharing your thoughts on the comfort of the theater and the customer service provided by the staff.

Movie focus groups

A movie focus group is a group of people from the general public who watch a movie in advance of the official release and provide feedback on whether they enjoyed it. These groups are usually recruited by movie studios, streaming platforms, or market research companies.

If you join a movie focus group, you may have the chance to attend in-person screenings, but you might also have to watch movies at home (online). Each screening will usually be followed by a discussion, interview, or questionnaire.

Note that movie focus groups don’t always pay. For example, the Netflix Preview Club doesn’t offer any incentives other than the opportunity to watch new Netflix content before the general public gets to. You also can’t join this group without an invitation from Netflix (which they extend to people based on their viewing behavior and other factors).

However, paid opportunities do exist. Here are some sites that sometimes post opportunities to join movie focus groups:

• Survey Junkie
• Focus Group
• FocusGroups.org

This type of side hustle isn’t mutually exclusive with an actual reviewing gig, of course. You can always use it to make a bit of extra money and see more films while waiting for a publication to hire you as a critic (or for your movie review blog to get off the ground).

Robert Jellison

Managing Editor

Robert is a writer and editor for SideHustles.com. He has 7+ years of experience in freelance writing and previously worked as the in-house editor for Compose.ly, a platform for remote and part-time writers.

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How to Write a Movie Review

Last Updated: October 10, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Marissa Levis . Marissa Levis is an English Teacher in the Morris County Vocational School District. She previously worked as an English director at a tutoring center that caters to students in elementary and middle school. She is an expert in creating a curriculum that helps students advance their skills in secondary-level English, focusing on MLA formatting, reading comprehension, writing skills, editing and proofreading, literary analysis, standardized test preparation, and journalism topics. Marissa received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,695,117 times.

Whether a movie is a rotten tomato or a brilliant work of art, if people are watching it, it's worth critiquing. A decent movie review should entertain, persuade and inform, providing an original opinion without giving away too much of the plot. A great movie review can be a work of art in its own right. Read on to learn how to analyze a movie like a professional film critic, come up with an interesting thesis, and write a review as entertaining as your source material.

Sample Movie Reviews

Writing an Intro for a Movie Review

• Comparison to Relevant Event or Movie: "Every day, our leaders, politicians, and pundits call for "revenge"– against terrorist groups, against international rivals, against other political parties. But few of them understand the cold, destructive, and ultimately hollow thrill of revenge as well as the characters of Blue Ruin. "
• Review in a nutshell: "Despite a compelling lead performance by Tom Hanks and a great soundtrack, Forrest Gump never gets out of the shadow of its weak plot and questionable premise."
• Context or Background Information: " Boyhood might be the first movie made where knowing how it was produced–slowly, over 12 years, with the same actors–is just as crucial as the movie itself."

• Using stars, a score out of 10 or 100, or the simple thumbs-up and thumbs-down is a quick way to give your thoughts. You then write about why you chose that rating.
• Great Movie: ABC is the rare movie that succeeds on almost every level, where each character, scene, costume, and joke firing on all cylinders to make a film worth repeated viewings."
• Bad Movie: "It doesn't matter how much you enjoy kung-fu and karate films: with 47 Ronin, you're better off saving your money, your popcorn, and time."
• Okay Movie: "I loved the wildly uneven Interstellar far more than I should have, but that doesn't mean it is perfect. Ultimately, the utter awe and spectacle of space swept me through the admittedly heavy-handed plotting and dialogue."

• Great: "Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer's chemistry would carry Fruitvale Station even if the script wasn't as good. The mid-movie prison scene in particular, where the camera never leaves their faces, shows how much they can convey with nothing but their eyelids, the flashing tension of neck muscles, and a barely cracking voice."
• Bad: " Jurassic World's biggest flaw, a complete lack of relatable female characters, is only further underscored by a laughably unrealistic shot of our heroine running away from a dinosaur – in heels."
• Okay: "At the end of the day, Snowpiercer can't decide what kind of movie it wants to be. The attention to detail in fight scenes, where every weapon, lightbulb, and slick patch of ground is accounted for, doesn't translate to an ending that seems powerful but ultimately says little of substance."

• Does the film reflect on a current event or contemporary issue? It could be the director's way of engaging in a bigger conversation. Look for ways to relate the content of the film to the "real" world.
• Does the film seem to have a message, or does it attempt to elicit a specific response or emotion from the audience? You could discuss whether or not it achieves its own goals.
• Does the film connect with you on a personal level? You could write a review stemming from your own feelings and weave in some personal stories to make it interesting for your readers.

Composing Your Review

• When you name characters in your plot summary, list the actors' names directly afterward in parenthesis.
• Find a place to mention the director's name and the full movie title.
• If you feel you must discuss information that might "spoil" things for readers, warn them first.

• Cinematography: " Her is a world drenched in color, using bright, soft reds and oranges alongside calming whites and grays that both build, and slowly strip away, the feelings of love between the protagonists. Every frame feels like a painting worth sitting in."
• Tone: "Despite the insane loneliness and high stakes of being stuck alone on Mars, The Martian's witty script keeps humor and excitement alive in every scene. Space may be dangerous and scary, but the joy of scientific discovery is intoxicating."
• Music and Sound: " No Country For Old Men's bold decision to skip music entirely pays off in spades. The eerie silence of the desert, punctuated by the brief spells of violent, up-close-and-personal sound effects of hunter and hunted, keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat."
• Acting: "While he's fantastic whenever he's on the move, using his cool stoicism to counteract the rampaging bus, Keanu Reeves can't quite match his costar in the quiet moments of Speed, which falter under his expressionless gaze."

• Keep your writing clear and easy to understand. Don't use too much technical filmmaking jargon, and make your language crisp and accessible.
• Present both the facts and your opinion. For example, you might state something such as, "The Baroque background music was a jarring contrast to the 20th century setting." This is a lot more informative then simply saying, "The music was a strange choice for the movie."

• Great: "In the end, even the characters of Blue Ruin know how pointless their feud is. But revenge, much like every taut minute of this thriller, is far too addictive to give up until the bitter end.""
• Bad: "Much like the oft-mentioned "box of chocolates", Forest Gump has a couple of good little morsels. But most of the scenes, too sweet by half, should have been in the trash long before this movie was put out."
• Okay: "Without the novel, even revolutionary concept, Boyhood may not be a great movie. It might not even be "good.” But the power the film finds in the beauty of passing time and little, inconsequential moments – moments that could only be captured over 12 years of shooting – make Linklater's latest an essential film for anyone interested in the art of film."

Polishing Your Piece

• Ask yourself whether your review stayed true to your thesis. Did your conclusion tie back in with the initial ideas you proposed?
• Decide whether your review contains enough details about the movie. You may need to go back and add more description here and there to give readers a better sense of what the movie's about.
• Decide whether your review is interesting enough as a stand-alone piece of writing. Did you contribute something original to this discussion? What will readers gain from reading your review that they couldn't from simply watching the movie?

Studying Your Source Material

• The title of the film, and the year it came out.
• The director's name.
• The names of the lead actors.

• Make a note every time something sticks out to you, whether it's good or bad. This could be costuming, makeup, set design, music, etc. Think about how this detail relates to the rest of the movie and what it means in the context of your review.
• Take note of patterns you begin to notice as the movie unfolds.
• Use the pause button frequently so you make sure not to miss anything, and rewind as necessary.

• Direction: Consider the director and how he or she choose to portray/explain the events in the story. If the movie was slow, or didn't include things you thought were necessary, you can attribute this to the director. If you've seen other movies directed by the same person, compare them and determine which you like the most.
• Cinematography: What techniques were used to film the movie? What setting and background elements helped to create a certain tone?
• Writing: Evaluate the script, including dialogue and characterization. Did you feel like the plot was inventive and unpredictable or boring and weak? Did the characters' words seem credible to you?
• Editing: Was the movie choppy or did it flow smoothly from scene to scene? Did they incorporate a montage to help build the story? And was this obstructive to the narrative or did it help it? Did they use long cuts to help accentuate an actor's acting ability or many reaction shots to show a group's reaction to an event or dialogue? If visual effects were used were the plates well-chosen and were the composited effects part of a seamless experience? (Whether the effects looked realistic or not is not the jurisdiction of an editor, however, they do choose the footage to be sent off to the compositors, so this could still affect the film.)
• Costume design: Did the clothing choices fit the style of the movie? Did they contribute to the overall tone, rather than digressing from it?
• Set design: Consider how the setting of the film influenced its other elements. Did it add or subtract from the experience for you? If the movie was filmed in a real place, was this location well-chosen?
• Score or soundtrack: Did it work with the scenes? Was it over/under-used? Was it suspenseful? Amusing? Irritating? A soundtrack can make or break a movie, especially if the songs have a particular message or meaning to them.

Expert Q&A

• If you don't like the movie, don't be abusive and mean. If possible, avoid watching the movies that you would surely hate. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Understand that just because the movie isn't to your taste, that doesn't mean you should give it a bad review. A good reviewer helps people find movie's they will like. Since you don't have the same taste in movies as everyone else, you need to be able to tell people if they will enjoy the movie, even if you didn't. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Structure is very important; try categorizing the different parts of the film and commenting on each of those individually. Deciding how good each thing is will help you come to a more accurate conclusion. For example, things like acting, special effects, cinematography, think about how good each of those are. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about writing, check out our in-depth interview with Marissa Levis .

• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_film/terminology_and_starting_prompts.html
• ↑ https://www.spiritofbaraka.com/how-write-a-movie-review
• ↑ https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/9-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/
• ↑ https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/writing-help/top-tips-for-writing-a-review
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/summary-using-it-wisely/
• ↑ https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/film-review-1.original.pdf
• ↑ https://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_film/film_writing_sample_analysis.html
• ↑ https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/onnyx.bei/dual-credit/movie-review-writing-guide
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conclusions/
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-movie-review/
• ↑ https://gustavus.edu/writingcenter/handoutdocs/editing_proofreading.php
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://edusson.com/blog/how-to-write-movie-review

About This Article

To write a movie review, start with a compelling fact or opinion to hook your readers, like "Despite a great performance by Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump never overcomes its weak plot." Then, elaborate on your opinion of the movie right off the bat so readers know where you stand. Once your opinion is clear, provide examples from the movie that prove your point, like specific scenes, dialogue, songs, or camera shots. To learn how to study a film closely before you write a review, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Get Paid to Review Movies: [9+ Best Options]

Do you want to make extra cash while indulging in your love for movies? Read this article and learn how to get paid to review movies.

• You can get paid to review movies on various platforms.
• Reviewers can earn up to $46,281 annually depending on experience and platform.
• Essential requirements include strong writing skills, a computer, and stable internet.
• Consider challenges like time consumption, subjective opinions, and potential repetitive work.

Brett Helling is a gig economy expert who has been running his own small business for over 10 years.

Are you an avid film watcher? Do you believe you have what it takes to be a film critic ?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, consider writing movie reviews for money.

Join us as we guide you through everything you need to know about how to get paid to review movies, from the challenges you may face to a step-by-step overview of how to achieve this.

Keep reading to learn more!

Can You Get Paid to Review Movies?

There are numerous ways to get paid to review movies, with various platforms hiring movie reviewers, including online websites and blogs.

These platforms may offer a fixed monthly rate or pay you based on the number of articles you’ve written during that month. Other factors that affect your pay include the number of views your articles receive.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) , writers earn an average salary of $69,510 per year or $33.42 per hour. Another figure by Indeed.com states that freelance writers working as professional film critics earn an average of $46,281 annually .

It’s important to note that freelance pay can vary widely, and you’ll need to consider the amount of work you’re doing and the number of hours you’re putting in.

If you’re starting out as an amateur writer, your pay may be less, but it’ll definitely increase as you progress and grow.

What You’ll Need to Get Paid to Review Movies

To pursue this gig, you don’t need much. Here’s a list of the essential items you’ll need.

• Writing Skills: To write reviews, you must have proficient writing skills and command over the language. You should be able to express your thoughts clearly, use proper punctuation and grammar, and have the ability to present your work in an organized manner.
• Computer: To watch movies and write articles , you’ll need a computer. This side hustle doesn’t require a fancy setup; a simple one will suffice. However, it’s worth considering investing in a good quality monitor or TV to maximize the movie quality and allow you to pick up those tiny details.
• Internet Connection: Watching movies consumes a lot of bandwidth, so it’s important to opt for a stable internet provider that provides a high-speed connection and, ideally, unlimited bandwidth. This will allow you to stream movies at maximum quality with ease.
• Portfolio: You’ll need to build and maintain a professional portfolio with relevant writing samples.
• A Love for Movies: Nothing is worth pursuing if you don’t have a passion for it. Similarly, to get paid to review movies, you must be an avid film watcher and find enjoyment in the activity. This will help you review movies more effectively.

The Best Ways to Get Paid to Review Movies (Overview)

Listed below are nine places where you can get paid to review movies. Some of these pay per review, while others may lead to passive income.

Full List of Ways to Get Paid to Review Movies

We’ve included an overview of our top picks above. For a full list and detailed information on each pick, scroll down .

• Create a Blog
• Screen Rant
• Animation Arena
• Cultured Vultures

1. Create a Blog

Creating your own blog is one of the best ways you can get paid for movie reviews. All you’ll need to do is choose a name, get a domain name and hosting, and start uploading your content.

How Much You Can Make

The amount of money you make primarily depends on how many visitors your site gets and your monetization strategy. Blog writers can earn more than $100,000 per year.

What Makes This Option Great

You’ll be able to run your own blog and create the content you want. You can also add affiliate links, potentially increasing your income.

• Fees/Commission: Purchasing a domain name typically costs between $10 to $20 per year, while hosting can range from $3 to $50.
• Payment Methods: PayPal and Google Pay.

2. Screen Rant

Screen Rant is one of the most popular sites for movie trailers and news, receiving millions of visits each year. It offers cinephiles the chance to earn money by writing for it.

Screen Rant pays freelance writers $15 per article. This means your daily wage will depend on how many articles you can write in a day and how long it takes you to write each one.

You’ll have the added flexibility to work when you want. It’s also helpful throughout the process and provides an introduction to SEO and assigns an editor to work with you.

Additionally, if you do enough articles, you’ll get a bonus.

• Fees/Commission: Not available.
• Payment Methods: PayPal.

3. Cineaste

Cineaste is a quarterly publication that discusses everything related to cinema and movie news. It features various films, including Hollywood, American, and European cinema.

It produces feature articles, interviews, film reviews, book reviews, as well as BLU-RAY and DVD reviews.

Depending on the type and length of the article, you’ll be able to earn between $18 for short articles to $90 for features.

Its promising pay rates mean that if you primarily write features, you can earn a good amount each month.

• Fees/Commission: None.

4. Animation Arena

Animation Arena focuses on writing quality video games, movies, and comic book reviews.

To apply, you’ll need to provide two writing samples so that it can evaluate your writing style and skills. It also requires you to answer a few questions.

Animation Arena’s payment rate is fixed at $15 per review, with a maximum of 10 reviews per month. This implies that the maximum amount you can earn per month is $150.

Its reviews are casual and don’t require technical writing skills, which is especially great if you’re an amateur writer.

Additionally, each review needs to be a minimum of 550 words, so you won’t have to waste time writing unnecessarily lengthy reviews.

Medium is an open-source platform that allows freelance content writers to share their stories, articles, or reviews.

To be eligible for its partner program, you must have published at least one story and have at least 100 followers.

There are two ways to get paid for your reviews on Medium. The first is by calculating the reading time of your review, and the second is if a reader subscribes to Medium’s membership after reading your review. In the case of the latter, you’ll receive half the cost of the membership, which is $2.5.

Medium monthly incomes are variable, but if your reviews take off, you can earn three or even four digits a month from a single review.

As you continue to write, Medium will provide you with valuable opportunities to expand your network and grow your connections, which may lead to better writing opportunities.

• Payment Methods: Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.

Bustle is a well-known website that caters to women and covers various topics, including life, health, and entertainment.

It hires new writers occasionally, so be sure to keep an eye out. You’ll be required to submit writing samples as well.

Bustle pays writers $0.25 per word, so the amount you make will depend on the length of the article.

Bustle writers cover a range of niches, which means you can expand from writing movie reviews to other types of content.

While Cracked is primarily a comedy-based website, it also features other types of content, including movies.

It allows anyone to sign up to become a contributor to its site but be warned it has a rigorous hiring process and high standards. Not everyone gets accepted.

To apply, you need to submit a pitch in a specific format, and if it’s accepted, you’ll work with its editors to polish and refine the idea. Afterward, you’ll be asked to write a draft, and upon completion, you’ll receive payment.

For the first four articles, Cracked will pay you $150, and starting from the fifth article, it’ll pay $250 per article.

Cracked is known for offering one of the highest per-article rates, making it an appealing option to consider as a freelance movie critic.

8. Cultured Vultures

Cultured Vultures is a pop culture website that allows writers to write on a variety of topics, including wrestling, video games, movies, TV, and anime.

It pays a flat rate of £5 for every article published and an additional £2 for every 200 views your article receives.

For SEO commission work, it pays £7.50 for every 500 words written.

Cultured Vultures requires no prior writing experience, making it a great option for beginners to earn. It also allows you to retain the copyright for your work, and if you leave, you can ask it to remove your work, and you can publish it elsewhere.

• Fees/Commission: Non-UK writers may need to pay a transaction fee for international payments.

Starting a YouTube channel for movie reviews is different from writing movie reviews. You’ll need to film yourself and verbally deliver your review to your audience.

On average, YouTube pays $18 for every 1000 video views. In the US, the average weekly salary for a YouTuber is $1,154, which equals $4,616 per month.

Millions of people watch videos on YouTube each day. If your movie review goes viral, it has the potential to earn you even more money.

Once your channel is monetized , you can also earn from advertisements .

• Fees/Commission: YouTube is free to use.
• Payment Methods: Google Pay and PayPal.

Why You Should Consider Getting Paid to Review Movies as a Side Hustle

Apart from being enjoyable and fun, here are some reasons to consider this side hustle.

• Flexibility: Reviewing movies allows you to work from the comfort of your home, and you can decide your own hours and work when you feel like it. You also have the flexibility to work as much or as little as you want and can work in your spare time.
• Extra Income: Movies are immensely popular, with millions of people watching them and seeking reviews. This provides a great opportunity to earn some extra money on the side simply by sharing your thoughts and opinions.
• Discover New Movies: Your employer may ask you to review old or niche films, providing you with a golden opportunity to discover lesser-known movies. If you’re a movie fanatic, this works in your favor, as it can give you hours of new material to enjoy .
• Hone Your Writing Skills: Writing and editing reviews will polish your writing and grammar skills, which are valuable skills to have. These skills can also help you apply to similar jobs or side gigs, such as content writing.

Problems With Getting Paid to Review Movies for Money

Starting any side hustle comes with its own set of challenges, and reviewing movies is no different. Here are some common problems you might encounter that could impact your journey.

1. Time-Consuming

According to statistics by whattowatch.com , the length of the average movie has been increasing each year. In 2021, the average movie was 131 minutes, which is over two hours long!

Watching the movie will already take a lot of time, but you’ll also need to watch patiently, take notes, and look for minor details, which can consume even more time.

2. Subjective Opinions

Movies are subjective, and how you interpret a scene may not be the same as how another viewer could interpret it.

This means your reviews will reflect your views and opinions, which other viewers may not necessarily agree with. As a result, you may receive negative and even hateful comments from readers.

3. May Get Repetitive

Continuously watching movies day in and day out may start to feel repetitive and leave you feeling bored.

4. May Affect Your Ability to Enjoy Movies

Once you start reviewing movies as a job, it’ll require you to think critically about them, and you may find yourself nitpicking details. You may also start to view movies differently, which could take the fun out of watching them.

How to Get Paid to Review Movies: Step-By-Step Instructions

In this section, we’ll provide a step-by-step overview of how you can earn extra cash by reviewing movies.

Step 1. Build a Professional Portfolio

Start by building a professional portfolio, which you can do by writing a wide variety of movie reviews.

By having a curated portfolio, you’ll be able to showcase your writing experience and provide relevant samples when you apply for freelance work. This will help you immensely by making you stand out amongst your competitors.

It’s essential to write high-quality content that’s free of grammatical and punctuation errors to make a prominent impression on the hiring team.

Step 2. Look for Job Opportunities

Look for various openings online where positions are open for movie critics. Fill out their application forms, make sure to follow all the application instructions, and send your portfolio.

If possible, you should apply to reputable companies that pay well. Additionally, consider reaching out to current employees and asking them questions about the work.

And wait patiently until you receive a job or freelance offer. If you choose to run your own movie review blog instead of working for someone else, you can skip this step.

Step 3. Watch Movies

Now comes the fun part you’ve been waiting for—watching movies!

Make yourself a bowl of popcorn, rent, buy, or stream the movies you have to review and sit down to watch them.

Pay close attention to the movie and avoid getting distracted; otherwise, you may miss important details. Analyze the film critically throughout the viewing and take notes on your computer. This will help you when you start writing.

Step 4. Write Your Reviews

Once you’ve finished watching the movie, it’s time to start writing the review. Give as much detail as possible, including the movie director, movie content, and any other relevant material.

While writing reviews involves giving your opinions, try to be unbiased as it may appeal to a wider audience of movie lovers.

Once you’re finished writing and editing, submit your review for publication.

Step 5. Stay Up-To-Date

Continue staying on top of the latest movie trends and releases, and engage in discussions with movie fans who comment on your reviews to gain insights.

Things to Consider When Getting Paid to Review Movies for Money

Here are some essential factors to consider when reviewing movies for money.

1. Rights to Your Work

Will you have rights to the content you produce, or will it belong to the company or website you work for? Will your writings be published under your name, or will you work as a ghostwriter ?

Make sure you clarify this before accepting the job offer, as you may want to use your writing in your portfolio or share it with other places.

2. Identify Your Audience

You’ll need to identify your target audience for your reviews so that you can tailor your reviews accordingly.

You should also consider engaging in meaningful discussions with fans to build a connection with them.

3. Will You Be Allowed to Review Independently?

When writing reviews, it’s important that you’re able to voice your thoughts and opinions independently without any external interference. Before joining, ask your employer if they’ll let you write freely or if they’ll impose their own opinions on you.

When writing movie reviews for money, it’s essential to be honest in presenting your critiques and not be forced to give positive reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of movies should you watch.

If you’re writing independently, you’ll have the freedom to review any movie you want, and you can choose to review your favorite movies.

However, if you’re working for a company or website, they may require you to watch specific types of movies, such as classic movies, Christmas movies, or lifetime movies.

Are There Any Writing Style Requirements?

Some companies or websites may have specific guidelines and requirements, and you’ll need to write in a specific tone, style, and format.

Ask about these beforehand and make sure to adhere to them strictly.

Similar Tutorials to Check Out

If you feel writing movie reviews isn’t well-suited to your talents, you can try your hand at some of these alternatives instead.

• How to Get Paid to Type: If you’re a skilled and proficient writer looking to monetize your talent, our guide on how to get paid to type is a must-read.
• How to Get Paid to Watch Horror Movies: Are you a hardcore horror fan who loves the thrill of the scare? What if we told you that you could get paid for watching horror movies? Read on to learn more!
• How to Get Paid to Watch YouTube Videos: Learn how to watch YouTube videos and earn money while indulging in one of your favorite pastimes.

Wrapping Up

Watching and writing movie reviews can be an enjoyable and profitable venture. By making a portfolio, polishing your writing skills, and applying to websites as a freelance writer, you can earn extra money on the side doing what you love.

Remember that it may be difficult to secure jobs initially, but don’t let rejection discourage you. It’s normal to face challenges when pursuing a new role.

If you stay committed to yourself and your journey, success will surely follow.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, so please express your opinions below and share this article with fellow film enthusiasts.

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Writing a Movie Review: A Comprehensive Guide with Examples

Movie reviews serve as invaluable tools for both avid moviegoers seeking recommendations and filmmakers eager for critical feedback. Crafting an informative and engaging movie review demands a delicate balance of captivating storytelling, insightful analysis, and thoughtful critique. In this guide, we’ll explore the essential elements of writing a movie review, accompanied by illustrative examples to elucidate each point. If you’re looking for examples of such reviews, you can find them here or here .

A Comprehensive Guide to Movie Review with Illustrative Examples

• Introduction: Providing Context and Overview

The introduction serves as the gateway to your review, setting the stage for what follows. Begin by offering a brief summary of the film’s plot, genre, and overarching themes. Additionally, mention any critical acclaim or noteworthy accolades the film has received. Here’s an example:

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“In the cinematic tour de force ‘Parasite,’ praised director Bong Joon-ho intricately explores the complexities of class division and societal commentary within contemporary South Korea. Winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Film Festival in Cannes, ‘Parasite’ has captivated audiences and critics alike with its bold narrative and stellar performances.”

• Analysis: Delving Deep into the Film’s Components

The analysis section forms the core of your review, where you dissect various elements of the film, including direction, acting, cinematography, and narrative structure. Provide specific examples to support your observations and offer insights into what makes the film compelling or lacking. Here’s an example:

“Bong Joon-ho’s directorial prowess in ‘Parasite’ is nothing short of extraordinary. His adept synthesis of dark humor and suspense creates a palpable tension that keeps viewers enraptured from start to finish. Moreover, the film’s masterful use of symbolism, such as the recurring motif of staircases symbolizing social hierarchy, adds layers of depth and nuance to the narrative.”

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• Evaluation: Offering Your Overall Assessment

After thoroughly analyzing the film’s components, it’s time to offer your overall evaluation. Reflect on whether the film succeeded in achieving its objectives and whether it warrants recommendation to others. Be honest and balanced in your assessment. Here’s an example:

“In summation, ‘Parasite’ stands as a cinematic masterpiece, seamlessly blending elements of thriller, drama, and dark comedy to deliver a thought-provoking and immersive viewing experience. While some may find the film’s narrative twists disconcerting, others will appreciate its audacity and originality. ‘Parasite’ is a must-watch for cinephiles seeking a captivating and socially relevant cinematic pilgrimage.”

• Conclusion: Wrapping Up Your Thoughts

The conclusion serves as the final impression you leave with your readers. Summarize your main points and offer a closing thought or reflection to leave a lasting impact. Here’s an example:

“‘Parasite’ transcends cultural and genre boundaries to emerge as a cinematic triumph that echoes long after the credits roll. The directors’ visionary storytelling and the stellar performances of the ensemble cast elevate ‘Parasite’ to a level of cinematic excellence seldom seen. As the film confronts societal norms and delves into the complexities of human nature, viewers are left pondering the enduring ramifications of inequality and the pursuit of the ‘American Dream.’ ‘Parasite’ is more than a film; it’s a cinematic experience that demands to be savored and contemplated.”

Additional Tips for Writing a Movie Review

• Maintain Objectivity: While expressing your opinion, strive to remain objective and avoid personal biases.
• Provide Context: Consider the film’s cultural, historical, and social context when evaluating its significance.
• Use Descriptive Language: Engage readers with vivid descriptions and imagery to bring your review to life.
• Support Your Claims: Back up your analysis and evaluation with evidence from the film, such as dialogue, visuals, and thematic elements.

By following these guidelines and incorporating illustrative examples, you can craft reviews that inform, entertain, and inspire readers while paying homage to the artistry of cinema.

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10 Best Ways To Get Paid To Review Movies

If you're a bit of a movie aficionado, you might be looking to turn your passion for movies into a new income stream.

Making money from reviewing movies might sound like the dream side hustle idea for many. But, the great news is there are plenty of ways to get paid to review movies.

So, if you're ready to turn your movie and TV viewing time into a new way to make money online , this is the post for you.

Want more ways to make money? Checkout :

• Branded Surveys : Share your opinion to get gift cards and cash!
• Freecash : Another fun way to earn free PayPal cash and gift cards.

How To Get Paid To Review Movies

Table of Contents

1. Start A Movie Review Blog

In my opinion, the best way to get paid for movie reviews is to start your own movie review blog .

I'm a bit biased here since blogging is how I make the bulk of my income, but I truly think that a blog is the most versatile way to make money writing reviews .

For example, WebMonkey made $92,000 in 2021 , and this income came from numerous income streams. And in 2022, I made $272,000 with WebMonkey :

The two main sources were running Mediavine ads and through affiliate marketing. And these days, the blog makes $500 a day from just Mediavine alone, and this is largely autopilot income . My video above explains exactly how I started my blog and scaled this income source.

Now in terms of making money with a movie review blog, titans like IMDB are obviously dominating the market. However, independent film critics have also found success by writing movie reviews for money .

For example, Leonard Maltin's movie review blog is a perfect example.

On his blog, Maltin writes various movie reviews or cinema-related content. And, he has a Patreon that his readers can subscribe to if they want early-access to content and to unlock some exclusive content as well.

And this is just one example.

Nothing stops you from starting a niche blog that talks about movies but also filmography, or things like creating a perfect home theater where you plug a lot of Amazon affiliate links.

And the best part is that blogging doesn't have to be super expensive. I started WebMonkey with a cheap domain name and simple WordPress hosting. You can find incredibly affordable hosting and domains with a company like SiteGround and pay less than a cup of coffee or two per month.

And you never know where a blog can take you; I've been blogging for four years and it's now my full-time job and makes $10,000 a month or more.

2. Start A Movie Review YouTube Channel

Like blogging, another way to get paid to review movies is to start a movie review YouTube channel.

YouTubers do this all the time for music reviews or movie reviews, and if you gain a following, you can certainly make money on YouTube . I mean, I started my channel in 2020, and these days, it makes around $1,000 per month, and that's mostly passive income !

The thing with YouTube is that you can't show copyrighted content, so reviewing movies usually follows a reaction format or opinion format where you just talk about a movie.

That said, there are plenty of popular movie review channels out there. For example, movie review YouTuber Jeremy Jahns has over 1.8 million subscribers, and pretty much all of his movie review videos get hundreds of thousands of views!

Jahns does straight up movie reviews and also covers things like trailers and TV shows, so you have a lot of options.

And like blogging, YouTube isn't incredibly expensive to start either. For example, here is my budget YouTube setup that I used to grow my own channel to 10,000+ subscribers:

• Sony A6000 Camera   – $495.
• Audio-Technica AT2005 USB Microphone  – $80.
• Joby GorillaPod Tripod  – $15.

Extra Reading – Blog vs YouTube – Which Option Is Best?

3. AnimationArena

If you want to make money as a freelance writer , another way to get paid to write movie reviews is to write for AnimationArena.

This site pays you for writing movie reviews as well as comic book and video game reviews.

You don't need previous experience, and reviews are at least 550 words and are supposed to be casual in style .

AnimationArena pays $15 USD per review and asks for a max of 10 reviews per month.

This is a pretty quick $150 if you write 10 reviews per month. To get started, you just email two writing samples to [email protected] with “Writing for Animation Arena” in the subject line.

4. Start A Medium Blog

If you want to make money with creative writing or start a movie review blog a bit faster, you can always try making money on Medium .

Medium is a free blogging platform where you get paid when premium Medium members read your content.

I've also been blogging on Medium, on and off, for the last few years. At one point, I was making $1,000+ from my Medium work :

However, you can start your own Medium profile for free and write whatever you feel like. If you build an audience over time, it's definitely possible to turn sites like Medium into a decent income stream on the side as well.

Extra Reading – 7 Ways To Get Paid To Watch Netflix .

5. ScreenRant

Like AnimationArena, you can also get paid for writing movie reviews by writing for ScreenRant.

ScreenRant is looking for writers who can write “in-depth, premium content” about movies, TV shows, news, and gaming. You get an author bio/credit and you get paid. However, ScreenRant doesn't state how much you get paid for writing movie reviews.

You apply by submitting the topic(s) you want to write about and explain what previous writing experience you have as well.

6. Taste Of Cinema

Another way you can make money writing movie reviews is to write for Taste of Cinema.

This movie review site is always looking for contributor writers. And, there are two compensation models you can choose from:

• Promotion : Promote your company, author profile, book, or social media accounts in your author bio.
• Payment : Get paid for your movie reviews depending on how many clicks your articles get.

Unfortunately, Taste of Cinema doesn't have information on its rates. And honestly, pay-per-click models are usually pretty low in the world of freelance writing.

But if you just want to write movie reviews for money as a fun side hustle, you can always try out Taste of Cinema to see if you like it.

7. Cineaste

According to its website, Cineaste is “America's leading magazine on the art and politics of the cinema.”

This quarterly publication began in 1967, and it's looking for writers who can cover in-depth topics about Hollywood and film.

This includes writing in-depth pieces, interviews, and film reviews. Many of these pieces range from 1,000 to 4,000+ words, and there's a serious editorial team behind the scenes.

Here's how much Cineaste pays for different types of movie and film reviews :

• Short Takes : $18.
• Book & DVD Reviews : $36.
• Film Reviews, Short Articles, & Sidebar Interviews : $45.
• Feature Articles & Interviews : $$90.

This is one of the higher-paying movie review gigs, although articles require much more work and the quality standard is higher.

But if you want to write for a movie review magazine, you can definitely apply to Cineaste .

Bustle is an American women's magazine that began in 2013. These days, it's an absolutely massive publication you're probably familiar with.

And the great news is that Bustle covers movies and entertainment news, and you can pitch freelance writing ideas to the editorial team.

Here's what you include in your article pitch :

• A few sentences about your writing background
• A sample headline
• A 2-3 sentence summary of the article
• Sources you know that pertain to the article
• Why the story is relevant and a good fit for Bustle
• Any plans for photos if you want to include some

The fact you can set your freelance writing rate is a perk of writing movie reviews for cash with Bustle.

Granted, you're not guaranteed to get the rate you're asking for, but Bustle is a massive website, so it has the potential to turn into a more regular gig if the team likes your work.

9. Get A Job Reviewing Movies

One of the more straightforward ways to get paid for movie reviews is to get a movie reviewer job.

Searching on remote job sites or regular job boards is a great way to start your job search. For example, if you search for movie review jobs on Indeed, you find scores of different remote and in-person job openings.

Many listings include salary information as well, or how many articles you have to publish. Plus, you can find full- and part-time work, so this is ideal if you're looking for something a bit more serious.

Our post on Netflix tagger jobs also covers some ways you can get started with this kind of editorial role.

Extra Reading – The Best Jobs That Pay $5,000 Per Month .

10. Cracked

Cracked is another massively popular online publication that covers topics like entertainment, TV shows, movies, and music.

Now, Cracked is definitely on the more premium side, so it's not the type of movie review writing job that accepts everyone.

However, you can still apply to write for the site. Cracked pays between $100 to $250 depending on article length and how many pieces you've written .

Cracked is also quite humorous, so take a look at some published pieces to see if your writing style matches up well!

How Much Money Can You Make Writing Movie Reviews?

How much you get paid for your movie reviews depends on several factors, including:

• The publications you write for
• How often you write
• Your previous experience
• If you run your own music review blog or YouTube channel

Top movie critics can make six figures, and the most popular movie review blogs or YouTube channels can make millions. However, many movie review writer jobs only pay $10 to $100 per article, with $100 being on the higher side .

Ultimately, it's possible to make decent money in this space, but it's competitive and requires building up your portfolio!

Extra Reading – The Best Free Online Jobs That Pay Daily .

Tips For Getting Started

Now that you know how to get paid for movie reviews, here are some tips you can keep in mind to help turn your hobby into a new income stream :

• Set Realistic Expectations : Set an income goal you want to make as a movie reviewer and then work towards that goal over time.
• Try Branching Out On Your Own : I think the two methods to get paid for movie reviews with the highest income potential are blogging and YouTube. So, don't be afraid to start your own thing!
• Hone Your Craft : As a freelance writer, I can confidently say that writing for money is an endless process of self-improvement. Take pride in your work and find ways to improve your movie reviews while landing better and better clients.

Extra Reading – How To Get Paid For Amazon Reviews .

Final Thoughts

I hope this list of ways to make money from movie reviews helps you turn your film hobby into a new income stream.

Again, there are plenty of options out there, so don't be afraid to dabble with a few ideas on the side as you improve your writing.

This could mean starting a movie review blog with WordPress, your own YouTube channel, or freelance writing. Whatever the case, all of these are fun side hustles that you can use to potentially make money with your cinema hobby.

And who knows; you might be making a full-time income writing Blockbuster movie reviews in the future!

Looking for other ways to make extra money? Checkout :

• How To Make Money Writing Short Stories .
• How To Get Paid To Review Products .
• The Best Ways To Make Quick Money In A Day .

Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and making money online. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Forbes, and more.

Tom also founded the blog This Online World - a finance site dedicated to helping people make money online - in 2018. After 6 years, that site merged with WebMonkey, with the goal of helping even more people earn their first dollar of online income.

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33 publications that pay for writing about movies, films, and cinema.

There are a surprising number of opportunities to get paid to write about films, movies, and the film industry. This list is a roundup of publishers that focus on this topic. Since the last update of this list, it has approximately doubled in size, to 33 publications.

Note, that there are many publications that I did not include, especially those publications that are specifically “culture/entertainment” focused, including glossy magazines such as Vanity Fair, People, etc. Most publications that cover pop-culture or entertainment also include writing about movies/film.

One avenue not to overlook: If you really want to get paid to write movie reviews, I highly recommend looking into your local or regional “weekly” magazine. Nearly every city, and even many small towns, publish weeklies, and nearly all of these weeklies publish movie reviews. It is an opportunity worth pursuing, for those interested. Even though your local weekly may not be in need of a movie reviewer, you may as well find out!

This is in addition to the many newspapers that publish movie reviews, which is another opportunity to consider.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to write a good pitch before getting published by these publications. This free lecture shows you exactly how to do that.

— Jacob Jans

Flairbox is “a revolutionary video sharing platform for talent discovery in the entertainment industry.” They are always seeking new contributors for Flairbox magazine. They love “pieces that give juicy insights and hard-won tips – or something unusual from your personal experience in the industry.” They generally pay £50/1,000 words or 5p/word. To learn more, refer to their  pitch guide .

Independent Cinema Office is “the national organisation for the development and support of independent film exhibition throughout the UK.” They are always accepting pitches for their blog. Send them an idea for an article about a film exhibition that you’d like them to commission at [email protected] . They pay 15p/word for articles of 800 to 1,200 words. For details, read their blog guidelines .

Sight & Sound is “the UK’s oldest film publication and an internationally respected voice in film criticism and journalism.” They are looking for new writers and contributors to further diversify the range of voices within their pages and on their website. They encourage pitches from all writers. They would “particularly like to hear from Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers, the LGBTIQ+ community, writers with disabilities and emerging voices.” They pay £120 for every 1,000 words. For details, refer to their pitching guide .

Certified Forgotten is a podcast in which film critics Matt Donato and Matt Monagle “unearth the most memorable horror films that feature five or fewer reviews on RottenTomatoes.” They are expanding into editorial content and are seeking pitches for features. They will pay $75 per feature. Send pitches to [email protected]. To learn more, refer to this page .

WhatNerd is a website about nerd lifestyle and entertainment. They cover games, TV, movies, health, and more. They are looking for contributors who can write 1 to 8 articles per month. They pay $80 per article (600 to 1,200 words). They don’t accept one-off submissions. To learn more, refer to this page .

The A.V. Club is an entertainment website for the pop culture obsessed. They cover news, films, music, TV, games, and more. They are always seeking thoughtful pitches for their TV section. Their rates start at $250 for 900 words. To learn more, refer to this Twitter post and this link .

ALL ARTS is a multimedia platform that covers visual art, theater, dance, film, music, literature, and more. They are seeking journalists who cover theater, film, music, visual art, fashion, and/or TV. Their pay varies based on the story type, but their minimum threshold for a non-reported 400-word post is $250. For details, refer to this Twitter post . For their contact information, refer to this page .

theFold is an online magazine by Double Double store (an Australian store that offers curated streetwear and fashion from global designers). They publish “critical and exploratory writing on contemporary culture, broadly defined.” They “welcome writing about art, fashion, architecture, film, music, television, and more.” They are “particularly interested in personal essays that incorporate cultural criticism and critique.” They accept completed articles (1,200 to 1,700 words) and pitches. They pay $300 per article. For details, read their submission guidelines .

Digital Spy is the United Kingdom’s biggest TV and movies site. They offer news on TV, movies, soaps, showbiz, music, games, and tech. According to one payment report, they paid £60 for a TV review of 350 to 500 words. To contact them, visit this page .

Point of View Magazine (POV) is a Canadian, print and online magazine about documentaries and independent films. They publish twice a year. Payment reports indicate that they pay $0.25 per word. To contact them, refer to this page .

Art of the Title is “the definitive industry publication for title sequence design and an educational resource, spanning the film, television, conference, and video game industries.” They are looking for contributors to “write about title sequences in film, TV, and beyond.” They pay $200 to $300 per piece. For details, read this Twitter post .  You can contact them here.

British Cinematographer is a print and digital magazine that covers the art and craft of international cinematography. They publish 6 times a year. They “focus on the art and craft of cinematographers, and the technologies they use during production and post production.” According to one payment report, they paid $300 for a reported story. To contact them, visit this page .

Variety covers entertainment news, awards, film reviews, film festivals, box office, and more. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.75 per word. To contact them, visit this page .

Substream Magazine is a print and digital publication focused on music, pop culture, film, and entertainment. They publish news, reviews, interviews, and more. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.10 per word. To contact them, refer to this page .

Paper Magazine covers fashion, music, film, TV, famous people, nightlife, politics, art, culture, sex, dating, and more. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.25 per word. To contact them, refer to this page .

Film Quarterly publishes articles, reviews, and interviews about “all aspects of film history, film theory, and the impact of film, video, and television on culture and society.” They pay $50 for articles (of 1,000 words or less) for the Quorum section of their website. For details, refer to this page .

AP Marvel is a progressive podcast and publication for Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans from “marginalized communities to talk politics, social issues, and story themes.” They are looking for unique perspectives from the MCU fanbase. They are seeking “pitches from women, queer people, people of color, disabled people, and people of various faiths.” They are paying for written pieces and essays. Payment: $50 per piece. For details about pitching, refer to this page .

Crooked Marquee is a movie website. They entertain, inform, and empower their readers by providing them with amusing insights and unique perspectives regarding the industry. They want writers who are based in the U.S. and have a U.S. bank account. Their pay starts at $50 per piece. To learn more, read their writers guidelines .

Bright Wall/Dark Room is an online magazine that is dedicated to “exploring the relationship between cinema and the business of being alive.” They publish profiles, interviews, personal essays, cultural criticism, formal analysis, and humor pieces. Their critical essays are generally 1,500 to 3,000 words long. They pay $50 per essay. For details, refer to this page .

Little White Lies is a London-based bi-monthly film magazine that is “committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them.” The magazine keeps film lovers entertained by featuring progressive writing, illustrations and photography. Payment reports suggest that they pay up to $0.11 per word. To learn more, refer to this page .

SVLLY(wood) is a biannual movie magazine which is “geared towards building a new cinephilia through diverse themes and leftist ideology.” They accept pitches (of 300 to 400 words) that outline the potential piece and its link to the issue’s theme. They pay $40 to $50 per essay. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines page .

Artforum is a magazine focused on the world of contemporary art. They also focus on film, photography, music, fashion, and architecture. According to payment reports, they pay an average of $0.32 per word. To contact them, refer to this page .

Freelance Video Collective is a “UK network for film, TV and video production jobs.” They are looking for freelancers (with a background in film and TV) to write guest posts for their video production blog. They want articles of 800 to 900 words. They pay £60 per article. To learn more, visit this page .

Flood Magazine is a quarterly magazine that spans the cultural landscape of film, television, music, art, and travel. According to payment reports, they pay up to $0.15 per word. To contact them, refer to this page .

Luma is an online quarterly publication about independent film and media art. It is published by the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers and EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Society. They publish “critical essays, news, reviews, event previews, interviews, reflections, and photo/video essays about culturally relevant productions, events and ideas.” They pay successful contributors an honorarium of $200 per submission. To learn more, visit this page .

Offscreen is a monthly online film journal that features essays, interviews, reviews and festival reports. They frequently produce special thematic issues. They want reviews and festival reports of at least 1,000 words and essays of at least 2,000 words. They pay up to $150 (Canadian dollars). To learn more, read their contributor guidelines .

Cineaste offers social, political and aesthetic perspective on cinema. Book reviews should deal with newly published books (or up to two years old), and may be single-book or multiple-book reviews. They encourage review-essays in which the discussion serves as a vehicle for a broader treatment of ideas or issues, and individual book reviews should be 1,000-1,500 words. They also publish feature articles, interviews, film reviews, DVD and Blu-Ray reviews, and columns. Pay is $18 for Short Take reviews, $36 for book or DVD reviews (in the case of book or DVD reviews posted on their website as Web Exclusives, no cash payment is offered), $45 for film reviews and short articles, columns, sidebar interviews, or essays, and $90 for feature articles or interviews. Details here .

Metro Magazine is Australia’s film and media magazine, run by the Australian Teachers of Media association. They publish essays, articles, reviews and interviews that analyse the film and media cultures of Australia and the Asia-Pacific. They pay up to $350 AUD per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

Afterimage is a bimonthly publication that covers visual arts, photography, independent film and video, new media, and alternative publishing. They cover issues and debates within art history, visual and cultural studies, media studies, and related fields. They have features, essays, reviews, reports, news, media noted sections for writers, and double exposure, which are collaborations of photography and prose. The magazine is partly funded by New York State Council on the Arts. They pay $0.05/word for articles, max $300 for features, $150 for essays and $100 for news, reports and reviews. When I last checked, it was not clear whether their funding was still able to support paying writers. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

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How to Write a Movie Review: 10 Essential Tips

As long as there have been films, there have been film critics. Starting with the early days of cinema, where reviews appeared in newspapers and magazines as brief, descriptive pieces, as filmmaking evolved as an art form, so did the role of the critic. James Agee, André Bazin, and Pauline Kael shaped the discourse around cinema, and today, famous film critics like the iconic Roger Ebert , The New York Times’s A.O. Scott , and The New York Times’s Manohla Dargis continue to leave an indelible mark on the world of cinema.

With the rise of the internet, film criticism now encompasses a wide range of voices and perspectives from around the globe. Sites like Letterboxd make it possible for anyone to write short-form reviews on film. Even stars like The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri have accounts and share opinions on the latest box-office hits.

How to Write a Movie Review

Today, contemporary YouTube and TikTok critics such as Red Letter Media , deepfocuslens , and DoMo Draper don’t just write film reviews, they shoot videos and skits. Through their creative formats, they offer refreshing and unique perspectives while building communities of diehard film and television enthusiasts. Whether you choose to write reviews for your own blog, other websites, or social media channels, by learning how to write a movie review, any aspiring filmmaker can start to watch films intentionally. 

@domodraperr Replying to @xsindeviltriggerx I’ll get right on that, Sir!🫡 #comments #movies #film #satire #fyp #mulan #disney ♬ I’ll Make a Man Out of You (feat. Black Gryph0n) – Cover – Samuel Kim

TikTok film critic “DoMo Draper” provides commentary on new and old films, often calling out racism, social injustice, misogyny, and prejudice.

While there’s no perfect approach to writing a review, there are best practices that every aspiring reviewer should consider.

Here are ten tips on writing a compelling piece.

1. Watch the film at least once.

For new reviewers, it’s impossible to capture everything after one viewing. Watching the film first, then watching to take notes, is an easy way to improve the quality of your final review. This will also make it easy to recall in-the-moment thoughts and reactions.

Take a review by Christian Blauvelt of Charlie Chaplin’s silent film The Circus , for example. Since the film does not have sound, properly critiquing the film requires close attention. Viewers have to pay attention to the various nuances in Chaplin’s performance, follow the story, and take in the cinematography. Regarding The Circus , Blauvelt writes, “The film lacks a conventional plot, but is rather a pearl necklace of strung-together episodes. ” The statement isn’t a criticism, but a keen observation likely gleaned from more than one viewing. 

So while every film reviewer has their own approach, many choose to watch a film more than once to deliver the best possible review. Image The Criterion Collection.

2. Express your opinions and support your criticism.

Professional reviewers do not shy away from sharing whether they thought a movie was good, bad, or indifferent. In a review for the film Mother!, reviewer Candice Frederick describes the film as “uncomfortable,” and “controversial,” helping viewers understand the tone of the movie. While Frederick seemed to enjoy the film, her honesty about how it would make audiences feel was vital in writing the review.

Be sure to back up these thoughts with specifics–a disappointing performance, beautiful cinematography, difficult material that leaves you thinking, and so on. Professional reviewers should express why and how they came to their criticism.

3. Consider your audience.

Are you writing for a fan site or a news outlet? Who will read your pieces, and what are their interests? Knowing who your readers are and where the review will be published can help you decide what elements of the movie to highlight. For example, take these two very different reviews for the film ‘Synecdoche, New York’.  

The first review was written by Alonso Duralde for The Today Show , and clocks in at around 500 words. The film focuses on the bullet points: characters, plot, and a concise review. The second review is over 3,000 words and published on the Critical Critics blog . This review goes into massive depth (and yes, includes spoilers) about the film, providing an incredible amount of analysis. The first review is tailored for the casual filmgoer, while the second is for cinephiles. Each review serves a different purpose.

It’s also a good idea to adjust your writing style to fit the target audience. For example, Alonso Duralde is a talented film reviewer and likely wrote the review to fit the tone of The Today Show site. Image via Director’s Library.

4. Talk about the acting.

When reviewing a film, it’s important to take space to discuss the performances. Does the film feature a seasoned actor in a new kind of role or a brilliant performance from a rising star? How was the acting? In a review by Brett Milam for the award-winning film Whiplash , he goes into rich detail about performances by both breakthrough actor Miles Teller and seasoned professional JK Simmons.

Regarding Teller, Milam writes, “This is a performance. This is art,” and about Simmons, “I found him fascinating to just look at.” Those are just small examples of the analysis he provides regarding their acting. As the film mostly focuses on the relationship between their two characters, Miles as the protagonist and JK as the antagonist, the review of the performances lends well to the plot of the film: student and teacher going head to head in an intense and determined showdown. 

Feedback about how well the actors handled the script, the dynamics in an ensemble, and so much more can help describe how the actors did in any given film.

5. Call out directors, cinematographers, and special effects.

Reviews that include highlights or missteps of directors, cinematographers, and costume designers can help provide support to your critiques. By providing specific examples of what worked, what surprised you, and what fell short of expectations, reviewers can write a well-thought-out review that goes beyond whether or not you liked it.

In a review for A Wrinkle in Time , Monique Jones artfully crafts a piece that diplomatically cites the missteps of the film. From analyzing the quality of the CGI to the camera techniques to inconsistencies in the rules of the fantasy universe, Jones fairly offers a critique that guides the filmmakers and crew on future endeavors. To write this type of review, it helps to have some knowledge of the filmmaking process so you can properly assess the screenwriting, cinematography, special effects, acting, and more. Image via Disney.

6. No spoilers!

The point of writing a movie review is to get people interested in seeing a movie. That’s why it’s absolutely best practice to not reveal spoilers in a film review. Film reviewer Robert Daniels approaches this creatively. In his review of Annihilation , he provides commentary on what would be considered spoilers. However, he places that part of the review at the bottom of the article under a bold header/image that warns the reader he’s about to spoil the film. For reviewers who want to dissect the entire film, this is a good way to both tease the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it and cater to people who want to know what the ending is.

Remember: the goal of any film review is to discuss the plot without revealing any twists or the ending of the film. 

7. Study the professionals.

As with all writing endeavors, the more you read, the better. However, with the modern landscape of film reviewing, which can go beyond writing and extend to content creation for social media platforms, there are a ton of reviewers to take notes from. First, determine what kind of reviewer you want to be, and what kind of medium you plan to deliver your reviews on. If you plan to post to Medium, for example, studying the reviewers already established on the site can be a great starting point.

Then, read film reviews for some of your favorite films. Determine which style of review you like and don’t like. Question why, and use your critical eye to consider why one reviewer has a hundred thousand followers and another only has two. If you’re looking to be featured on a website or a magazine, read the publications where you’d like your writing to appear as a template for your reviews, and don’t forget to read the submission guidelines. A few examples of film review professionals include Rotten Tomatoes , Roger Ebert , and Film Comment. 

8. Reread, rewrite, and edit.

While writing film critique is based on opinion, and follows the style of the reviewer, it’s still important to edit work. Writers should check for spelling, grammar, and readability. No matter how good a writer’s opinions are, they will not be taken seriously if the director’s name isn’t spelled correctly. Tools such as Grammarly and Hemingway Editor can be great for correcting and finding areas that need improvement. 

9. Find your voice.

The best reviewers have a distinct personality that comes across in their writing. Los Angeles Times film reviewer Carlos Aguilar wrote an impassioned piece about the film Beatriz at Dinner , going into a lot of detail about his experiences working in the film industry and his Mexican heritage. By sharing anecdotes about casual racism he’s experienced and connecting it to the film’s protagonist, and what she goes through, the review feels personal and relatable.

“If at a film festival – to which I’ve gotten access to because I’m a published writer – in a progressive city like Los Angeles, I must keep my guard up when people question my right to be there, then how are the voiceless supposed to feel safe, respected, or hopeful?” Aguilar writes. 

For new reviewers, developing this type of unique voice does not happen overnight, so take every opportunity to write as an opportunity to develop your style. Image via BBC.

10. Know your taste.

As a film reviewer, it can be helpful to identify your taste in film. By knowing specific preferences, strengths, and biases, reviewers can offer nuanced critiques that resonate with audiences and provide valuable guidance on which films they might enjoy. Additionally, it helps to maintain credibility and integrity as a reviewer by ensuring that assessments are authentic and reflective of personal cinematic sensibilities.

Try to explore various genres, directors, and themes to understand what resonates emotionally, intellectually, and aesthetically. Pay attention to the types of stories that engage you, which can help define your preferences.

Learn More About Filmmaking at NYFA

Film students with writing experience actually make great reviewers, as many of them are required to study a range of topics relating to film that can include cinematography, screenwriting, producing, and much more. Ready to build even more skills in filmmaking? Request more information about New York Film Academy’s filmmaking programs and workshops today!

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How to Write a Movie Review: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

• backlinkworks
• Writing Articles & Reviews
• October 3, 2023

Introduction

Watching movies is a popular pastime for many individuals. While some enjoy being entertained by the latest releases, others find satisfaction in analyzing and critiquing films. If you fall into the latter category, then writing a movie review can be a rewarding activity. Whether you aspire to become a professional film critic or simply want to share your opinion with others, this step-by-step guide will help you craft a compelling and engaging movie review.

Step 1: Watch the Movie

Before you can write a movie review, you need to watch the film attentively. Take notes while watching, paying attention to the plot, characters, cinematography, acting, and any other elements that stand out. Understanding the movie in its entirety is crucial to providing an informed perspective in your review.

Step 2: Gather Your Thoughts

After watching the film, take some time to gather your thoughts and reflect on your overall impressions. Did you enjoy the movie? What were its strengths and weaknesses? Consider the movie’s themes, messages, and intended audience. Jot down key points to use as the foundation of your review.

Step 3: Start with a Strong Introduction

The introduction sets the tone for your movie review. Begin with a captivating hook that grabs the reader’s attention and provides a brief overview of the film. Offer some context, such as the genre or director, and any interesting background information that adds value to the review. Make sure to state your overall opinion clearly and concisely.

Step 4: Analyze the Plot and Storyline

Provide a detailed analysis of the movie’s plot and storyline. Discuss the main narrative, subplots, and any twists or surprises. Evaluate the pacing, coherence, and depth of the story. Highlight any standout moments or memorable scenes that contribute to the overall narrative experience.

Step 5: Evaluate the Acting and Characters

An important aspect of any movie review is assessing the acting performances and the development of the characters. Discuss the actors’ portrayals, their chemistry, and whether they effectively brought their characters to life. Analyze the characters’ depth, growth, and believability. Give examples to support your claims.

Step 6: Critique the Cinematography and Visuals

The cinematography and visual elements greatly impact a movie’s overall appeal. Evaluate the camera angles, lighting, set design, costumes, and any special effects used. Explain how these choices contribute to the storytelling and enhance the viewer’s experience.

Step 7: Assess the Sound and Music

The sound design and music play a vital role in creating the right atmosphere for a film. Analyze the sound effects, soundtrack, and any background music utilized. Discuss how the audio elements complemented the visuals and enhanced the emotional impact of key scenes.

Step 8: Highlight the Strengths and Weaknesses

In this section, discuss the movie’s strengths and weaknesses. Offer constructive criticism where necessary, but also acknowledge the film’s positive aspects. Be specific and provide examples to support your claims, giving readers a well-rounded perspective of the overall quality of the movie.

Step 9: Conclusion

The conclusion should summarize your main points and provide a final assessment of the film. Reiterate your overall opinion and encourage readers to watch or avoid the movie based on your review. End with a thought-provoking statement or a call-to-action to engage your audience further.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. how long should a movie review be.

A movie review can vary in length, but a typical review ranges from 500 to 1000 words. However, if you feel the need to provide a more in-depth analysis, IT can extend beyond the usual word count.

2. Should I include spoilers in my review?

IT is best to avoid spoilers, as they can ruin the viewing experience for those who haven’t seen the film. If you must discuss specific plot details, clearly indicate spoiler warnings and use HTML tags to hide text, ensuring readers have the option to read or skip the spoilers.

3. How do I maintain objectivity in my review?

While a movie review reflects your personal opinion, try to maintain objectivity by offering balanced arguments and supporting your statements with evidence from the film. Acknowledge that different viewers may have different tastes and perspectives.

4. Is IT necessary to include a rating in my review?

Including a rating is not essential, but IT can provide a quick summary of your overall opinion. You can use a numerical scale, stars, or any other rating system you find suitable. Just ensure you explain the reasoning behind your rating within the body of the review.

5. How can I make my review stand out?

To make your review stand out, write in a clear and engaging style. Incorporate your unique voice and use captivating language to draw readers in. Including relevant screenshots from the movie or embedding a trailer can also enhance the overall appeal of your review.

writing a movie review provides an opportunity to express your thoughts and opinions about a film while helping others make informed decisions about their movie choices. By following this step-by-step guide, you can craft a well-written and insightful review that captures the essence of the movie. Remember to watch the film attentively, gather your thoughts, and provide a balanced assessment of its various elements. With practice, you’ll refine your skills as a movie reviewer and contribute to the world of film criticism.

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Data centers will have to make minimum power payments in ohio, ask hn: website with 6^16 subpages and 80k+ daily bots, why i’m leaving openai and what i’m doing next, how to watch lyon vs. besiktas online for free, how to watch the 2024 motogp thailand grand prix online for free, how to watch pakistan vs. england 3rd test online for free, download thousands of free mystery e-books on stuff your kindle day, you can get a lifetime license to microsoft office 2019 at a crazy discount right now, document: guangzhou, china-based self-driving startup weride files for a nasdaq ipo, planning to raise up to $119.4m (reuters), how to write a movie review (with sample reviews).

Introduction

Writing a movie review can be a fun and rewarding experience, allowing you to express your thoughts on the latest film in an engaging way. Whether you’re reviewing for your personal blog, social media, or a magazine publication, understanding the basics of writing a movie review is essential. This article will guide you through the process, providing you with tips and sample reviews to help you craft an effective and entertaining review.

Step 1: Watch the Movie

As obvious as it sounds, the first step in writing a review is to watch the movie. Make sure to watch it attentively and take notes during the screening process. Focus on details such as plotlines, characters, dialogues, and visuals to support your review later on.

Step 2: Research

Researching the production and background of the movie can provide useful context and additional information. This includes learning about the director’s past work, genre conventions, or any behind-the-scenes tidbits that could enhance your review.

Sample Review:

“In ‘Inception,’ director Christopher Nolan – best known for his work on ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy – constructs a mind-bending universe that explores the possibilities of dreams within dreams.”

Step 3: Analyze

Break down different aspects of the movie, such as its plot, characters, acting, music score, cinematography, and visual effects. Analyzing each element will provide a comprehensive perspective on the film’s strengths and weaknesses.

“While ‘La La Land’ boasts stunning visuals and memorable musical numbers by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, its predictable storyline loses some momentum in the latter half.”

Step 4: Consider Your Audience

Your writing style may vary depending on who you’re writing for. Make sure to adjust your tone and focus based on what your readership might find interesting or entertaining.

“If you’re a die-hard Marvel fan, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ delivers a satisfying conclusion to the decade-long story arc. However, newcomers may struggle to keep up with the film’s numerous plotlines and characters.”

Step 5: Express Your Opinion

A good movie review should provide a balance of analysis and personal opinion. Be honest about your feelings towards the film and use your analysis to support your point of view.

“‘Get Out,’ directed by Jordan Peele, is an instant horror classic that combines social commentary with chillingly suspenseful storytelling. I highly recommend it for fans of thought-provoking thrillers.”

Step 6: Structure Your Review

Organize your review into clear sections, such as introduction, background research, plot summary (avoid spoilers), character analysis, technical aspects, and conclusion. This will make it easier for your readers to follow and digest your thoughts on the movie.

Step 7: Edit and Revise

Proofread your review for grammatical errors and inconsistencies in the flow of thought. Don’t be afraid to make changes to improve your review’s clarity and coherence.

Writing a movie review can be an enjoyable process, offering an opportunity to share your insights on a film while honing your critical thinking skills. Follow these steps and use the sample reviews provided as inspiration on how to craft an engaging and insightful movie review that both informs and entertains your audience.

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Get Paid to Write Movie Reviews: 11 Sites That Pay for Your Opinion

Last Updated on August 9, 2024 by Katie

Are you a  movie fanatic?  If yes, why not  get paid to write movie reviews  in your spare time.

There’s a huge market for movie fans and content creators to make extra cash and you can get started with minimal writing experience.

It’s a  side hustle  that can be done around your regular 9 – 5 in your spare time and could lead to a career in writing  or running a blog.

And you don’t need to be a professional film critic to get paid to write movie reviews.

Many move blog platforms take on new writers with zero previous experience .  Here are a few of the best places to get paid to review films.

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11 Ways to Get Paid to Write Movie Reviews in Your Spare Time

• Screen Rant
• Taste of Cinema
• Cultured Vultures
• AnimationArena
• PopSugar Voices
• Create a Movie Review Blog
• Movie Review YouTube Channel

Get Paid to Write Movie Reviews: Sites That Pay for Your Opinion

Ready to make money from your love of film?

Take a look at the best online websites and ideas on how to get paid to write movie reviews, even with no experience.

1.  Screen Rant

Screen Rant needs film buffs to write reviews for movies and TV.

They also feature a popular Movie News and TV Categories section featuring interviews, reviews and lists. To get your content accepted and paid, it needs to be detailed and long form.

Pay and how to apply:  Pay varies. Fill out the  contributor application  form to be considered.

2.  Taste of Cinema

One of the best sites to get paid to write movie reviews, Taste of Cinema is always on the lookout for new contributors.

Their site is extremely active with over  600K monthly visitors  so this is a great opportunity to get your writing seen. They need writers for reviews, listicle posts of old movies and to make videos from their lists.

Pay and how to apply:  Pay is based on the number of clicks on your content. Hit the ‘’write for us’’ tab to apply.

3.  Cracked

Cracked has content in a huge amount of categories including movies and TV. They need writers for  reviews or short articles , you can choose what to contribute.

As you’d probably guessed, Cracked does sway towards the humorous side of things, so if you enjoy this, writing for Cracked is a great gig.

Pay and how to apply:  Click on the ‘’careers’’ tab to see current opportunities. Pay varies between projects.

4.  Cineaste

Cineaste is a leading publication for the arts, politics and cinema in America. The magazine pays for feature articles, film reviews, book reviews and interviews.

Articles contributed can discuss a movie or a specific genre of movies and need to be long-form around  3,000 – 4,000 words.

Pay and how to apply:  Check out the ‘’writer’s guidelines’’ section to learn how to apply. Pay is $45 for feature articles, $36 for book and DVD reviews, $45 for movie reviews and $18 for ‘’short take’’ reviews.

5.  Cultured Vultures

Get paid to write movie reviews and content about gaming, books, short stories and poetry on Cultured Vultures.

Movie reviews need to be 2,000 words, opinion pieces around 750 words and news articles 200 – 500 words. This site is run by writers for writers, so you need to be on top of your game.

Pay and how to apply:  Head to the ‘’write for us’’ section to apply. Pay starts at $2 for a feature article plus $2 for every 200 views in the first week. News articles get $1.50 plus $2 for every 200 views in the first two weeks.

6.  AnimationArena

Get paid to write video game, comic book and movie reviews for Animation Arena. Reviews need to be at least  550 words long  and original.

The good thing here is they take on writers with zero experience. Once accepted, you can submit up to 10 reviews a month.

Pay and how to apply:  Email the platform with x2 writing samples and answer the questions outlined on the writer’s page. Pay is  $15 per review.

7.  HubPages

HubPages is a revenue-sharing site like Medium, allowing you to  write content and get paid  depending on the popularity of your post.

It’s a faster way to make money from your content than blogging because HubPages already has a large readership. Sign up and start writing reviews about your favourite movies and TV shows.

Pay and how to apply : Sign up on the main homepage. Pay comes from the revenue share of ads on your article pages and will vary.

8.  PopSugar Voices

PopSugar Voices is mainly aimed at young women with content around entertainment, beauty, fashion, fitness, food and more.

They’re currently looking for writers to contribute shopping guides, TV or movie theories, personal essays, tutorials and life tips. The Word count needs to be  800 – 1200  to get into publication.

Pay and how to apply : Head over to the ‘’join the team’’ page to apply. Pay varies between content types.

Bustle is an online women’s magazine founded in 2013 by Bryan Goldberg. It contains articles on news, politics, celebrities, movies, beauty and fashion trends.

Three years after it was launched in 2016, it had  over 50 million readers!  If you’re looking to get paid to write movie reviews, this is a publication worth looking at. You can pitch freelance articles to the editorial team  here . Make sure to include:

• 1-2 sentences about your writing background and links to samples
• A draft headline of your intended article
• A short summary of the article
• Sources and any research content you have on the topic
• Why this article is a good fit for the Bustle audience
• Your intended plan for photos
• Your required rate for the finished piece

One huge benefit of writing movie reviews for Bustle is that you can set your own rate. You may not always get your required rate. But writing for less is still worth it, as your writing will get shown to millions of eager eyes that visit the Bustle platform every month.

Pay and how to apply : Email the editorial team at [email protected]. Include your rate in the pitch.

10. Create a Movie Review Blog

Another option for how to get paid to write movie reviews is to start your own blog.

This method requires a little more work up-front, but if you enjoy writing movie reviews, and have the time to write regular content, a website will make you decent money in the long run.

Set up a basic site, start writing reviews on various topics and focus on driving traffic to get your content seen.

Once you have blog traffic, you can start monetizing your content with affiliate marketing partnerships and ad revenue.

While you can start on a free blogging platform to gain experience as a freelance writer, it’s best to move on to a self-hosted website where you pay a small hosting fee.

Pay and how to apply : No need to apply, just start building! Unlimited income potential.

11. Movie Review YouTube Channel

If you fancy building a movie review empire, YouTube is one of the best places to start!

YouTube is a creator’s dream and there’s a ready-made audience waiting to hear what you have to say.

A few ideas for your own YouTube channel:

• Watch movies and give film criticism
• Ending explained videos
• Reviews with a comedic twist
• Give weekly lists of films worth watching
• Review video games or comic books

Take a look at these successful movie review YouTube channels for ideas:

• Filmi Indian
• We Watched a Movie

Pay and how to apply : Just set up a YouTube channel and start uploading movie review videos. Can apply for video monetization when you have 4,000+ viewing hours.

Get Paid to Write Movie Reviews FAQs

How much does a freelance movie critic get paid.

Film critics in the US make on  average $51,639 a year .  This will vary according to the city you live in and your notoriety and experience.

Some platforms that accept movie reviews from the general public will pay according to how many views your review gets or a flat fee, depending on the length of the review.

How do you become a film reviewer?

Anyone can get paid to write movie reviews. However, if you want to become a  full-time film reviewer you’ll need:

• Excellent English language skills
• Exceptional written and verbal skills
• Thorough attention to detail
• The ability to describe in detail and bring a story to life
• Able to work well under pressure and accept criticism
• Good understanding of media production and communication

What makes a good movie review?

A great movie review should be  informative, entertaining, persuasive and provide a unique opinion  that doesn’t give away the plot of the movie. The review should be reader directed, helping them to decide whether the movie is worth seeing or not.

How long should a film review be?

Film reviews tend to be quite short (around  600 to 1200 words ). However, they do require a decent amount of preparation before you start writing. You’ll need to research the director, writer and individual actors before you even watch the movie.

How do you review a movie?

Reviews are more than just your opinion on the movie, they require you to analyse the effectiveness of the plot, acting, special effects and all other elements surrounding the movie.

Avoid using generalised opinions such as  ”It was a good movie”  or  ”the acting was terrible.”  You need to give details as to why you’ve come to these conclusions.

Follow these tips to write a film review people want to read:

• Watch the movie once (twice is better)
• Give your opinion with details to back up your thoughts
• Consider who will read your review. Adjust your writing style to align with the target audience
• Spend a little time talking about actor performances
• Show your knowledge by highlighting what worked and what didn’t work in relation to costumes, setting, storyline etc. And call out directors, costume designers and anyone else who did or didn’t get it right
• Create excitement by detailing tiny bits of the plot, but remember – no spoliers!
• Write, read, edit, rewrite and read over again until it’s perfect. Spelling mistakes won’t make you look good
• Find your movie reviewer voice. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine, as it’s the ones that come across a little different that grab attention and get people coming back for more

How do I get paid to watch a movie?

There are many  legit places to make money watching videos . A few of these include:

• InboxDollars

Sign up to your chosen platform and fill in your profile and payment method. Once accepted, you can scroll through the video-watching tasks available and earn anything from a  few cents up to $25 per video  (although this high amount is rare).

Is it hard to become a film critic?

It’s hard to become a big-time, high-earning film critic. You often have to work in the industry for years, before you can start earning a decent salary. Many start writing reviews part-time, as a hobby.

This helps you learn the business, while you’re still working a full-time job to pay the bills. Passion is needed to keep going when not much money is being earned. But, with time and practice, it’s possible to get paid to write movie reviews full-time.

Get Paid to Write Movie Reviews – Final Thoughts

Now you know how to get paid to write movie reviews and the best places accepting guest reviewers now.

If you really love movies and have strong opinions, this could be the ideal side hustle to boost your bank balance. Start sending in pitches and applications to the sites in this article.

While you wait for responses, spend time writing movie reviews in your spare time and ask friends what they think. This way they can give you tips on where you need to improve.

Alternatively, get started right away with your own movie review blog. Every time you write a review, post it across your social media.

With a little effort, your blog may start to take off and you can monetise it with advertising and affiliate partnerships.

More side hustle ideas:

• 15 Super Lazy Ways to Make Money: $50 Every Day
• Make Money Flipping Websites: The Ultimate Beginners Guide
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* Disclosure : I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate  links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

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9 Simple Ways to Get Paid to Review Movies

by Saeed - Verified & Updated May 23, 2024 (This post may contain affiliate links.)

And no, you don’t need to be at the level of Gene Siskel or the late Roger Ebert . Fortunately, there are a few ways for amateur and beginners to get paid to be a movie critic.

Table of Contents

Get Paid to be a Freelance Movie Critic

There are a lot of sites out there that will basically pay you to watch movies and write reviews of them. Here are a few of the best ones.

1. AnimationArena

This one pays you to write reviews on Comic Books , Video Games and Movies.

According to the site, each review needs to be at least 550 words long. Needless to say, they are looking for original content.

They pay $15 per review.

Unfortunately, they don’t pay much, but considering that writing a 550 words long review shouldn’t be that time consuming, it isn’t that bad.

• Sign up here .

2. Taste Of Cinema

If you are good at making film lists and writing movie reviews, this site will pay to write for them.

They don’t say exactly how much they pay for each post, but they do say “ The more clicks it (your post) gets, the more we will pay you. You can ask us about the details in the application. ”

You can choose to write a few posts or you can become a regular contributor.

• To apply, go here .

3. ScreenRant

You can write about TV shows, movies and even video games .

If you’re looking for steady work, this is great because they actually require you to commit to writing a specific number of posts monthly.

As for pay, they don’t mention it on the site. But I am guessing since they stress a few times they are looking for “in-depth premium” content, that the pay would be relatively high.

• Go here to apply .

Bustle is a website with the majority of its audience being young women. they cover a lot of topics including entertainment.

You have two ways of working with them:

Advertisements

• Become a regular writer : They have openings occasionally so you’re not guaranteed to find an open spot.
• Write as a freelancer writer : They accept freelance submissions in the entertainment category.

They don’t mention how much they pay for either freelancers or full time writers.

5. Cineaste

Cineaste, founded in 1967, is one of the oldest quarterly publication focused on “ the Art and Politics of the Cinema “.

They accept freelance submission for many categories including book reviews, DVD and BlueRay reviews as well as movie reviews.

Here’s how much they pay:

•   $18 for Short Take reviews
• $36 for book or DVD reviews
• $45 for Film Reviews
• $90 for feature articles or feature interviews.

Also, if they really like your work, they may even give you formal assignments on specific topics.

Write Movie Reviews for Revenue Sharing Sites

Revenue sharing sites make it extremely easy for you to make money by earning ad revenue from your content without having a website.

Here are some of the best revenue sharing sites where you can make money writing about movies.

6. HubPages

If you don’t have your own website or blog, or just don’t want to have to deal with creating a site and getting enough traffic to it so you can actually make money with your movie reviews and other content, writing for revenue sharing sites is an easy option.

Revenue sharing sites are basically websites where you (and anyone else) can sign up and create your own mini-site. On a  site like Hub Pages, you can create content on just about any topic you like including TV shows and movies.

The way you earn money is through ads. HubPages will display ads on your pages. The revenue earned from those ads is shared with you (hence the name “Revenue Sharing”).

• Go here to sign up .

7. InfoBarrel

This is very similar to how Hub Pages works so I’m not going to bore you with the same information.

Yes, you can write about any topic you like, including movie reviews.

Sign up for InfoBarrel here .

Start a Movie Review Blog

Another way to make money as a movie reviewer, and my preferred way, is to start a blog of your own and monetize it.

You can either use a free blogging platform like Blogger or WordPress.com to start a totally free blog or you can spend a few dollars to buy your own unique domain name and a hosting account.

You can either choose to have your site focus only on movies and TV shows or you can target the broader entertainment topic.

Either way, you are in full control.

Of course, creating content is the easier part. The hardest part is promoting your site and getting traffic to it so you can monetize it.

The more traffic your site receives, the more money you can make with ads, affiliate sales and other forms of revenue.

To monetize your site you have a lot of options. But for beginners, the easiest ones are the following.

8. Amazon Affiliate Program

Sign up as an affiliate of Amazon, get your unique affiliate link and use it within your content. Every time someone buys something on Amazon by clicking through your link, you get a commission. It’s as simple as that.

Obviously, you would link to products that are related to the topic you are writing about.

• Join Amazon Affiliate program here .

9. Google Adsence

Most of the ads you see online (the ones that say “ads by Google” under neat them!) are by Google Adsense. It’s a program where website owners, bloggers and online publishers can sign up for free to earn money by displaying relevant ads on their site.

Once you sign up, you get a small piece of code that you’ll need to add to your site. From that point, Google will automatically display ads related to the content of your site. Every time someone clicks on your ad, you earn money.

• Go here to sign up for Google Adsense.

There are also many other ads and affiliate networks out there, but these two should give you a good start.

I personally think the best way to build a long-term business as a movie critic is to start your own movie reviewing blog. And with so many movie streaming services like Netflix , you don’t have to worry about paying for movie tickets. With services like Netflix and Hulu, you essentially have free movie tickets .

You can, of course, monetize the blog by selling ad space, or as I mentioned earlier, use affiliate links from Amazon or CJ.

Either way, it is a fun way to earn extra money and there is always a decent size audience for such blogs. So the market is there if you can deliver the goods.

Have you ever gotten paid for writing movie reviews? Please share your experience by leaving a comment below.

U.S. UK Canada

funny you never mention youtube as a money maker, my source of income

That’s actually a great idea, Somcay. Do you have any tips based on your experience?

Making $45 for a significant effort to review a movie well. It would take a lot of paid reviews to pay rent and buy groceries! Would love to see ways to make money online that could actually support a person.

David, yes, I don’t think you are going to make a living reviewing movies on the side. This is just for people wanting to earn extra cash. That said, we have a lot of posts on MoneyPantry with lists of ways to make a living. Feel free to browse the site or use the search box on the home page to find specifics posts you are interested in.

Iam interested in reviewing movies

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Everything You Need to Know on How to Write a Movie Review

You love watching movies. You show up early and breathe in the trailers, mentally noting each coming attraction you’d like to see—which is most of them. You invite your friends to linger afterward so you can discuss and digest the film’s best, worst, and most intriguing aspects.

If this sounds like you, you might already be a film critic at heart. But it takes some effort to structure your thoughts, so it’s good to have a place to start. Here’s everything you need to know about writing movie reviews:

Some details are essential.

Film criticism is a wide-open art form—there is no cookie-cutter template to follow. But there are a few facts that anyone reading your review should take away:

• Who directed the movie?
• Who starred in it?
• Is it a sequel, adaptation, or remake?

Some publications, like Variety , simply list the director and key actors near the top of each review. But others, like The New Yorker —where the erudite Anthony Lane reigns supreme—instead weave in such information throughout the piece.

If you opt for the latter approach, throw in some helpful context as you go. Not every reader of your review of The Shape of Water will recognize Guillermo del Toro’s name, but mentioning his earlier works, like Pan’s Labyrinth , might jog a few memories.

Here’s a tip:  Grammarly runs on powerful algorithms developed by the world’s leading linguists, and it can save you from misspellings, hundreds of types of grammatical and punctuation mistakes, and words that are spelled right but used in the wrong context. Learn More  

Other bits are fine to leave out.

While it’s good to provide context, don’t overdo it. One or two telling details will often suffice—no need to recapitulate anyone’s entire filmography. Likewise, if your review includes a comprehensive summary of the movie’s plot, you’re doing it wrong.

To be sure, you need to make clear whether the movie is a soft-spoken arthouse film or the latest installment in the ever-growing pantheon of big-budget superhero flicks, and whether it’s set in 9th century China or on Mars. Beyond that, it’s almost never a service to the reader to spoil the twist that sets up the third act. Leave some suspense intact.

How do I decide what makes the cut?

As a test, when you’re not sure a particular detail merits inclusion, ask yourself: If I omit this, and a reader later learns it elsewhere, will they feel like I blew it?

You don’t want someone to finish your review of Lady Bird , go see it, and only later feel astonished to discover that, like her film’s protagonist, director Greta Gerwig attended Catholic school in Sacramento, and drew from that experience in writing Saoirse Ronan’s character.

Such information should not be news to your audience; they read your review, after all.

Ratings systems might just be overrated.

Film reviews are subjective. You’re under no obligation to rate movies on a hard scale—A+, 9/10, a solid four coffin emojis out of six feet under, etc.

In fact, many a movie buff scoffs at the notion of dispensing just a single award, Oscar or otherwise, for Best Picture. Trying to pit such dissimilar films as Get Out or The Post against Dunkirk , the argument goes, is absurd.

Rather than grasp for an arbitrary value, state plainly what a movie called to mind, or how it didn’t quite land with you, and explain why.

Study the greats.

There’s no shortage of opinions on movies in the world, but try focusing on one or two critics whose work resonates with you. Make a habit of examining their latest each week. Look for patterns. Try to notice what they’re noticing.

The most telling reviews sometimes occur when a critic singles out something bizarre for praise. Would you have bet on the aforementioned Lane to laud a documentary about a dumb Canadian metal band from the 1980s?

Both Lane and New York Times longtimer A.O. Scott were influenced by the legendary Pauline Kael, who Roger Ebert eulogized in 2001 for having “a more positive influence on the climate for film in America than any other single person over the last three decades.”

I…I…liked RED SPARROW. https://t.co/p1dWhDXIKg — Amy Nicholson (@TheAmyNicholson) February 28, 2018

Your job’s not done if you haven’t considered…

To instill trust in your readers, you have to think and write about movies holistically. You might have strong opinions on martial arts and Victorian fashion, but your audience will doubt you if you judge a film solely on its action sequences or costuming.

True, many viewers of, say, Blade Runner 2049 are watching for robots, uppercuts, and noir, but a good critic is alive not just to the quality of the special effects but also the visual storytelling—the malevolent buildup surrounding the movie’s villains, say, or the occasional comedic beat between Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.

In this spirit, you’d be remiss to ignore:

• The quality of the acting
• Whether the camerawork held your interest and felt deliberate
• Whether the world felt inhabited or thrown together

If that all seems like a lot to hold in your mind until the movie ends and you can start writing, we have one more tip:

Take notes.

In a dark theater, you generally can’t pull out your smartphone or tablet to dash off ideas on a glowing screen without getting hissed at and asked to leave. Fortunately, film critics whose careers predate such devices have devised this alternative—take a notebook and pen.

You may need some time (and practice) to decipher what you’ve scrawled in the dark. But as the house lights come up, try looking back through your scribbles and add clarifications or more details while your memory is fresh.

You don’t want your final draft to read like you wrote it while watching movies in the dark. Grammarly’s free app can help tidy up those reviews before they go out. Find out more here .

• Forgot your password?

The Movie Blog The Home Of The Correct Opinion

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8-Step Guide On How To Write a Movie Review

An ability to write an impeccable movie review is considered to be a great feature, which develops one’s critical skills and helps to capture minor things, which are thoroughly hidden at a first glance. Moreover, knowing how to write a film review advances writing skills so that you can not only write it but also a variety of different essays. However, at the very beginning, one does not know where to start so it may well take plenty of time to get your review done. In such a case, take a look at a movie review example and be sure how to arrange your thoughts and time in order to write a flawless report. Down below the guide on how to write a film critique has been designed to fulfill your requirements related to writing a movie review.

Watch It Twice

Whether it is a documentary or a movie, you should watch it twice simultaneously taking notes of the events, characters, and locations, which might be significant. Do not count on your memory, because sometimes it tends to forget a piece of important information. What is more, our memory is prone to eliminate information we overlook, so that it just deletes those folders. 

After watching, conduct a research

Watching a film is nothing unless you do research. Meaning by that, seek for details such as the filmmaker, film director, their motivation to record a movie. Moreover, locations, characters, dialogues play a crucial role. As a result, your examination slowly collects information, which sheds light on the overall aim of making a specific film.

Fully Understand the Film

Before you start working on your review you must ensure that you got the main point of it. Assess the film from A to Z; if it happens that you found something perplexing re-watch that part and notice what caused confusion, try to find a concealed meaning on the web. 

Declare your takes and support your criticism

Do not be shy to tell what you liked and disliked about the movie. Provide examples, attach some specific events from a film, for example, an awkward plot, stunning cinematography, impressive way of recording, a breathtaking job of a cameraman, in other words, what to your mind was hard to swallow, and so on. 

Do not be a spoiler!

Provide your readers with some basic ideas of the plot, but make sure not to go to far and not to spoil the entire movie. Bear in mind that a great review means to get people interested in watching the film. In order to learn how not to be a spoiler, yet to hook your readers to go to the cinema, check how professionals write them .

Write an Outline

source: unsplash.com

Create bullet points that you will stick to and develop in order to make your review short to the point and united. Include solid examples, for instance, if the character is poorly depicted or the overall quality of the movie is irrelevant, include it in your review and mention the timeline of such an issue. If you want to be persuasive and the reader to agree with your opinion and analysis, it is vital to back up your notion with proof. It is extremely important to avoid making it seem like you are complimenting or harshly disapproving the film without any reason.

A Proper Structure

In order to succeed in writing a movie review, one should organize the paper. Meaning by that, your review has to have essential paragraphs, which are to be further explained.

Starting with the introduction, you provide a reader with the title of your work, a release date of the film, and short background information. Then, you do a short summarizing of the story , which should take no more than half of your introduction. By using transition words, create an analysis of storyline essential features, which means rising action, climax, etc. Then the creative component goes, which draws your attention; it can be dialogues, characters, tone, use of colors, symbolic elements, and so on. Apart from that, you should express your opinion supported by facts and pictures from the story. The last aspect to include is indisputably a conclusion, where you simply paraphrase your proof and evaluate the filmmaker’s success or failure of the movie. 

Do not commit a mistake

Still, there are some things to avoid in order to be clear and understandable while writing a movie review. Pay substantial attention to them because they may well decrease your overall grade. 

Focusing on false things. While writing a review, try to avoid writing about things such as the history of that precise cinematography genre whatsoever. 

No need to write in first person all the time for the reason that it is already considered to be a personal movie review. Substitute it with ‘one’, that will definitely work out.

Negligence in verifying facts about the release date, casting, director, and film background. There may well be some hidden aspects, which are airbrushed to the regular viewer, so, it is always good to know about something, which can hook the viewer.

Being excessively objective, especially without mentioning any reason why you think like that. If you want to express your point of view, be ready to support it with the examples from the film. Last but not least, avoid writing generalities, for instance, ‘awesome acting,’ ‘cool effects,’ ‘it was dissatisfying’, etc. Honestly, it does not have any meaning in it and it sounds neutral. You can find some awe-inspiring examples in terms of vocabulary and overall language and structure.

The Bottom Line

Knowing how to write an exquisite movie review demands solid writing skills and full awareness of the proper structure. As follows, the aspects mentioned above give a clear understanding of what to include in the report to get it done fast, meaningful, and flawless, including all the necessary information to do a thorough analysis of it. Moreover, by making bullet points and writing down the key elements one is to acknowledge that writing a report has never been so easy. Just watch the film or documentary carefully, write down your observations, and the other part will go smoothly, good luck with that!

• Acting - /10 0/10
• Cinematography/Visual Effects - /10 0/10
• Plot/Screenplay - /10 0/10
• Setting/Theme - /10 0/10
• Watchability - /10 0/10
• Rewatchability - /10 0/10

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How to Write a Film Review: Preparation, Steps, Examples

• by Anastasiya Yakubovska
• 06.10.2022 10.05.2024
• How to write ...

How to write a film review (true, professional, and comprehensive) and not be limited to the phrase “What a great movie!”? In this article, you will find answers to the next questions:

• How long is a movie review? 
• How many paragraphs does a movie review have? 
• Features of the Film Review 
• Functions of the Movie Review 
• How to Write a Film Review: Preparation for Writing 
• 10 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Start Writing a Movie Review 
• How to Write and Structure a Film Review: Step by Step 

What Is a Film Review?

A film review is a critical judgment or discussion that informs about the release of a new film and contains its analysis, assessment, summary, as well as personal impressions and experiences after watching.

How long is a movie review?

On average, the length of a film review is about 1000 words.

How many paragraphs does a movie review have?

It is recommended that the film review should consist of 5-7 paragraphs.

Read also article “How to Write a Book Review: Step by Step and Examples”.

Features of the Film Review

A film review is a persuasive piece of writing, it has some features as:

• A less formal style of writing. 
• You need to write objectively about the film. 
• But, on the other hand, movie reviews contain personal thoughts and feelings. 
• The film review’s audience is wider and more diverse. 

Movie reviews can be written by two groups of reviewers: professional critics and ordinary consumers. Therefore, the text of the review will differ. In the first case, when the reviewer is a professional critic, he will describe the movie instead of evaluating it. While consumer critics mostly write from a personal perspective. 

What is the main purpose of a film review?

The main purpose of a film review is to inform readers about the film (what can expect from it) and to help them determine if they want to watch the movie. 

Functions of the Movie Review

The film review performs several functions at once: it informs, analyzes, persuades, and entertains. If you can include all of these points in your review, then you will have an excellent result in the end. 

How to Write a Film Review: Preparation for Writing

Writing a review is, of course, a creative process, but you should not forget about the analytical approach to creating a convincing and high-quality text. You must take the work responsibly, which we will do now.

To write a professional film review, you first need to complete the following preparation steps:

• Of course, the first step is to find a film, if it has not been previously chosen by the manager/client/boss. There will be more chances to write a good review if the film was liked by both – film critics and you personally.
• Watch the movie at least 2-3 times. After the first viewing, you will get a general impression of the picture, and try to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the film. Pay attention to the details the next time you watch it: the sound, the actor’s play, the editing, the plot. 
• If you have difficulty understanding the events covered in the film (for example, historical), be sure to find additional information and research the topic.
• If after two viewings you still do not have a final assessment of the film in the form of a brief thesis, watch the film again. You can look at other works of the director who worked on this film, this will help you determine his characteristic style. Also, as an option, you can look at the game of actors in other films (for comparison).
• When watching a movie, take notes: key scenes, interesting plot twists, inconsistencies, details, and quotes. Then, based on them, you can build a review text, and a good quote can become an excellent epigraph.
• Find information about the filming: location, duration, season, details about the filming process, difficulties the production team faced, casting, etc. Such information will make the review more attractive to readers.
• If the film is nominated for awards and prizes, please include this information in your film review. For a potential viewer, such an assessment of the film will be a weighty argument in the direction of -> compulsory viewing.

10 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Start Writing a Movie Review

• Does the film split into multiple parts? A sequel, prequel, or one of the movie series? 
• What is the film genre (action, comedy, historical, drama, fantasy, Western, political, thriller, gangster, horror, tragicomedy, romance, sports, mystery, science fiction)? Is the movie based on real or fictional events?
• Did the screenplay writer create an exciting plot?
• Is the rhythm of the film slow and quiet, heavy and static, or chaotic and frantic?
• What is the film’s rating according to the MPAA? ( G – General Audiences. All ages admitted. PG – Parental Guidance Suggested. PG-13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned. R – Restricted. Under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 – Adults Only.) 
• Are there any films with a similar/same theme? Sometimes it is worth mentioning some of them in a review, as a comparison.
• How can you characterize the work of a cinematographer? How accurately are the most expressive compositional, lighting solutions, as well as camera angles, selected and embodied?
• Is the film entertaining or covers a serious themes?
• Was the casting successful? Did all the actors cope with their roles?
• Is the atmosphere of the film tense, mysterious, sinister, relaxed, or romantic?

The answers to all of the above questions will help you understand how to write a film review, and above all, create a draft version of your future review. But, of course, this is not enough for the final result.

How to Write and Structure a Film Review: Step by Step

Writing a film review is a long and complicated process. Therefore, it is better to break it down into stages and move step by step. This will help you not to get lost and not get confused in the details.

• The catchy introduction.

The introductory part of the review should contain important information about the film: title, director, release date, and genre. 

You can mention nominations and awards, as well as indicate the box office (if the numbers are impressive) and the cast. 

In addition to “technical” aspects and a simple presentation of the plot, it is necessary to express your impression of the film in the form of a thesis, for example, to tell:

• about the connection of the film’s central idea with current events and social problems;
• about the similarity of the film’s plot with a personal life situation, personal experience, and feelings;
• about the connection of technical elements (lighting, sound, editing) with the theme of the film.

2. Pass the verdict.

Do not torment the reader and express your opinion about the film in the first paragraphs of the review.

You should not leave all the most interesting “for later”. If you decide to give a final assessment of the film at the end of the review, what are the chances that the reader will read to this end?

3. Write a summary of the plot.

Choose 4-5 main events.

Avoid the film’s ending and spoilers. Keep the intrigue. If you want to spoil and share an unusual story development, warn the reader about this.

4. Bring the feelings.

In addition to presenting the plot of the film, you should add emotions to the text of the review and show what you felt while watching it.

5. Define the main purpose of the movie. 

Perhaps the film’s purpose is hidden in its plot. Or maybe the film does not pretend to solve global problems at all. Perhaps the film is entertaining, and this is its advantage – it is relaxed and simple.

Sometimes the main idea of a serious and deep film can be found in an interview with a film crew, a screenwriter, or a director.

6. Add some details of the filmmaking process. 

It is important to know the measure and not to overdo it with the terminology. Here’s what you can write about:

• Cinematography: visual mood, lighting elements, shot sizes and widths, camera angles, etc. 
• Sound. The main goal is to create the necessary atmosphere in the film. Sound in movies includes music, dialogue, sound effects, ambient noise, background noise, and soundtracks. 
• Editing is the creation of a finished motion picture from many shot scenes. A film editor must creatively work with the layers of images, story, dialogue, music, pacing, as well as the actors’ performances to effectively “re-imagine” and even rewrite the film to craft a cohesive whole.
• Mise-en-scène (from French – placement on the stage) is the mutual arrangement of the actors and their environment on the set, natural or pavilion. Mise-en-scene includes landscapes, visual effects, the psychological state of the characters, etc.

7. The deep meaning.

You may be able to spot specific symbolic items, repetitive moments, or key phrases that give depth to the film.

8. Give examples.

It is not enough to say “ an excellent game of actors ”. Explain what exactly caught your attention (appearance, facial expressions, costumes, or movements of the actor). 

9. A convincing conclusion.

Write about the moments in the film that made the biggest impression on you. Share a recommendation. To whom and why do you advise to watch this movie?

10. Reread the review text several times .

Edit, and correct mistakes that can spoil the impression even from a professionally written film review.

Examples of Film Reviews

To consolidate the received information, let’s move from theory to practice. Below are two examples of film reviews.

Apocalypse Now

Review by Roger Ebert

Francis Ford Coppola’s film “Apocalypse Now” was inspired by Heart of Darkness, a novel by Joseph Conrad about a European named Kurtz who penetrated to the farthest reaches of the Congo and established himself like a god. A boat sets out to find him, and on the journey the narrator gradually loses confidence in orderly civilization; he is oppressed by the great weight of the jungle all around him, a pitiless Darwinian testing ground in which each living thing tries every day not to be eaten.

What is found at the end of the journey is not Kurtz so much as what Kurtz found: that all of our days and ways are a fragile structure perched uneasily atop the hungry jaws of nature that will thoughtlessly devour us. A happy life is a daily reprieve from this knowledge.

A week ago I was in Calcutta, where I saw mile upon square mile of squatter camps in which hundreds of thousands live generation after generation in leaky huts of plastic, cardboard and scrap metal, in poverty so absolute it is impossible to see any hope of escape. I do not mean to equate the misery of those hopeless people with a movie; that would be indecent. But I was deeply shaken by what I saw, and realized how precious and precarious is a happy life. And in such a mood I watched “Apocalypse Now” and came to the scene where Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) tells Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen) about “the horror.”

Kurtz is a decorated hero, one of the best soldiers in the Army, who has created a jungle sanctuary upriver inside enemy territory, and rules Montagnard tribesmen as his private army. He tells Willard about a day when his Special Forces men inoculated the children of a village against polio: “This old man came running after us and he was crying, he couldn’t see. We went back there, and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile, a pile of little arms. . . .”

What Kurtz learned is that the Viet Cong were willing to go to greater lengths to win: “Then I realized they were stronger than we. They have the strength, the strength to do that. If I had 10 divisions of those men, then our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling, without passion, without judgment.” This is the “horror” that Kurtz has found, and it threatens to envelop Willard, too.

The whole movie is a journey toward Willard’s understanding of how Kurtz, one of the Army’s best soldiers, penetrated the reality of war to such a depth that he could not look any longer without madness and despair.

The film has one of the most haunting endings in cinema, a poetic evocation of what Kurtz has discovered, and what we hope not to discover for ourselves. The river journey creates enormous anticipation about Kurtz, and Brando fulfills it. When the film was released in 1979, his casting was criticized and his enormous paycheck of $1 million was much discussed, but it’s clear he was the correct choice, not only because of his stature as an icon, but because of his voice, which enters the film from darkness or half-light, repeating the words of T.S. Eliot’s despairing “The Hollow Men.” That voice sets the final tone of the film.

Film review: example

Diana biopic Spencer wobbles between the bold and the bad

By Nicholas Barber

You may feel that you’ve had enough of Princess Diana’s story on the big and small screens, what with Naomi Watts taking the role in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s awful Diana in 2013, and then Emma Corrin playing her in the most recent season of The Crown, with the mantel set to be passed in Elizabeth Debicki in the next run. But, to give it its due, Pablo Larraín’s Spencer marks the only time the People’s Princess has been shown delivering a lecture on Anne Boleyn to an old coat that she has just stolen off a scarecrow, and then having a chat with the ghost of Boleyn herself shortly afterwards. The Chilean director doesn’t go in for conventional biopics, as anyone who has seen Jackie (starring Natalie Portman) or Neruda will know. And here again he has gone for a surreal portrait of his iconic subject. The snag is that his experimental art house spirit keeps bumping up against the naffness and the familiarity of British films set in stately homes, so his psychodrama ends up being both ground-breaking and rib-tickling.

It’s set over three days in 1991, from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, at Sandringham House in Norfolk. The rest of the Royal Family has arrived for their holiday in a fleet of chauffeur-driven cars, but Diana (Kristen Stewart) rocks up on her own in a Porsche convertible, having taken a detour to visit the aforementioned scarecrow: her dilapidated childhood home, from the days when she was Lady Diana Spencer, is a field or two away from Sandringham. Her late arrival concerns the sympathetic head chef (Sean Harris) and bothers the Scottish army veteran (Timothy Spall) who has the job of ensuring that everything goes the way the Queen wants it to. Her Majesty’s insufferable Christmas traditions include weighing all the guests when they arrive and when they leave to ensure that they’ve been sufficiently gluttonous. But Diana is in no mood for festive japes. Her Christmas present from Charles (Jack Farthing) – a necklace with pearls the size of golf balls – is identical to the one he has given his mistress. And the whisper in the servants’ quarters is that the Princess is “cracking up”. The filmmakers apparently agree.

Steering away from the same territory as The Crown, Larraín and Knight don’t fill the film with awkward meals and heated arguments (although there are one of each of those). Prince Charles does some grumbling, but the Queen has hardly any lines and Prince Philip has none: they are closer to menacing waxworks than people. For most of the time, Diana is either talking to her young sons, her trusted personal dresser (Sally Hawkins) or to herself. It’s interesting, this lack of dramatic conflict and discernible plot, but it can leave the film seeming as listless and purposeless as Larraín’s Diana herself. Her favourite occupation is to wander around the estate until she finds something that has an ominous symbolic connection to her, and then make an unconvincing speech about it. Ah, pheasants! So beautiful, yet bred to be killed!

Stewart is such inspired casting that she makes all this eccentric nonsense watchable. She’s been practising Diana’s signature moves for years – dipped head, hunched shoulders – and she certainly knows what it’s like to put up with intrusive tabloid photographers. She also looks suitably fabulous in the many outfits that Diana is required to wear over the long weekend. And unlike Watts’s performance in 2013, hers doesn’t seem distractingly like an impersonation. Mind you, she delivers all her lines in little bursts of hissing whispers, so if you don’t see it with English subtitles, as its first audiences did at the Venice Film Festival, you might not understand more than half of what she says.

The effect is a bit odd, but there are lots of odd things in the film, not least the tone and the pacing, which lurch around like someone who’s had too much after-dinner port. Between Jonny Greenwood’s squalling jazz soundtrack, the hallucinations, and the blush-making sexual confessions, Spencer is a folly that wobbles between the bold and the bad, the disturbingly gothic and the just plain silly. In some scenes, it’s heart-rending in its depiction of Diana’s self-harm and bulimia. In others, it’s almost as risible as the Diana biopic from 2013, and that’s saying something. I didn’t know any more about Diana afterwards than I did beforehand, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. This is a film that echoes The Shining at the start and 2001: A Space Odyssey at the end. The Crown Christmas Special it ain’t.

Sources of information: 

• “The Film Analysis Handbook” by Thomas Caldwell. 
• https://payforwriting.com/writing/creating-review/how-to-write-movie-review
• www.mtsu.edu
• www.sciencedirect.com/science
• Image:   freepik.com
• Poster from the film Apocalypse Now

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How to write a movie review [Updated 2024]

Writing a movie review is a great way to practice critical analysis skills. In this post, we explore what a movie review is, how to start a film review, and steps for writing and revising it.

What is a movie review?

A movie review is a concise evaluation of a film’s content and formal elements (cinematography, sound, lighting, etc.). Also known as a film review, a movie review considers not just what a film means, but how it means. Essentially, when you write a film review, you are conducting a critical analysis or close reading of a movie.

How to write a movie review

To write a successful review about a movie, you need to evaluate a film’s content, as well as its form. In this section, we break down these two components.

A film’s content includes its plot (what it’s about), characters, and setting. You’ll need to determine the main plot points of the film and how the film’s story works overall.

Are there parts that don’t make sense? Are certain characters more important than others? What is the relationship between the movie’s plot and its setting? A discussion of a film’s content provides good context for an analysis of its form.

Form refers to all of the aesthetic and/or formal elements that make a story into a movie. You can break down form into several categories:

• Cinematography : This element comprises all aspects of the movie that derive from the way a camera moves and works. You’ll need to pay attention to elements like camera angles, distances between the camera and the subject, and types of shots (i.e. close-up, aerial, etc.).
• Lighting : Films use lighting in various ways to communicate certain effects. For instance, noir films tend to utilize chiaroscuro lighting (deep contrasts between light and dark) to express a sense of secrecy or foreboding.
• Sound : The way a film uses sound can vary considerably. Most movies have a soundtrack, sometimes with music composed specifically for the film. Some films play around with ambient sounds or use silence at key points to signify important moments. What is the relation of sound to the image in specific scenes or sequences? Do sounds link images? Does it ever become more important than the image?
• Editing : The movies we watch online or in theaters have been heavily edited in order to achieve a particular flow. When you are preparing to write a movie review, pay close attention to elements like the length of shots, transitions between scenes, or any other items that were finalized after filming.
• Costumes, Props, and Sets : Are the costumes and props believable in relation to the film’s content and setting? Are costumes particularly elaborate or understated?

The important thing to remember when you are analyzing the formal elements of a movie is that every image, sound, movement, and object has meaning and has been planned. Your review needs to take into consideration how these elements work together with the film’s storyline to create a whole experience.

Once you’ve considered both the content and form of the movie that you’re reviewing, you can begin to evaluate the film as a whole. Is it a successful movie? Would you recommend it? Why or why not?

Step-by-step review writing tips

1. watch the movie.

The first time that you watch the movie, look for overarching themes or patterns, and establish what the film is primarily about. Take note of the main characters, as well as the setting.

2. Watch the movie again and take notes

Next, watch the movie again and take notes as you are doing so, keeping in mind the formal aspects discussed above. Write down anything that seems significant.

3. Evaluate the film’s form and content

Using the categories described above, and any handouts or guides provided by your instructor, evaluate the film’s formal elements along with its content. Are there elements of the movie that strike you as unfamiliar or perplexing? Are there elements that are repeated to emphasize a point or perception?

4. Write your review

A good movie review will contain:

• an introductory paragraph that tells the reader what movie you’re reviewing
• a paragraph that summarizes the movie
• several body paragraphs that explore significant formal elements and how they relate to the content
• a concluding paragraph that discusses your overall reaction to the film and whether or not you would recommend it to others

5. Create citations

You’ll need cite the film and any secondary sources that you consulted while writing. Use BibGuru’s citation generator to instantly create accurate citations for movies, as well as articles, books, and websites.

You may also want to consult a guide on how to cite a film in MLA or another major citation style .

6. Revise and proofread

Once you’ve written your review, you should set aside some time to revise and proofread it before you turn it in.

Movie review checklist

You can use this checklist to ensure that you’ve considered all of the formal elements, as well as the content, of the film that you’re reviewing:

🔲 Cinematography (camera moves and types of shots)

🔲 Lighting (natural vs. artificial light, contrasts between light and dark)

🔲 Sound (soundtrack, sound vs. silence, loud vs. soft sounds)

🔲 Editing (length of shots, transitions between scenes)

🔲 Costumes, props, and sets (believable vs. staged)

🔲 Content (plot, characters, setting)

Frequently Asked Questions about how to write a review about a movie

A movie review should contain a brief summary of the film, several paragraphs of analysis that focus on form and content, and a concluding paragraph that sums up your reaction.

Before you write anything, you need to watch the film at least once. Take notes as you’re watching and pay attention to formal elements and patterns. Then, write your review. The final step is to revise your work before you turn it in.

The tone for a movie review should be critical, yet objective. The goal of most reviews is to persuade a reader to either see a film or not.

The best film reviews balance plot summary with critical analysis of significant formal elements. A reader should be able to decide if she wants to see the film after reading the review.

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• Writing Tips

How to Write a Movie Review (5 Top Tips)

5-minute read

• 1st July 2019

Fancy being the next Roger Ebert ? Then check out the latest blockbuster or arthouse flick, and let the world know what you think! But what goes into a good movie review? We have a few review writing tips to share:

• Watch the movie carefully (more than once if possible) and take notes.
• Tailor your writing style and the focus of your review to your audience.
• Look at every aspect of the movie, including its story, acting, and technical qualities (e.g., direction, visual design, costumes, sound).
• Justify your opinions (i.e., give reasons for why you think a movie is good or bad, rather than just saying that you enjoyed or disliked it).
• Try to avoid spoilers, especially for new releases.

Read on to find out how to put these tips into practice in your next review.

1. Watch the Movie and Take Notes

When we say you should watch the movie you’re planning to review, we mean you need to really watch it. No popcorn. No whispering to friends. Just eyes on the screen. Ideally, you should even try to see the film more than once before reviewing it (although this isn’t always possible).

You may also want to take notes so you can use them when writing a review. Do this on paper, though; no illuminated screens! And it is usually better to save note taking for a second viewing, as you might miss something first time round if you’re busy scribbling in a notebook.

2. Think About Your Audience

Who you are writing for will have a big influence on how you write. Most importantly, you need to think about how much your target audience already knows about cinematic techniques and history.

For example, saying that a scene “evokes memories of Eisenstein’s approach to montage, manipulating the viewer by juxtaposing images of hope and fear” would be fine if you were writing for an audience familiar with cinematic theory (e.g., film students or professionals).

But such remarks may be lost on a general audience, who might just want to know whether it’s worth paying to catch the new Mission Impossible at the theater. As such, you should think about what your readers might want to know and tailor your review accordingly.

3. Look at the Whole Movie

A movie works on multiple levels, all of which should factor into your review. Questions you might want to ask yourself include:

• Story – How does the movie tells its story? Are the characters believable? Is the ending satisfying? Does it feel too long or short at all?
• Acting – Who are the actors? Do they suit the roles? Do any performances stand out? Does it feature any big stars or any upcoming talents?
• Technical Qualities – Is the film well made, including the direction, visual design, costumes, sound, music, and any visual or special effects used?

This isn’t to say you can’t write about whether you enjoyed the movie, too! Most people are happy to overlook, e.g., some dodgy acting if they’re enjoying the spectacle of a Hollywood blockbuster. So how much you focus on each of the above may depend on what you’re watching.

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Watching a movie more than once can be very helpful in this respect. The first time, you can watch it as a regular “viewer,” thinking about the film overall and how much you enjoyed it. And if you see it again, you can focus on specific elements in more detail, taking notes as you watch.

4. Back Up Your Opinions

Letting your reader know whether you liked a movie is, of course, a big part of reviewing it. You can even use a score or star rating, offering a simple summary of your overall opinion of the movie.

However, you should also explain why you like or dislike it. Is it the story? The performances? Something else? The amount you write to back up your opinions will vary depending on the type of review. A 200-word summary will have less detail than a longer review essay, for instance. But you should always try to offer some insight on why the film succeeds or fails.

You can even refer to specific scenes to explain yourself. However, if you do plan to go into detail about a movie you are reviewing, you may want to check out our next tip first…

5. Be Careful About Spoilers

Following on from the last point, if you mention particular scenes or details from a film, try not to give away story spoilers . Obviously, this is more important for new movies than old classics. And if you’re writing an in-depth critique, you will almost certainly enter spoiler territory. This is fine.

However, if you do mention anything that could spoil the story for new viewers, make sure to provide a spoiler warning before you give it away! Your reader can then decide whether to read on.

We hope this post has helped you with your movie review. And if you need someone to proofread your writing, we’re always here to help !

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What’s the best way to pen down some phrases for tantalizing plots, spectacular plot twists, and beguiling characters to create the hype for any movie? You guessed it right, It’s a movie review. Now, the question arises how to write a movie review?

For the film buffs who have an underlying penchant for watching the latest movie in the market, movie reviews are the perfect salvation for them to determine if the latest flick is worth it or not.

Some avid fans also love spilling the beans about a movie after watching it. However, the remarks greatly vary on whether the film was a hit or miss. Even writing a movie review is art given it has to be a seamless blend of opinion, some vivid imagery, and conclusive remarks.

The majority often miscalculate the importance of acing the technique to jot down a movie review. If you are one of the people who are confused about how to write a movie review or wish to perfect your movie review writing skills, then fasten your seat belt and prepare for takeoff!  

Table of Contents

What is a movie review?

In general, a movie review is a genre of art criticism and journalism. It is a complex overview, usually made by a professional critic, of films that have just been released, to help decide what film to watch.

Professional reviews differ from those made by amateurs. Without a doubt, reviews by experienced critics are far more structured, sharper, and detailed. That’s not all! They are more compact in wording. In a professional movie review, you will always find awareness of the film’s director, their previous works, and previous filmmaker’s pictures, as well as a deep understanding of different film genres and classics for each of them, and filming techniques and modern trends.

Purpose of movie review

For starters, reviews and comments about movies are usually posted on social media profiles or public pages, review sites, and blogs, among other platforms. The primary purpose of a movie review is to advise the reader about the film and its sentiments. Seems simple, right? Reporting all events that happen and stating one’s opinion about them is a common mistake that many people make. Of course, the movie review allows writers to express their opinions about some film or documentary without any restraint. But one can only strike the perfect balance when there is an unbiased unanimous critique. So the bottom line is that an ideal review will combine both – the writer’s opinions and the element of an enigma.

Be it a successful trilogy or top Netflix, ratings and reviews are the detrimental factors of  whether someone will want to see the movie or would skip it. Like an untapped portal, one should act like this is the perfect opportunity to introduce the cinematography work to its readers while writing. Always assume they haven’t seen it before. As a result, it becomes easier to analyze events that happened on the screen.

A film review should be precise enough to provide assistance in making an honest decision i.e. whether the reader wants to see it or if they’d like it. If you are a media student who is assigned the task of movie review writing, then the lecturers want to get more insight into your critical thinking skills and the ability to report events in a comprehensible manner.

In addition, the reader who taps on reading a film review wants to assess the way you analyze the plot and characters. After all, movie reviews also involve the analysis of events that happen. Reviews test writing and vocabulary skills, adapting to different genres and events they portray. That’s not all. It also weighs your capacity to sum up some significant twists and turns and report it in a cohesive, rational, and engaging fashion.

How to write a good movie review? You have to write a movie review for school and now what? Where to start, how to make it look more “academic”? Today, we have the opportunity to use numerous tools to make every part of our lives easier, and movie review writing is no exception. Throughout this tutorial, you’ll learn how to compose a report about some film and what tools to use to simplify the process.

While movie reviews entail more responsibility than initially thought, people find them fun and with this guide, you will too.

Step-by-step guide to how to write a movie review

New beginnings are always hard. This is the point where you set the pace and determine how to approach the task at hand (movie review writing) in the most efficient manner. Below, we list down some of the most useful tips to kick-start the movie review writing process:

First and foremost, watch the movie with a critical eye for the illustration and explanation in the review. The first time the film is watched you might have missed details owing to the entertainment and joy. So watch the movie or documentary twice and take notes of both major and minor events and characters. Never trust to gulp in the intricacies of the movie meaning do not rely on the power of your memory.

Carry out thorough research – It’s human nature to overlook or forget to carry out detailed research of the film and its makers. Just watching the movie with keen observation is never enough, research plays an equally noteworthy role. Look for details such as the name of the filmmaker and his/her motivation to make that film or documentary work, locations, plot, characterization, and historic events. Basically, the research phase should serve to collect information that provides more depth to the review

Analyze the movie after you watch it – Never start working on the review if you aren’t sure about all the fragments in regards to the film. Evaluate the movie from beginning to end. Re-watch it, if necessary, if you find some parts confusing. Only when you understand events that happened on the screen will you find it easier to create the review      

Draft an outline that you will follow to write the review in a concise and cohesive fashion

Include examples of claims you make about the movie. If the plot has holes, then mention an example of a situation or scene when that was evident. Also, if the character(s) is poorly developed or bad casting affects the movie quality, name examples too. Provide examples when commenting on dialogues, locations, plot, everything. If you want the reader to agree with you, it’s essential to back up your claims with evidence. You don’t want to make it seem like you’re praising or criticizing the movie without any reason whatsoever

Consider and comment on a movie’s originality and quality of scenes. Explain how the movie stands out or whether it just uses the same approach that worked for previous works in the industry

How to organize your movie review

The quality of your review depends on many things namely, structure, vocabulary, and much more. Never underestimate the importance of a well-structured outline, regardless of the genre of the movie.

Primarily, things should be organized before you start writing. It is a great way to save time later on. Apart from dabbling in points to add, have a well-structured plan to follow. Here’s how to organize your movie review:

• Introduction (This section will include the title, release date, and background information)
• Summary of the story
• Analysis of the plot elements (Explain the rising action alongside the climax)
• Creative elements (dialogues, characters, use of colors, camera techniques, mood, tone, symbols, costumes or anything that contributes or takes away from the overall plot)
• Opinion (supported with examples and facts from the story)
• Conclusion (announcing whether the filmmaker was successful in his/her purpose, re-state your evidence, explain how the motion picture was helpful for providing a deeper understanding of the course topic)

Movie review elements

Moving on, let’s discuss the movie review elements that are key features when penning the writing.

The title of the film/documentary – Mention the title of the film twice in our headline features the name of the movie or documentary. Don’t skip mentioning the headline in the text. Always name the feature you’ve watched in the introductory paragraph. This may seem like a stupid thing to point out, but it’s one of the most common mistakes that students make

Summary – The whole point of the review is to summarize the documentary or movie for people who haven’t watched it yet. To make this as effective as possible, always assume that your professor hasn’t seen it either (as mentioned above). Why is this important? You won’t leave out some important details thinking he/she watched it already so they won’t bother. As a reviewer, your job is to explain what happened in the film and express whether the filmmaker failed or succeeded. Again, saying you liked or disliked it isn’t a viable comment. Your opinion has to be supported by specific reasons and examples from the feature itself

Filmmaker – Do a little research on the person who directed the piece. Is that person a controversial figure? Is he/she known for a political stance? Does the filmmaker have a significant background? Devote a paragraph or two to the person behind the movie and their other works in order to establish the significance of the film you are reviewing for the director’s career

Significance to your class – How does the content of the documentary or film fit into your course topic? Is it important for historical accuracy? If you are watching the motion picture for history class, make note of over-dramatization. If the motion picture is based on the book you’ve analyzed in English class, you can mention similarities, differences, or some elements that the film contains, but the book doesn’t, and so on

Creative elements – Filmmakers work hard to include creative elements in their motion pictures. How are these elements important to the plot and movie in general? For example, costumes can either enhance the movie or betray its intent. Colors can be vivid and lift the atmosphere or mood in the movie or they can be dull and make it seem depressing. Good sound effects enrich the viewing experience while bad ones only destroy everything. Moreover, camera movements and angles also add elements to the story. Take notes of symbols in the story, if any.

Actors and characters – let’s not forget the casting! Were the actors realistic? Did they portray the role of a specific character successfully? Did they have good acting skills? Do you believe that some particular actor was the right fit for the role?

Movie review format

Structuring is extremely useful in any type of paper and a movie review isn’t an exception. A written outline will help you organize your thoughts properly, not to forget anything and to actually end up writing it faster. Here is an example outline you may use:

• Introduction – In this part you need to provide some general information about the picture: title, release date, main actors, filmmakers, film company and filming budget.
• Summary of the story – This is a short exposition of movie plot, characters and their interaction.
• Analysis of the plot elements – starting point, rising action, and climax.
• Analysis of creative elements – dialogues, characters, use of colors, camera techniques, mood, tone, symbols, costumes or anything that contributes or takes away from the overall plot.
• Analysis of the topic and its implementation – viewers’ understanding of the topic, relevance of the topic, and comparison with other resembling works.
• Opinion – Your point of view supported with examples and facts from the story.
• Conclusion – Announce whether the filmmaker was successful in his/her purpose. Explain how the motion picture was helpful in providing a deeper understanding of the course topic.

Movie review format for students

Feature films and documentaries may serve as primary resources for your research. As for the fiction movies, a student may use them for inspiration while writing, for instance, a compare and contrast essay on the similarities and differences of a book and film based on that piece of literature. In any case, films can be used as great supplemental learning tools.

If you look at our movie review examples available for free, you can notice that the structure of such papers is different from an ordinary essay’s outline. By their nature, film reports are also different from essays. You should not also confuse a brief summary with a detailed review, which also implies an in-depth analysis of the chosen piece.

So, in any film critique example, you can notice the following structure:

Title of the analyzed work. A writer has to specify the movie’s title in the opening part and put down the release date.

An abstract usually refers to the summary of the main points. In the case of the samples of movie reviews, that is a summary of the plot. Discuss what happened in the video and share your thoughts: was it a success or failure?

You may say that you hated the movie, or, vice versa, believe it’s the best motion picture in the world, but make sure to provide specific reasons. That is why you need to watch the full movie and pick various details like character quotes to prove your point of view.

To answer various questions that the audience may have, an author should provide replies to meaningful questions about the movie maker/director. Decide whether this person can be considered a controversial figure. Is there any sort of political stance? Finally, think about a significant background a movie creator may have (if any). Depending on the answers to these questions, the length of your paper may vary.

Relevance to your subject

Was it a good idea to assign this movie to your class? Think about whether the video content matches the topics that you study currently or have recently covered.

Perhaps, the movie has to do with historical accuracy. Include a note of embellishments or over-dramatization if you write for your history lesson. Comments and citations from credible sources can be useful.

Creative elements

You can see from any movie critique example that a list of creative tools is listed. Those could be costumes, decorations, colors, sound effects, music, and other visual and audio elements. A paper writer should discuss which of the elements add drama and which of them have comical purposes.

Mistakes to avoid while writing a movie review

Below, we list down some of the most common mistakes while writing a movie review. If you are a student who has an assignment or a movie enthusiast who wishes you pour their emotions with fellow fans, we recommend you give this section a thorough read,

Retelling the film plot in detail – The idea of a movie review is not to put the film on paper or spill the beans. Everyone abhors spoilers. So try sharing the general story by adding some spice to make your reader curious about seeing the film.

Giving a too general opinion of the film – Some writers take the generic term of general writing

Remember that things are rarely unequivocal. Even if you don’t like the content and quality of the film, don’t forget to mention if the music was actually pretty good, or if one of the actors managed to portray a believable character.

Lack of evidence – Presenting your opinion without any explanation why you think that way won’t be considered reliable. The unfounded statement isn’t a good resource for a decision, even if we are talking about a choice of which movie to watch.

Lack of film research – Don’t force your readers to conduct their own research, or to look for another review to find out the background information of a movie.

Absence of structure – If your work is not structured properly, it will be really difficult to follow your thoughts and understand your points. Reviews should be helpful to readers, and good structure helps get your message across correctly.

No conclusions and recommendations – As we mentioned above, providing recommendations regarding the film is one of the main purposes of writing a movie review. Do not deprive readers of your findings and thoughts. By recommending a good movie to watch, you may make someone’s evening.

Movie review essay

What’s your story? Any individual who has carried on with a full life has something entrancing to impart to the world. The secret to composing a life account is to deal with it like any great story: it ought to have a hero (you), a focal clash, and a cast of interesting characters to keep individuals locked in. You might need to consider a specific topic or idea that has been available in your everyday life to rotate your story around.

The wide classification of life accounts remains among the strong classes of verifiable composition. Blockbuster records show that readers love to find out about the lives of their kindred people, especially those with recognized individual stories. An account composed by its subject is known as an autobiography. As a firsthand record of the writer’s own life, an autobiography offers an unrivaled degree of closeness to perusers of the more extensive history classification. 

If you want to know more about how to write an autobiography, then you have come to the right place. We have gathered all relevant information to help you understand everything that you need to know. Read on to figure out how to make the narrative of your life and clean your composition to make it sing.

Good movies make great reviews

Words and catchlines can pave the way to describe anything including any genre of film. So

Basically, you can write a movie review on pretty much any film. However, it is advisable by the experts and there is a general debate that is careful while dabbling in tricky or multi-themed genres. Careless choices result in trouble points and confusing reviews that fall flat on the readers. Hence, it is essential that you pick a film that you will be able to analyze and evaluate. Generally, for a movie review, students choose films they either like or don’t like.

What makes a movie great?

No critics have ever described any film as the epitome of perfection. Quintessential movies are dubbed as major successes on the basis of spectacular characters or fulfilling plotlines. Other things include visual aesthetics, the quality of directing and acting, and the impression it has.

Typically, you can suggest if a characteristic movie is great when it keeps the audience engaged. A great movie also leaves the audience with a powerful impression and then something to think about once the credits roll.

Key pointers to remember while writing a movie review

Understand that any piece of writing is not a do-or-die job. It demands consistency and devotion. However, the key to writing an exceptional movie review is understanding your target audience. So, keep the following key pointers in your mind while writing:

• Discuss the film plot – The goal is to discuss the movie without giving away spoilers and hurling the entire plot in your article. The more the mystery, the better the movie review.
• Share some information about the characters – Thrust the film’s main lead and supporting characters in the limelight. Discuss their relations and events. Since reading the review shouldn’t replace watching the film, just touch base on the points that make the film worth watching.
• Analyze the film – In general retrospect, the star cast or their impeccable acting skills set the film apart from its contemporaries. The work of the director, theme, music, and other features become objective and detailed in your evaluations.
• Share your opinion – Describe your feelings during, and after watching the movie and specify what you liked, and what you didn’t like. Provide your general impression about the film based on examples, descriptions, and comparisons to enable readers to make their own decisions.
• Give a recommendation – A review(no matter what kind) is a recount of opinions and is influenced by the writer’s preferences. Avoid being categorical and focus on the highs and lows of the film from a general prospect.
• Entertain the reader – The target audience has to feel entertained, amused or glad by the written material. The review should pique curiosity and many people read movie reviews because it is actually kind of fun in itself. Try to make an easy-to-read review, and write in an interesting manner.

The accomplishment of a decent movie review or any book for that matter comes from the capacity of the writer to show perusers the story from “an external perspective”, and cause the reader to feel like they are in your place and understand your point of view. Everyone couldn’t care less about your troublesome youth, your parents’ separation, or the way that in school you were the nerd with glasses. However, on the off chance that the troubles experienced by you will be shown so the peruser learns a few lessons for himself – this would qualify as a decent book.

Thus, you can see that writing a movie review is not an easy task. You should design and organize your time, read and get motivated by reading other reviews, surfing online by looking for composing styles, language structure, and artistic descriptions to describe the cinematography. Remember to sort out your last objective and why you need to compose a movie review. The entirety of this time investment with end with you feeling a sense of accomplishment and success as your labor of love gets completed.

Ideally, this article will help you in this intriguing yet hard way. So you do not have to worry anymore about writing. Just pick a pen or open your PC and start your magnum opus. Just remember that honesty is the best policy and to avoid bias at every cost.

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‘beetlejuice beetlejuice’ review: winona ryder and michael keaton help tim burton rediscover the ghoulish mischief of his glory days.

Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega and Justin Theroux also star in the Venice opener, a sequel to the 1988 horror comedy about a renegade “bio-exorcist” liberated from the afterlife.

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

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Red sea film fest books 'black dog,' 'santosh,' 'familiar touch' for festival favorites program, airbnb's new 'beetlejuice' mansion lets movie fans experience delia deetz's iconic home -- with a detour to the afterlife, beetlejuice beetlejuice.

Any sequel coming 36 years after its predecessor is best approached with caution, this one especially so given that with the main exception of 2012’s Frankenweenie , Burton seemed to have misplaced his mojo somewhere around the turn of the new century — at least for this critic.

Tapping into the maniacally playful spirit of one of his enduring golden-era hits, the director seems reinvigorated. He serves up comparable tonic as well for two actors who were a big part not just of the original Beetlejuice but also of Burton’s Batman movies and Edward Scissorhands : Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder , respectively. The name in the credits of a second Batman Returns alum is no secret, but that actor’s droll extended cameo merits spoiler treatment.

Hollywood’s cynical strip-mining of successful IP in its quest for the everlasting franchise has taught us to be suspicious, so there’s something restorative for the audience, too, in experiencing a resuscitated screen property that’s actually fun — not to mention one that asserts its own reason to exist.

Warner Bros. has been trying on and off to make a sequel happen since the early ’90s, most notably after the studio in 2011 hired Seth Grahame-Smith, who shares story credit here with screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Burton’s success pulling off such a zesty follow-up after so many years on the shelf is due as much to those writers, with whom he worked on Netflix’s Wednesday . That series’ star, Jenna Ortega , is chief among welcome new additions to the holdover crew of Keaton, Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and shrunken-headed Bob.

Still wearing the jagged black bangs she rocked as a goth teen, Ryder’s Lydia Deetz is now a widowed mother famous for hosting a reality show called Ghost House , where from a studio attic set she invites viewers to “Come in, if you dare.” Mimicking the formula of countless paranormal shows, Lydia coaxes guests to share chilling experiences of unexplained phenomena in their homes. But a triggering vision of Keaton’s Beetlejuice sitting among the studio audience reveals that the psychic mediator has not put her own haunted past behind her.

Tensions between Lydia and her artist stepmother Delia (O’Hara) have eased over the years, despite the latter becoming even more self-absorbed in her shift from sculpture into mixed media. Her latest show is called The Human Canvas , and that canvas of course is Delia’s face and body.

The writers find a crafty solution to the awkward question of what to do about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Jones, who played Lydia’s father, Charles. In a spry Claymation sequence that’s classic Burton, we learn of Charles’ recent gruesome death — though naturally in the Beetlejuice world, death is more a pitstop than a destination, so the character lingers even if his original physical form is erased.

Barbara and Adam Maitland, the sweet, prematurely deceased couple played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, are gone, however, as Lydia explains they’ve found a loophole. “How convenient,” scoffs Astrid, with a wink from the writers.

Charles’ funeral — whimsically accompanied by a boys choir singing a hymnal version of Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O,” another lovely callback — brings the family back to Winter River. Accompanying them is Lydia’s producer and soon-to-be fiancé, Rory ( Justin Theroux ), whose ridiculous tiny ponytail tags him as a phony, and whose “New Age, over-bonding, yoga-retreat bullshit” Astrid finds beneath contempt.

While all this is going on, Bellucci’s Delores is terrorizing the netherworld, killing denizens “dead-dead” on her mission to claim the rotten soul of her husband, Beetlejuice. In a riotous touch that got huge laughs at the Venice press screening, their short-lived ghost marriage is recapped as a black-and-white, subtitled Italian mini-movie. Investigating Delores’ trail of destruction is Wolf Jackson ( Willem Dafoe ), a former TV action star now playing detective, with lots of cheesy direct-to-camera glances for dramatic emphasis.

The living (or “fleshbags,” as Jackson calls them) and the dead get tangled up when Astrid is tricked into a potentially fatal pact and Lydia is forced to summon Beetlejuice to help her cross over and save her daughter. Given that Beetlejuice doesn’t believe in free favors, an alternative wedding plan emerges to rescue him from Delores, a nightmarish scenario in which Lydia’s familiarity with the predatory sandworms of the afterlife’s exile desertscape comes in handy.

The zippy pacing, buoyant energy and steady stream of laugh-out-loud moments hint at the joy Burton appears to have found in revisiting this world, and for anyone who loved the first movie, it’s contagious. That applies also to the actors, all of whom warm to the dizzying lunacy.

His most exhilarating sequences include a stint as a trickster couples counselor when Rory decides Lydia needs to face “this construct of your trauma.” (The uproarious birth of a diabolical baby Beetlejuice during that scene yields one of animatronics chief Neal Scanlan’s most brilliant creations.)

If the use of Belafonte’s “Day-O” was a memorable high point of Beetlejuice , what the filmmakers and Keaton do with “MacArthur Park” in a wedding-from-hell climax takes the possessed lip-syncing and dance moves several steps further. The wedding cake with “sweet green icing flowing down” is a jubilant celebration of some of the daffiest lyrics ever set to music. And the fate of an assembly of cellphone-clutching influencers gathered in the church by Rory (“Nothing less than 5 million followers”) will bring bliss to anyone who ever rolled their eyes about that “career” path.

Ryder goes beat for beat with Keaton as the yin of the movie to his rancidly irreverant yang. The actress transports us back to the enchanting screen persona of her late teens, not just in Beetlejuice but also in movies like Edward Scissorhands , Mermaids and Heathers , in which she radiated a singular mix of smarts, sweetness and innocence but was just as effective when she veered into darkness. As much as anything, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a poignant mother-daughter story, played with real heart by both Ryder and Ortega.

CG work is no doubt extensive but one of the sequel’s charms is how much its physical sets, puppetry and phantasmagoria stick to a hand-crafted look in line with the far more limited effects tools available in the late ’80s. It’s rewarding to have Burton back in full creative command of the humor, the fantastical imagination and the gleeful morbidity on which he built his name.

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‘The Remarkable Life of Ibelin’ Review: More Real Than Reality

An unconventional documentary tells the story of a Norwegian gamer — and of how we live life on the internet.

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By Alissa Wilkinson

Almost from the start, the internet scrambled our sense of reality. You could never really know if whoever you were talking to was the person they said they were. Now it’s hard to know if they’re even a person.

This is destabilizing and frightening, and also the premise for a good movie. But there has to be more to the story than just the scary parts. No, we don’t exist physically on the internet, but our virtual selves do things that have real-world consequences, and our emotions and minds, in some phenomenological way, extend into cyberspace, too. For better or worse, the internet is a place in which we live and love and rage and mourn. We bring our humanity with us, the bad parts but also the good ones.

Movies haven’t always captured this aspect of 21st-century life well, in part because rendering the internet visually is weird and tricky. I loved Joe Hunting’s 2022 documentary “We Met in Virtual Reality,” filmed entirely inside a V.R. platform, for how it captured love and generosity in virtual space. And now we have Benjamin Ree’s “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” which is a rare and beautiful thing: a moving documentary that excavates the question of the “real” in a profoundly humanistic and unconventional way.

“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” is about Mats Steen, a Norwegian man who died in 2014 at the age of 25. Mats lived out his final years nearly immobilized, the result of being born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare inherited disease which presently has no cure. Mats’s family knew him as smart and loving, but grieved while watching him grow more withdrawn as his symptoms progressed. He would spend most of his waking hours on his computer, playing games. “Our deepest regret was that he would never experience friends, love, or make a difference in other people’s lives,” his father, Robert, tells Ree.

Mats’s family were loving, attentive and supportive of him to the very end. But they were wrong about the friends and making a difference part. Oh, were they wrong.

Mats left behind something for his family to find: the password to his blog. Robert and Trude, Mats’s mother, logged in to leave a note for any readers about his passing. What happened shocked them: They began to receive emails from people all over Europe, an outpouring of love and tribute to Mats, whom everyone called “Ibelin.” They were, as Trude puts it, dumbfounded by the response. “Who are these people?” she recalls asking in the film. “Are they crazy, or what?”

They weren’t crazy at all. They were players in World of Warcraft, members of the same guild — or “community of friends,” as one participant puts it — which called itself Starlight. Mats played as a burly, friendly man he called Ibelin. It was role-playing. But it was more.

Ree tells the story of Mats’s early life in a conventional documentary way: His parents talk about their son, and home video footage of his life from infancy to his final years gives us the picture. We see Mats initially walking as a child, then slowly losing full use of his body.

But then, the tape of Mats’s life rewinds and begins to roll again. Nobody around Mats knew what his existence in World of Warcraft was like, and probably if they had, they wouldn’t have understood it. Ree’s aim is to dig beneath reality to build out Mats’s bigger story. Ree’s previous documentary, “The Painter and The Thief,” worked in several points of view to expand a complex story, in that case of a painter who befriends the man who stole her paintings from a gallery. Here, the viewpoints are like brushstrokes that fill in a portrait of Mats as Ibelin.

But of course, World of Warcraft is not the sort of place you can just drop into with your camera. Instead, Ree took an unusual approach. The World of Warcraft guild to which Mats belonged, which called itself Starlight, had saved logs of everyone’s text-based interactions — 42,000 pages of logs, in fact, which included conversations and character descriptions written by Mats and his friends in the course of playing the game.

Using the gargantuan archive, animators reconstructed events that occurred inside the game, basing the characters on the look of the game itself. Actors read the dialogue. An actor who, we’re told, sounds a lot like Mats also reads from his blog, filling in Mats’s thoughts and feelings as he lives his Ibelin life. It makes for a different kind of reconstruction than we’re used to in contemporary documentary.

The emotional power of “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” comes from the way the film brings together the virtual and the physical. We don’t spend the whole time in World of Warcraft; instead, the film’s focus is the way that Mats, as Ibelin, was involved in other players’ lives. A significant friend is Lisette, who lives in the Netherlands and met Mats in the game when they were both teenagers. Another is Xenia-Anni, a Danish mother who struggled to connect with her son Mikkel, in part because of his autism, until they met Mats in the game.

All of these people and many others tell Ree that they received wise advice from Ibelin that changed their lives. They built real friendships and had real fights and worried about one another. Interviews (conducted in real life) are woven into the animated storytelling, and we start to get a picture of Mats as a man for whom gaming wasn’t a distraction, but a life, a place where he could express all the complex parts of his personality that the physical world couldn’t accommodate. On his blog, he wrote as much, calling the game “a gateway to whatever your heart desires” and describing Ibelin’s characteristics as “expansions of myself.”

Crafting a documentary like this one is tricky. Keeping it from becoming too precious or maudlin is vital, helped along by Ree’s excellent sense of rhythm: We go back and forth from the virtual to the physical, and start to see the outline of Mats’s life filling in as cohesive, rather than what’s real and what’s not.

But it’s also tricky because documentary audiences are often accustomed to seeing only what is real. That’s a fiction, of course; just filming and editing raw video footage together requires selection and framing, which by nature leaves something out in service to the story the filmmaker wants to tell. Here, though, Ree establishes trust by clearly spelling out to the audience what they’re about to see and how it was created, whether it’s the voice-over from Mats’s blog or the in-world scenes. That kind of explanation pulls down barriers that skeptical audiences might otherwise erect and lets us live in the world of the film.

And in the end it’s all in service to a bigger truth, both about Mats’s life and about our own. In these still early days of whatever the internet will become, we tend to draw bright lines between one world and the other, between who we are online and who we are in real life. But the truth is that whoever we are in one space spills into the other. The discovery of Mats’s remarkable life as Ibelin had a profound effect on those who saw one man in a wheelchair, and only later knew the whole story.

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin Rated PG-13. Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

Alissa Wilkinson is a Times movie critic. She’s been writing about movies since 2005. More about Alissa Wilkinson

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