how to get a job writing movie reviews

9 Legit Ways to Get Paid to Review Movies in 2023

Online social media jobs that pay $30/hour, no experience necessary, availability to start this week, no experience required, make $25-$35 testing new apps, just need access to phone/tablet, completely remote, 5+ hours per week available.

If you watch a lot of TV, you’re not alone.

According to the latest Nielsen Total Audience survey, the average American spends a little over four hours each day glued to the television.

And while watching movies and shows is undoubtedly a great way to unwind after a hard day at work, wouldn’t it be nice if you could get paid for it?

Well, if you also enjoy writing, you can. All you need to do is share your thoughts with the world.

Here are the top ways to get paid to review movies.

If you consider yourself a good writer, you can become a paid contributor at a movie review or entertainment website.

Generally speaking, you’ll need to have excellent grammar, writing samples, and the ability to develop article ideas, to land one of these roles. Since these are freelance positions, you can apply to as many of these jobs as you’d like, depending on your availability and income goals.

Here are a few places to check out.

Ways To Get Paid To Review Movies

1. Animation Arena 2. Taste of Cinema 3. ScreenRant 4. Bustle 5. Cineaste 6. Cracked 7. Hubpages 8. Medium

1. Animation Arena

Animation Arena, a website dedicated to animation of all sorts, hires writers to create movies, video games, and comic book reviews.

Each review needs to be about 550 words long. The pay is $15 per review, and as one of their writers, you can write up to 10 reviews per month.

You don’t need to be a professional writer for this gig, but you need good grammar and must submit two writing samples with your query.

You can learn more about becoming an animated movie reviewer with Animation Arena here.

2. Taste of Cinema

Taste of Cinema brings in millions of page views per month by specializing in “list” articles. They are currently looking for contributors to write movie reviews and classic move lists.

For reference, some of their most popular move lists include topics like:

• The 30 Best Movies of 2018
• The 10 Most Overrated Actors Working Today
• The 18 Best Philosophical Movies of All Time

As a contributor for Taste of Cinema, you’ll need to come up with your own movie-related article ideas. Then, once you write your article, you can pitch it to their editor.  If accepted, you’ll be paid depending on the number of views or clicks your article receives.

 (This means there’s no guaranteed pay. Still, if you’re a new movie reviewer, having an article published can help you build your portfolio.)

If accepted as a contributor, you can write as much or as little as you like.

If you want to get paid to review movies, you can see the full application instructions here.

3. ScreenRant

ScreenRant was started in 2003 and is now one of today’s top entertainment news websites. They focus on movie and TV news, reviews, interviews, and more.

Right now, ScreenRant is hiring contributors to write for one or more of their top categories. If you land a contributor spot, you’ll be paid for your articles and receive a byline.

While ScreenRant doesn’t list writer pay on their website, a Reddit user reports that pay is a combination of a flat fee + incentives for how well the content performs.

You can fill out the application here if you want to get paid to review movies . To do so, you’ll need to submit three writing samples and describe your previous experience.

Bustle is a popular website geared toward women. Some of their top subjects are entertainment, wellness, style, and life.

From time to time, Bustle hires new contributors. If you want to find a writing position in their entertainment category, you can check for job openings here.

For this position, you should be prepared to provide previous writing samples with your application.

5. Cineaste

Cineaste is a quarterly publication founded in 1967. Their subtitle is  “America’s leading magazine on the art and politics of the cinema.”

Cineaste accepts pitches for feature articles, interviews, film reviews, DVD reviews, and book reviews. To increase the chance of an editor accepting your pitch, you’ll need to stick to the recommended word count and style guide listed on the Cineaste website.

The pay is dependent upon the type of article. If your article is accepted, payment will be:

• Short take reviews: $18
• Book & DVD reviews: $36
• Film reviews: $45
• Feature articles: $90

Cracked is a comedy-based website that has articles on all kinds of subjects, including movies.

Anyone can sign up to be a contributor with Cracked . However, that doesn’t automatically mean they’ll publish your articles. 

Cracked has high standards, so it may take a pitch or two before you’re published. If you are published, though, they’ll pay you $100. Then, after you have four articles accepted, they’ll bump you up to $200 per article.

To give you an idea of what kind of movie content they’re looking for, some of their recent posts include titles such as:

• 5 Ways Movies Screw Up Exciting and Emotional Scenes
• Sorry, But ‘Ted Lasso’s’ Theme Song Sucks
• How Costume Designers Hack Our Brains

Start Your Own Movie Review Blog or YouTube Channel

If you want to control the content you produce, you can start a movie review blog or YouTube channel.

In complete transparency, it will take a lot of time and effort before either of these become profitable. However, if you stick with it, you can create a movie review empire that could eventually become a full-time gig.

The beauty of starting your own content channel is that you can choose how you’d like to niche down. For example, you could review only horror movies, lifetime movies, Netflix movies, etc.

You can learn more about starting and monetizing a blog here.

Write for Revenue Share Websites

If you don’t like the idea of starting your own blog but are still looking for complete control over the content you produce, you can write for revenue-share websites.

These websites work by allowing you (or anyone) to sign up to become a writer. Then, as a writer, when your content becomes popular, it generates revenue through ad networks, product sales, or affiliate links. 

That revenue gets split between you and the site you’re writing for.

Here are some of the most popular revenue-sharing websites to sign up with.

7. Hubpages

Hubpages is one of the oldest revenue-sharing sites on the internet.

To get started with Hubpages, simply sign up and create your profile. You’ll then be able to join the ad program or Amazon program to monetize your articles.

Once you complete those steps, you can begin writing.

After writing, your next step is to publish the article. Once you do, HubPages will put it through a quality assessment check. If it passes, your movie review will become searchable on popular search engines and may land on the featured page.

This will help improve the odds of you receiving traffic and, therefore, making money from your review.

The more articles you write, the higher your chances of making money.

Medium is where authors and storytellers come to share their knowledge and experiences. It’s an open-source content platform where anyone can write.

However, to make money writing movie reviews on Medium, you’ll need to be approved for the partner program.

To become eligible to apply, you must have at least one story published and over 100 followers.

Once accepted, you can begin writing.

There are two ways to earn. 

The first is dependent on how long Medium members spend reading your articles. The more time spent, the more you make. The second happens when a reader upgrades to a paid membership after reading one of your stories. If they do so,  you’ll receive half the membership cost they paid.

How Much Do Movie Reviewers Get Paid?

Film critics work as freelance writers or journalists, getting paid to publish opinions in the form of articles. Since pay varies by publication and a yearly salary is dependent on how many hours a film critic chooses to work, it’s hard to pin down an exact pay range.

However, for reference, the average journalist’s salary is $42,062 per year, according to Payscale.

If you’re a new movie reviewer and are interested in writing reviews in your spare time, you’ll typically earn between $15-$200 depending on the length of the review and the publication.

Other Side Hustle Ideas Worth Checking Out

Here are a few more  side hustles  you can check out:

• Get paid to type
• Make money watching videos online
• Get paid to listen to music

Ways to Get Paid to Review Movies – Final Thoughts

If you love watching movies and have strong opinions about what you watch, you can make a decent side hustle income reviewing movies.

To find success, you’ll need solid grammar skills and the willingness to learn how to format and perfect articles. If you have those skills, you can get started by sending in applications or article pitches to the sites listed above.

Alternatively, you can start building out a blog or YouTube channel with your movie reviews if you prefer complete editorial control.

Looking for more ways to earn money?

Check out the video below to learn how I went from $0 to $3,000,000:

Affiliate Disclaimer: I may (and probably do) receive affiliate commissions from any products I recommend or links I put on this page. My opinions are my own but they are truthful and I do my best to recommend products that I have vetted and/or purchased myself.

Spencer Mecham

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Side Hustles

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Home Writing & Editing Gigs Get Paid to Review Movies

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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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.

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.

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

Last Updated on May 5, 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
• 11 Websites to Earn Money Browsing the Web
• Matched Betting Guide: How to Make Money from Free Bets
• 11 Legit Places to Make Money Watching Videos
• How to Make $100 a Day Extra (Simple Ways You Can Start Today!)

* 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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Get Paid To Write Reviews: 14 Top Sites

Get paid to write reviews by reading our guide with all the top sites for you to check out. Earn money and home and increase your skills today!

Before you purchase products or download apps, do you read the reviews? Most consumers do. A study published by Qualtrics showed that 93 percent of customers read online reviews before buying a product. Product reviews are important to people’s purchasing decisions, and review sites are everywhere.

Companies know that they will make more money if their products have positive reviews, so they’re willing to pay people to write product reviews for money. If you are wondering how to get paid to write reviews and blog articles, try applying to these sites for review writing jobs .

1. Writers Work

2. get paid to write reviews for amazon, 3. get reviewed, 4. crowdtap, 6. listverse, 7. capterra, 8. usertesting, 9. gartner peer insights, 10. harris poll online, 11. g2 crowd, 12. review stream, 13. inboxdollars, 14. swagbucks, final word on where to get paid to write reviews, is it illegal to write fake reviews, where can i write music reviews, how do you make money by giving reviews, how to get paid to write reviews.

Writers Work connects writers with companies looking for freelancers. With thousands of jobs available, it’s an ideal place for new and experienced freelancer writers to find work. The site has built great relationships with many established companies requiring writing , from general content to blogging to copywriting and reviews; endless opportunities exist. The average earnings on the freelance site are anything from $20 – $65 per hour, making it a lucrative option for writers to get involved in.

Writers Work contains freelance writing opportunities for writers who want to start their career

Many freelancers earn commissions from Amazon by writing product reviews. Amazon pays reviewers who successfully try a product and refer it to new customers. This process is a type of influencer work called affiliate marketing, which can be used through the Amazon Associates program. Whenever a customer uses your affiliate link, you’ll receive a small commission on the sale.

For example, if you were to try a product and then post about it on your blog or social media with an affiliate link, your viewers might then buy the Amazon product, which means you earn a commission. There are many different niches for bloggers to choose from, like food, fashion, beauty, tech, and entertainment.

If you want to write product reviews for money, one of the best places to look is Get Reviewed . The website will pay you cash for sponsored reviews and blog posts. If you want to participate in this program, you need to have a self-hosted website with a strong domain authority of at least 20 or above. To elevate your domain authority, focus on a specific niche.

Then, convince others to provide links that point back to your website. This will position your site as an authority in the field.

If you want to get paid to write a review on this site, submit your blog for consideration. After your blog is accepted, you will display your blog on the marketplace. Then, advertisers can view your blog and order a product review from you. If someone places an order for a review from your website, you will receive an email notification.

Based on the email request, you can either accept or reject their review request. You also negotiate the price of your review with the client. Once you and the client agree on a deadline and rate for the job, you’ll write the review and get paid! Typically, you get paid 14 days after the article has been completed. The site pays a paid reviewer by PayPal.

If you want a fun way to review products from your phone, check out CrowdTap . You can access the program through your smartphone. Then, you can look at their “daily missions,” which products they would like you to review that day. If you review their products, you will be rewarded for leaving a high-quality review.

You get paid in a variety of ways. For example, some companies will reward you with product samples. Other companies will reward you with gift cards. You may also be given merchandise rewards you can redeem at certain brands and establishments.

This is one of the top review apps out there. There are other ways you can earn points as well. For example, you can complete daily polls, fill out surveys, and share your reviews on social media channels. You can get additional points if you share your reviews on your blog.

Another review site you may want to check out is called Ciao . This is a review site based in the UK, but it is open to the international community, including non-English speakers. They have various products listed on the website, some of which are Amazon products.

The website also has a rotating category of focus or high-authority products. These are products that they need reviews for, so they’re willing to pay extra money for writers. The payment for each review varies, but it is directly tied to the amount of traffic that a specific review generates.

You don’t have to make much money to request a payout. As long as you have a balance of five pounds or more, or about $6, you can request to be paid. It might be challenging to generate a lot of traffic with your first review, but you can make significant money online once you get a lot of practice.

If you are more of a long-form paid reviewer, check out ListVerse . This website will pay you money to make a “top 10” list. Often called “listicles,” this is an opportunity to get creative. You have a lot of control over the products you decide to review, and you can make several recommendations in a single article.

You may want to write a paragraph or two on each item before moving forward. After your list has been published, you get paid through PayPal.

Next, you may want to check out Capterra as well. If you have looked for reviews of specific products, including software programs, you have probably come across Capterra. You can also get paid to write reviews for them. Typically, you need to use the product before you write the review, which may require additional work; however, you can also get paid more for each review.

On Capterra, you get paid approximately $10 for each review that is accepted. Because they are one of the largest players in the industry, they vet all of their reviews closely to ensure they meet their requirements. You need to verify your identity using LinkedIn, and you might get asked to send screenshots of the software or product you want to review before they let you write the review. For this reason, they pay more money for each review.

If you are someone who enjoys testing websites and applications, you may want to take a look at a website called UserTesting . During the review process, you need to make a 20-minute video. Then, you’ll be paid $10 for each review you give. Try this website if you would rather talk about a product or service instead of writing about it.

If the platform can download the necessary recording software, you can record it using any device you want. This could include a desktop computer, a laptop, a smartphone, or a tablet. You will also need to record yourself testing the app or website in real-time. Companies will pay a lot for people who record themselves using their products or services.

Therefore, this could be one of the most lucrative ways for you to make money through product reviews.

Another website that will pay you a lot of money for each review is called Gartner. Gartner is a leading technology and software review company. The goal is to help users make educated decisions on the products they use. Even though you can only write ten reviews annually, the company pays you approximately $25 for each successful review.

Caveat: Gartner closely vets every review before it is published to ensure it provides customers with real insights into the product. The more details you can give about your experience, the greater the chance your review gets accepted. You need to know a lot before you write your first review on this platform. So, check out Gartner’s FAQ page to figure out how to take advantage of this opportunity.

You might also want to consider Harris Poll Online . They are one of the oldest research firms in the industry, and they have a sterling reputation. Most of the surveys and reviews you complete for Harris will focus on their current marketing campaigns.

For example, you might be asked to watch a series of marketing videos a company produces. Then, you’ll be asked to share your opinion. You might also be asked to recommend improving their marketing videos to better speak to someone like yourself.

Every time you complete a survey for this company, you’ll be given points to redeem for gift cards. You might also be given a bonus award if you win the raffle. You get an entry into the raffle with every survey or review you complete.

G2 Crowd is a crowdsourcing platform for reviews. The amount of money you can make on this platform can vary widely depending on what you review. The average review pays between $5 and $15, but you could earn up to $25 per review if you review specific types of software. The website has hundreds of thousands of reviews, so it is one of the most popular review websites on the internet.

Similar to other software review websites, there are strict requirements you need to follow to make sure your review is accepted. You’ll also have to verify your identity by tying your LinkedIn account to your review.

Review Stream will allow you to make money by reviewing just about every product. Furthermore, if a user likes your review, you could get paid a bonus. If you get a vote of confidence from a user, this indicates that the person found your review useful.

Even though you can write a review on just about anything, you can look at what is currently trending on social media. Generally, ReviewStream will pay more money for products and services that have become popular. Furthermore, if you write a review that matches the publishing guidelines of the platform, they might pay you more money. These reviews are also more likely to be deemed useful by users.

InboxDollars has an excellent reputation for paying users to take surveys, shop online, and read email newsletters to assess them for clarity and effectiveness. You can get paid to write product reviews and collect rewards easily on this platform.

InboxDollars partners with top research organizations that are looking for feedback and input from the public. All you need to do is sign up and give your opinions on surveys, and you’ll be paid cash when you’ve completed your task.

Swagbucks is one of the most popular loyalty and consumer rewards platforms online. It’s free to join, and members receive gift cards or cash for the everyday activities they complete online. Tasks include web searching, playing games, watching videos, and shopping online. You can also scan your receipts for cash back, making it easy to earn extra cash without completing hundreds of surveys.

If you’re interested in answering surveys and giving reviews for cash, Swagbucks also pays users to take surveys on topics like personal finance, favorite foods, vacations, and more. Swagbucks has already paid its members over 5 million dollars, solidifying it as one of the most reliable online paid review platforms.

These are some useful review sites to apply to if you want to write product reviews, book reviews, and more. Writing legit reviews is also a great way to get free products, as lots of companies will send you new products and samples to write about on a review website. You can also combine writing reviews with other proven methods that will help you get paid to write .

These sites are a good side-hustle choice before applying to the best affiliate marketing programs and publishing review content on your website.

FAQs About How to Get Paid To Write Reviews

Section 5 of the FTC Act 15 U.S. Code 45 makes fake testimonials illegal in the United States. It can also dent your customer’s trust in your business. It should be noted that a man was jailed after posting fake reviews on TripAdvisor.

Many music writers start their careers by launching their blogs. However, several magazines and websites accept freelance reviews. Two Story Melody gives a list of sites that accept music reviews.

There are several ways to make money by giving reviews, depending on the platform or industry you are involved in. Here are a few methods: 1. Sponsored reviews 2. Affiliate marketing 3. Paid survey sites 4. Blogging or YouTube channels 5. Paid review websites

Meet Rachael, the editor at Become a Writer Today. With years of experience in the field, she is passionate about language and dedicated to producing high-quality content that engages and informs readers. When she's not editing or writing, you can find her exploring the great outdoors, finding inspiration for her next project.

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10 Legit Ways to Get Paid to Write Reviews (Movies, Restaurants, and More)

Our readers always come first.

The content on DollarSprout includes links to our advertising partners. When you read our content and click on one of our partners’ links, and then decide to complete an offer — whether it’s downloading an app, opening an account, or some other action — we may earn a commission from that advertiser, at no extra cost to you.

Our ultimate goal is to educate and inform, not lure you into signing up for certain offers. Compensation from our partners may impact what products we cover and where they appear on the site, but does not have any impact on the objectivity of our reviews or advice.

Some companies will pay their customers to leave candid feedback about their products, while others provide free product samples in exchange for reviews. If you want to make extra money, getting paid to write reviews can be a great way to do it.

• Side Hustles

Our mission at DollarSprout is to help readers improve their financial lives, and we regularly partner with companies that share that same vision. If a purchase or signup is made through one of our Partners’ links, we may receive compensation for the referral. Learn more here .

When you’re shopping online, do you look at the reviews left by other customers to determine if you’re getting a good product?

Or maybe you like leaving reviews to help future customers.

But reviews aren’t just for other consumers. Companies take your feedback seriously and use customer feedback to improve their products. Some will even pay their customers to leave candid feedback about their products, while others provide free product samples in exchange for reviews.

If you want to make a few extra dollars writing reviews for money — be it for movies, restaurants, or something else entirely — this list of resources is a great way to accomplish exactly that. 

10 Places to Write Reviews for Money

It can be difficult to convince a company to pay you directly for reviews. Most companies who choose to do so generally work through an intermediary. There are plenty of websites and services that you can sign up for if you want to get paid to write reviews.

1. LifePoints

LifePoints is a website that pays users to complete surveys. Some of these surveys will be about the products that you’ve bought. Others will be about more general topics.

For each survey that you complete, you’ll earn LifePoints. Some surveys will ask you for demographic information and may disqualify you if enough responses from your demographic have been received. If this happens, you’ll still earn a few LifePoints for your time.

Most surveys take about fifteen minutes to finish, but some are much shorter or much longer. Usually, longer surveys will offer more LifePoints.

You can redeem LifePoints for rewards. Redemption options include gift cards, charitable donations, and cash deposits to your PayPal account.

Related: LifePoints Review: Should You Become a Free Member?

2. InboxDollars

InboxDollars pays its customer for a variety of tasks, including:

• Taking paid surveys
• Watching videos
• Playing games
• Shopping online
• Reading emails

Opportunities to complete surveys and other tasks are emailed directly to you. You’ll earn cash rather than points, and InboxDollars has paid its customers more than $56 million since 2000.

Related: InboxDollars Review: Is it Legit, and How Much Can You Earn?

3. American Consumer Opinion

American Consumer Opinion is another survey-taking site that pays you to share your opinions with companies. The site has paid out more than $30 million to its 7 million members.

Each survey you take rewards you with points. You can redeem points for cash through PayPal, sweepstakes entries, or charitable donations, letting you choose how you want to be rewarded.

4. Start a Review Blog

If you don’t want to deal with another website’s requirements to get paid for reviews, consider starting your own review blog. While it can be difficult, especially in the beginning, it’s a good strategy for making money writing reviews.

Websites like Wirecutter have grown to have millions of readers each month because of their high-quality reviews. With a review website, you can make money with advertising or by working with a service like Amazon Affiliates that allows you to earn a commission when someone makes a purchase based on your review.

Related: How to Start a Profitable Blog (Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners)

5. UserTesting

UserTesting connects tech companies to regular people who want to help them test their websites and apps.

Companies will provide you with a link to their site or app and a set of tasks they’d like you to accomplish. An online retailer, for example, might ask you to go through the process of buying a shirt.

To start an assignment, you’ll need a microphone. While you’re going through your tasks, UserTesting will record your screen and anything you say. You should speak your thoughts clearly and out loud so that the people reviewing your recordings can understand your thought process and update the website accordingly.

You’ll be paid $10 through PayPal for every 20-minute recording you complete.

6. Review Stream

At Review Stream , you’re paid based on what other consumers think about your reviews. This means that it pays to be completely candid and to provide as much detail as possible.

You can review almost anything on the site — products, movies, and books are all fair game. If Review Stream accepts your submitted review, you’ll earn a small payment. Once your review is posted, other users can vote on whether the review is helpful or not. You’ll earn ten cents per helpful vote that you receive. You can also earn ten cents for each answer you provide to other consumers’ questions.

Payment is made through PayPal. The minimum balance to cash out varies based on how much you made for the first review you sold in each payment cycle. The minimum will be ten times the value of the first review you sold, with a minimum of $100. So, if your first review sold for $2 or $10, the minimum is $100. If it sold for $16, the minimum is $160.

Related: 11 Ways to Get Paid to Read Books In Your Spare Time

7. YouTube BrandConnect

YouTube BrandConnect is an invite-only service that connects YouTube creators to brands that want to show their products to a wider audience.

This service is relatively hands-off, connecting you to companies to pitch, but you get to decide how you want to feature products and you can set your own rates. Once you sign up for the service, you’ll be able to see all of the sponsors looking to work with YouTubers. The site advertises nearly 500 companies that pay people to advertise their goods and services .

In exchange for connecting you with brands, YouTube BrandConnect takes a 10% service fee. There are no sign-up or other fees, so you only pay the fees when you get paid. YouTube BrandConnect pays through PayPal or check.

8. Influence Central

Influence Central is another site that connects influencers to brands who want to showcase their products to consumers. You’ll get paid to write reviews and post them directly on your blog, website, or social media accounts.

The pay for each review varies. Some companies will pay you more than others, but this can be a good way to leverage your influence and provide honest reviews to your followers.

If you want to get paid to test products , Tryazon is the website for you. After you sign up, you’ll be able to view a list of available TryaBox and Party opportunities.

For a TryaBox opportunity , a company will send you a single product or item for you to test. If you apply for a Party and Tryazon selects your application, the company will send a box filled with products, party favors, and the like, free of charge. You can host a party with friends, family, and colleagues and everyone gets the chance to try the product.

Once you’re done, your free to share your feedback with the manufacturer, post about the party on your blog or social media, and tell your friends about the things you tried.

10. Write Reviews for Clients

To find possible clients, you can do an online search for websites that focus on product and service reviews. Then, pitch your review writing services to them directly. You will need to have a portfolio and a drive to pitch multiple clients before landing your first gig. Make sure your final submissions to clients are amazing, because it may lead to steady work writing more reviews in the future.

Related: 18 Legit Online Jobs for College Students

Can You Get Paid to Write Reviews for Google and Amazon?

Google and Amazon are two of the most trusted websites on the internet when it comes to reviews. That means that companies are willing to do a lot to make sure their Amazon and Google reviews are good.

You can get paid to write reviews on these websites. However, although providing compensation for a review is allowed, providing compensation with the requirement that you leave a good review violates both websites’ Terms of Service. So if this type of opportunity is presented to you, make sure you think about whether or not you should take it.

For example, your local pizza shop is welcome to give you a free slice when you show that you left a review, but it can’t require that you leave a five-star review on Google. It has to extend the offer to anyone who leaves a review.

3 Tips to Make the Most with Paid Reviews

The truth is that you won’t make a huge amount of money for writing reviews, but it can be a good way to add some extra cash to your wallet. Here are the best ways to make money writing reviews.

Do it in your spare time.

Turn some of your unproductive spare time into productive time by writing reviews. If you commute by bus or train, write a review or two on each trip. After work, rather than focusing on a Netflix show you’ve seen a dozen times, put it on in the background while you write a review.

Because most reviews are short and easy to write, they’re a great way to fill small chunks of time.

Review things you already use.

You’re most familiar with products that you use on a regular basis, so start by reviewing those items.  Your familiarity with them, especially if you’re a long-term user of a specific product, will help you make high-quality reviews that other consumers can use.

Write high-quality reviews.

To make sure your reviews are approved by the company paying you and appreciated by other consumers, take the time to make the reviews as good as they can be. That means checking your spelling and grammar, including photos, and providing specific details about each product.

Are Paid Review Sites Worth Your Time?

Paid review sites are a good way to earn extra cash, but they won’t give you a full-time work from home income.

The best sites will pay a reasonable wage. For example, UserTesting can pay as much as $30 an hour, but you won’t be able to fill a full workweek with the available opportunities. You’re more likely to earn $5 – $10 an hour when writing reviews.

When getting paid to write reviews, be on the lookout for online scams . The most common scams are websites that force you to pay a fee before you can view opportunities to get paid. The companies organizing these opportunities should be earning a commission from the companies that provide the products or surveys, so if you find a company asking reviewers to pay a fee, walk away. That is a major red flag that something is not legit.

You Can Get Paid to Write More Than Reviews

Writing reviews online might be good for pocket money, but you won’t earn a full-time income from it. However, reviews aren’t the only way to make money from online writing.

If you enjoy writing, you may want to try to pick up freelance writing gigs. It can be a good way to earn some money in your spare time and to hone your writing skills. Some clients will pay hundreds of dollars for a single article and many people make a full-time living from freelance writing.

Even people who don’t write can earn a great income online by working as virtual assistants, editors, transcriptionists, or artists. The internet makes it easy to work with and get paid by people across the globe. It’s up to you to showcase your skills and find the people who need your services.

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How to Write a Movie Review Online and Earn Money Doing It

Love watching movies and making recommendations? Consider writing movie reviews online and getting paid for it.

Do you love watching movies, picking them apart, and making recommendations to your friends? Then, you may have already wondered about getting paid to write movie reviews. For many people, it's a dream job, which makes it a competitive field to get started in.

But we're here to show you the ropes. We'll start by showing you how to write a decent movie review. Then we'll explain all the ways you can start writing movie reviews for money.

Learning How to Write a Movie Review Online

When it comes to writing and publishing online, movie reviews couldn't be much simpler. There's some general advice you probably want to follow, which we'll get into below. But so long as you approach each review as one friend advising another, it should come out well.

It's good to open with a brief summary of the plot, before outlining what does and doesn't work about the movie. Keep everything vague to avoid spoilers and try to build a strong argument for why that movie is or isn't worth watching

Since you're writing for the web, name-drop any major cast and crew members involved in the production to help your review appear in search results . Just be sure to insert those names and titles as organically as you can.

Tie everything up with a summary of your thoughts and a recommendation to the reader. You might say the movie is a "blast for action-lovers" or "not worth it for anyone who doesn't enjoy the genre." Anything that lets the reader know if you think it's good for them or not.

Finally, give the movie a rating based on the system your website or publisher uses. This might be stars, letters, numbers, or anything else.

Now, let's get stuck into how you become a movie reviewer online and earn some money.

1. Write Movie Reviews for Royalties

One of the easiest ways to get paid writing movie reviews online is to submit to websites that pay royalties for your content. The money you get paid depends on how many people read your review. It might come from subscription fees or ad revenue.

You might also hear these sites referred to as revenue sharing or pay-per-view sites.

There's a range of different sites to which you can submit your movie reviews and earn royalties. They seem to change all the time, but the most popular ones now include:

• Cultured Vultures

All you need to do is sign up and start publishing your reviews. HubPages even has a movie reviews category you can publish to.

We want to highlight Cultured Vultures , a website that specializes in content like movie reviews. Cultured Vultures built its site with amateur writers in mind and strives to pay as much as it can for all its content, offering around $2.50 for every 200 views during the first week of publication.

Once your review is online, other folks can read or comment on it and you should receive royalty payments for the traffic it receives. It won't be a fortune since it's difficult getting noticed on these sites, but it's better than writing for free.

What's more, revenue sharing sites are a great place to start building a portfolio of your work. This is particularly important if you want to go freelance.

2. Become a Freelance Movie Review Writer

Most people can't expect to earn a living off the revenue sharing sites above. But it is possible to build up a full-time income if you find out how to become a freelance movie reviewer online. When you've got a portfolio of high-quality reviews, all you need to do is start answering the calls for writers across the web.

Do a quick Google search for "write movie reviews for us" to turn up all the latest websites looking for a freelance movie reviewer. Of course, these results are bound to change all the time, but we found the following sites looking to hire writers:

• Taste of Cinema
• Cinema Escapist

There are plenty of other useful Google searches to try as well, for instance, "looking for movie writers" or "paid to write movie reviews." Any of these are likely to turn up different writing opportunities. You can also set up Google Alerts with these keywords.

Another approach is to visit the websites and blogs devoted to movies to see if they're hiring writers. Even if there isn't an explicit ad, it's worth your time to send an email of inquiry. Let them know you exist, then keep returning to the site to see if things change in the future.

And finally, don't neglect the plethora of job boards and project sites devoted to helping freelancers find work. We're talking about sites like Upwork and Fiverr or job boards like ProBlogger .

These sites run the entire gamut of subject matter, but there are clients out there looking to hire movie reviewers. Of course, you could always write for yourself instead.

Related: Sites Like Rotten Tomatoes to Find Average Ratings and Reviews for Anything

3. Monetize Your Own Website

There's nothing to stop you from building a new website to host your own movie reviews, then earning money from it through monetization schemes. This has proven to be an effective way for lots of people to earn a living across a range of different subjects.

Although that's not to say it's easy.

In fact, going down this route demands a lot of other skills alongside your writing ability, particularly marketing and research. It isn't always easy finding out how to make money with a movie blog.

You can build a website at little-to-no-cost with services WordPress or Squarespace . Once you get up and running, find a way to drive people to your site through ads, word of mouth, or search engine optimization.

One of the most common approaches to creating revenue from your audience is by converting visitors into sales. This is a popular approach for any kind of review because you can use an Amazon affiliate link to encourage your readers to buy the product you're writing about. All you need to do is sign up for the Amazon Affiliate Program and link your reviews to the Blu-Ray, DVD, or digital download for that movie.

Another great way to get paid for the movie reviews you write is to use Google Adsense on your website. These widgets work with Google's enormous network of advertisers to serve up the most relevant ads to your readers. You can block ads you don't like, choose where they appear, and pick the types of ads that work best with your site.

If you don't want to go down the advertising route, you could always set up a Patreon account and ask readers to support you directly. A lot of writers feel more comfortable with this form of monetization.

Consider Starting a YouTube Channel Instead

Getting paid to write movie reviews is an exciting way to make a living. But remember that written reviews only account for a small part of the market, hundreds of thousands of people watch movie reviews on YouTube instead.

Consider starting your own YouTube channel to share video movie reviews. You could do this alongside the ones you write. YouTube is a great way to build your personal brand, earn some extra money, and find a passionate audience for your work.

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8 Ways To Get Paid To Review Movies & Films

Updated: March 20, 2024 by Bonnie (Ling) Thich 1 Comment

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Did you know that people will spend around 78,000 hours of their lives in front of a screen ? A good chunk of those 78,000 hours are dedicated to watching movies.

I’m honestly not surprised. It’s no secret that movies give us joy and reduce stress, so it’s easy to turn to them when we’re not feeling great. However, for me, sharing your thoughts with others makes that hobby more meaningful and enjoyable.

But what if I told you that you could get paid to watch and review movies ? Yes, instead of just watching for hours, you can get paid to share your thoughts on those movies.

I know, I know! It’s unbelievable, but I researched, so you don’t have to. I discovered many fun and well-paying jobs focused on writing movie reviews, such as being a Netflix Tagger, launching a review channel, or starting your own podcast.

To give you an idea of how you can turn a fun hobby into a source of income, I’ve compiled a list of ways you can get paid to review movies. The best part is that you can do most of these side hustles from home !

PIN THIS: I’ll be updating this post so make sure to pin this image here and save it to your Pinterest board . That way you’ll be able to come back to this page and learn how to get paid to watch movies!

1. Start A Movie Review Blog

When I started this blog, I considered it a hobby. I enjoyed writing and had a great passion for personal finance. I wanted to share everything I’ve learned about money throughout my journey so others could learn from my right decisions and mistakes.

Although it was my goal, I was surprised to find out that this hobby could make money – enough that I was able to quit my job. Starting a movie review blog is a great way to turn hours watching movies into hours earning money. Having a blog means you have your own space to express your thoughts about the movies you watch.

The exciting part is that you can monetize your blog in a lot of ways so you’re not limited to just one revenue stream. You can have ads, sponsorships from movie studios or streaming services, and even affiliate marketing.

With a blog, there aren’t any strict rules or schedules. You can post your unfiltered thoughts at any pace you want. But if you really want to turn your hobby into a full-time job, you should be consistent with creating high-quality content that your audience can identify with.

When you start a movie review blog, you don’t have to focus on just reviewing the movies you watch. Your blog can have a specific focus, such as:

• A Harry Potter movie blog that goes deep into the plot and stories of each character.
• A horror movie blog that focuses on franchises like Scream and Insidious. You can talk about how each film in a franchise relates to another.
• A movie review blog that only focuses on independent films like Parasite, The Blair Witch Project, and Whiplash.

I didn’t earn right away when I started this blog, so don’t expect to make a big fortune immediately. Yet, with consistent content creation, I’m now able to earn over six figures in a year – and you can, too!

2. Launch a YouTube Channel

I’m not the kind of person who goes into movies without knowing anything about it. I want to know what to expect, so I watch movie trailers and commentary from YouTubers before deciding whether to watch a movie or not.

I know there are many like me because these YouTube channels have a lot of subscribers and engagement. Just take a look at one of my favorites, Screen Rant !

Think about it, though. What if you were behind these movie review channels? You can create a YouTube channel for free and talk about the movies you watch so you can give viewers a taste of the film before they go for it.

With YouTube, you’re the director and call the shots. You’re not dictated by a boss or client. You can even opt not to show your face if you prefer to be anonymous. Being a movie review YouTuber is one of the most stress-free jobs out there. Unlike other social media platforms, there isn’t even a need to churn out content daily.

With a movie review channel, you practically get paid to watch movies , especially because there are many ways to make money on YouTube once you already have a solid audience.

3. Taste Of Cinema

Running your own blog can be a bit challenging and demanding, so it’s not a route that fits every single person. Don’t worry, though, because you can still earn as a movie reviewer from online movie review jobs .

Thanks to platforms like Taste of Cinema , you can get paid to write movie reviews for a large audience. Taste of Cinema is a website focusing on essential film lists for new and old moviegoers. They are constantly looking for freelance writers  to contribute fresh movie review perspectives and put together lists that readers will love.

When you sign up as a contributor , you have to come up with your own ideas that fit the website’s vision. Once you write your article, you have to pitch it to their editor. That means that not everything you write will go through.

If your output does get accepted, you’ll be paid depending on the number of clicks your article gets. The more clicks you get, the more money you earn. With that in mind, the more your piece stands out, the higher your earning potential will be.

Your articles need to be the same as a blockbuster movie. They should grab the audience’s attention from the opening scene and hold it until the credits roll. It also doesn’t hurt to share the link to your articles on your socials to get more hits.

Being a contributor on the platform means you can write as much or as little as you want, all from the comfort of your own home . You can also promote your website, social media, or products!

4. Become a Netflix Tagger

Did you know that there’s a way to get paid to review movies on Netflix ? Yes, as surprising as that sounds, you can actually be a Netflix Tagger.

I agree that this job doesn’t sound real at all! You’ll even see some people on the internet calling it a scam. But Netflix Taggers exist, and they are the ones in charge of categorizing and tagging Netflix movies in the correct categories. Those tags are the words that we see under the movie’s descriptions, such as family-friendly, animated, and horror.

Without the Tagger, we won’t be able to find the right type of movies and shows for us from the neverending Netflix library. To correctly categorize the movies, you have to watch and review them. Being a Netflix Tagger is the ultimate dream job for a movie geek because you don’t only watch Netflix movies for a living , but you also get to help other people improve their viewing experience.

Before you get excited about this job, though, you have to know what to expect. They pay a fair salary, but they do have strict requirements . These positions are also very few and elusive, so once you see an opening from Netflix, don’t let the opportunity pass! You never know when you might see it again.

5. Freelance for Local Newspapers or Magazines

If handling your own channel or website is too much for you, and being an employee isn’t appealing, you can always be a freelance writer specializing in movie reviews. You don’t even have to look far for clients.

There is a great chance that there’s a local newspaper or magazine in your area that is looking for movie reviewers. Look for such publications and send out cold pitches offering your services.

Choosing this path lets you set your own rates depending on your experience, so the earning potential is really up to you. The more experience you have and the more you can produce, the higher you can charge. It’s a great way to earn extra money while doing something you’re passionate about. The key here is standing out from other freelance movie reviewers through a solid portfolio.

As a freelance movie review writer, your reviews aren’t just words on paper. Your outputs can shape opinions and guide choices. In short, you’re influencing your local film scene, which is a big deal for any movie lover.

6. Podcasting About Movies

There are many work from home side hustles that focus on writing movie reviews, but there isn’t a lot that lets you work with your friends. Launching your own podcast allows you to speak your mind about the movies you watch and discuss them with your friends. The more natural your conversations are, the better!

A podcast about movies is more than just talking because you can create an intimate experience for your listeners where you can dive deep into any detail. Above all, once you get a solid audience, there will be a sense of community with others who share your love for movies. Just look at successful film review podcasts like Filmspotting , which focuses on reviewing and analyzing new and classic movies, and The Weekly Planet , which covers everything about movies, but they do discuss TV shows and comics, too. They both have created a dedicated following by having engaging discussions.

It’s hard to believe that a podcast can be your way to make money fast , but you can monetize your podcasts. You can earn money through sponsorships or brand placements in your podcasts.

But of course, like any other side hustle, you need to be consistent and gain enough listeners to start earning money. It’s not something that happens overnight.

7. Work as a Mystery Shopper

Not everyone enjoys watching movies on the television or a laptop screen, but is it even possible to get paid to watch movies on the big screen? The simple answer is yes, you can do it as a mystery shopper .

Being a mystery shopper might feel like you’re a secret agent in your own movie because you can go to the cinemas as an undercover evaluator. You have to go to the theater and provide them with feedback on the conditions of the place, from the exterior to the staff to the equipment.

As fun as it may be to be undercover, you’re not reviewing the movie of your choice for entertainment. You’re technically watching the film to see that the theatre is up to standards or that the sound system of the movie is high-quality.

You don’t have to leave the comfort of your home to look for opportunities to help cinemas improve. There are online sites like BestMark that pay you per movie experience after you complete a feedback form.

8. Become a Film Critic

Well, it doesn’t get more straightforward than this. If you really breathe and eat movies, I believe there’s no other path to take but to become a movie critic.

It’s definitely not an easy feat to become a film critic, but the skills and recognition you can gain are more than worth the effort. Some critics even become famous and gain fans of their own.

The most rewarding part of being a film critic, aside from the lucrative salary , of course, is that your inputs become more than just reviews. They become part of the conversation in the movie industry. Your insights can influence other people’s views, and you can help attract more people to the cinemas.

I believe that more than getting paid to review movies, improving your craft and sharing your love for movies with the world are the best parts of becoming a film critic.

How Much Money Can You Make Writing Movie Reviews?

Income from paid movie review jobs depends on so many factors, so there’s no one answer to how much you can make. What you earn can range from an acceptable side hustle income to a significant full-time salary. Typically, it’s around $300 to $70,000 a month.

But honestly, the sky’s your limit. There are lots of ways to boost your earnings from writing reviews, like selling your merch on a YouTube channel or using a paid subscription model on Spotify. You can even do them all at the same time. As long as you’re diversifying your income streams and you’re consistently giving high-quality outputs, you can earn as much as you put your mind to it.

Enjoyed this post? Don’t forget to pin the image below! Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest over here ! 🙂

About Bonnie (Ling) Thich

I am passionate about finding ways to save, budget, and earn more. I always dreaded the traditional 9-5 job, and that pain really motivated me to start building a better relationship with my money so I could achieve financial freedom sooner. I woke up one day, and randomly started FinSavvyPanda.com (with no knowledge about blogs, websites, or whatsoever) where I share my financial and blogging journey to help you save, budget, and earn more. Fast forward 12 months, I was so surprised about earning a full-time income with my small blog , which allowed me to quit my job! I'd love to help you start your blog too, so you can do what you love and live on your own terms! You can click here to learn how you can start a profitable blog for beginners .

Reader Interactions

April 1, 2024 at 5:06 pm

If Netflix has some strict requirements for taggers, they have failed on a few occasions. I’ve seen some obvious comedies tagged as horrors, and vice-versa.

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Sign Up For Paid Writing Opportunities

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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The Insider’s Guide: How to Get Paid for Writing Movie Reviews

• backlinkworks
• Writing Articles & Reviews
• October 2, 2023

The Insider’s Guide: How to Get Paid for writing Movie Reviews

Are you a movie enthusiast who loves expressing your opinions on the latest blockbusters and hidden gems? If so, why not turn your passion for movies into a paid gig by writing movie reviews? Not only can you earn some extra cash, but you can also become a trusted voice in the film industry. In this insider’s guide, we will walk you through the steps to get paid for writing movie reviews.

Finding the Right Platforms

The first step towards turning your movie reviews into a source of income is finding the right platforms to display your work. The internet offers a plethora of websites that pay aspiring critics for their contribution. Some popular choices include:

1. Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes is a renowned movie review platform that hires professional and freelance critics. They have a strict selection process, so you need to ensure your writing skills and analysis meet their high standards. Getting accepted by Rotten Tomatoes can be challenging, but IT can provide a significant boost to your credibility and visibility as a movie reviewer.

IMDb ( internet Movie Database) is a popular online database for movies, TV shows, and celebrities. They offer a “Parental Guide” section where contributors can submit reviews and earn money. Although the pay might not be as high as other platforms, IMDb’s massive user base can give your reviews extensive exposure.

3. Your Own Website or Blog

If you prefer more control over your content and want to establish your personal brand, creating your own Website or blog is a great option. IT allows you to monetize your reviews through various methods, such as ads, sponsored content , or Patreon memberships. However, keep in mind that building a dedicated audience for your Website may take time and effort.

Crafting Compelling Reviews

Now that you have found the right platforms to showcase your work, IT ‘s essential to create captivating movie reviews that captivate readers and keep them coming back for more. Here are some tips to make your reviews stand out:

1. Watch the Movie with a Critical Eye

When reviewing a movie, IT ‘s crucial to go beyond simply describing the plot. Analyze the characters, dialogue, cinematography, and overall message. Try to provide insights that will enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the film.

2. Find Your Voice

Developing your unique writing style and voice is essential to differentiate yourself from other movie reviewers. Inject your personality into your writing and let your passion for movies shine through. Don’t be afraid to offer bold opinions and engage with your readers in the comments section.

3. Be Honest and Balanced

Honesty is key when writing movie reviews. Be objective in your analysis, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the film. But remember to maintain a balanced approach and avoid excessively bashing a movie. Constructive criticism is more valuable to readers and filmmakers alike.

Monetizing Your Reviews

Now that you have established a strong presence on popular review platforms or through your own Website , IT ‘s time to monetize your hard work. Here are some ways you can start earning money from your movie reviews:

1. Advertisements and Sponsorships

If you have a Website or blog, you can partner with advertisers or sponsors to display relevant ads or create sponsored content . This method requires a significant amount of traffic and audience engagement to attract potential advertisers.

2. Affiliate marketing

Consider joining affiliate programs like Amazon Associates, where you earn a commission for every purchase made through your affiliate links. You can recommend movies, books, or merchandise related to the films you review, providing your readers with convenient purchasing options.

3. freelance writing Opportunities

With a solid portfolio of movie reviews, you can explore freelance writing opportunities with various publications. Many online magazines and websites hire movie critics on a freelance basis, offering a payment per article or word.

Getting paid for writing movie reviews is a dream come true for any cinephile. By finding the right platforms, crafting compelling reviews, and monetizing your content , you can turn your passion into a rewarding source of income. Remember, IT takes dedication, creativity, and a strong work ethic, but with persistence, you can become a recognized and paid movie reviewer.

1. How much can I earn as a paid movie reviewer?

Earnings as a paid movie reviewer vary depending on factors such as your experience, the platforms you contribute to, and the size of your audience. Some reviewers may earn a few hundred dollars per review, while others can make a full-time income.

2. Do I need formal education in film studies to be a movie reviewer?

While a formal education in film studies can enhance your knowledge and understanding of movies, IT is not mandatory to become a movie reviewer. What matters most is your ability to analyze and articulate your thoughts effectively.

3. Can I write negative reviews and still get paid?

Absolutely! Negative reviews have their place in film criticism, and many readers appreciate candid and honest opinions. However, IT ‘s essential to maintain a balanced approach and provide constructive criticism rather than resorting to unfounded bashing of a movie.

4. How can I attract more readers to my movie reviews?

Building an audience for your movie reviews requires consistent and high-quality content . Promote your reviews on social media platforms, engage with your readers, and consider collaborating with other movie enthusiasts or influencers to expand your reach.

5. Are there any legal considerations when writing movie reviews?

When writing movie reviews, IT ‘s essential to understand and adhere to copyright laws. Avoid using copyrighted images or extensive quotes without proper permission or fair use justification. Always credit your sources and respect the intellectual property rights of filmmakers.

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How to Become a Movie Critic — Career Tips Explained

F ilm, at its best, is a conduit for shared human experience, an art form that transcends boundaries and languages. It’s a mirror held up to society, reflecting our triumphs, our failings, our dreams, our fears. And in this medium of storytelling, the role of the movie critic emerges as an important component of the art. If you’re interested in this field, this guide dives into how to become a movie critic in the necessary skills to start your career.

How to Become a Movie Critic

Understanding the role of a movie critic.

A critic stands at the intersection of art and audience, serving not as a gatekeeper, but as a guide. Movie critics are not mere arbiters of good and bad. Rather, they dive into the heart of a film, explore its depths, and emerge with insights that might otherwise be missed. 

They provide context, dissect themes, and illuminate nuances, enriching the viewer's understanding and appreciation of the film.

Movie critics hold a significant role that extends far beyond merely watching films and offering opinions. Let's delve into the multifaceted world of a movie critic and explore the various aspects that shape their influential role.

Film Dissection

Movie critics meticulously dissect films, peeling back layers to uncover the intricacies within. They analyze the storytelling techniques, character development, story structure*, cinematography*, and other elements that contribute to the overall cinematic experience. 

This video by Every Frame a Painting analyzes the cinematography and composition of the film Drive and how it impacts the story. Its a great example of dissecting a film.

Drive (2011)  •  The Quadrant System

Through this critical examination, they unearth insights and observations that enrich the viewer's experience and understanding of the film.

Element Analysis

Critics are not satisfied with surface-level observations. They look deeper into the finer details of a film's elements. They scrutinize the screenplay, directing choices, performances, sound design, and visual effects. 

In this video analysis, we look at the use of sound design and its impact in the film Denis Villeneuve’s Dune .

Dune Sound Design Explained  •  Subscribe here

By dissecting these components, critics can assess the strengths and weaknesses of a film, providing audiences with a comprehensive understanding of its artistic merits.

Engaging Communication

To effectively convey their thoughts and evaluations, movie critics master the art of engaging communication. They craft their reviews with eloquence and clarity, employing captivating language to capture the essence of a film. 

Through their expressive writing or verbal delivery, critics aim to immerse readers or listeners in their cinematic journey while offering a fresh perspective.

Influencing Public Opinion

Movie critics possess the power to shape public opinion and impact the reception of a film. Their reviews can sway potential viewers, either drawing them towards or deterring them from a particular movie. 

Positive reviews may generate buzz and contribute to a film's success, while negative reviews can influence box office performance. As trusted voices in the industry, critics hold a responsibility to provide fair and insightful assessments.

The role of a movie critic is a complex one, transcending mere film watching and opinion sharing. It involves dissecting films, analyzing elements, communicating effectively, and potentially influencing public opinion. Their expertise and informed perspectives contribute to the vibrant landscape of cinema critique.

Skills on How to Become a Film Critic

Required skills and qualities.

Being a movie critic is a demanding role that requires a combination of skills and a deep passion for cinema. To excel in this field, one must have a keen eye for detail, analytical thinking, and exceptional writing skills. 

Keen Eye for Detail

One of the key traits of exceptional movie critics is their ability to observe and analyze even the smallest details in a film. They pay attention to elements such as cinematography, editing, sound design, and performances. 

By noticing these nuances, critics can provide insightful commentary that enhances the audience's understanding and appreciation of the movie.

Analytical Thinking

Exceptional movie critics possess strong analytical skills that allow them to dissect and interpret films in a meaningful way. They go beyond surface-level reactions and delve into the deeper themes, symbolism, and underlying messages conveyed by the filmmakers. 

Here is Roger Ebert on what he thinks a movie review should do in a meaningful way.

Roger Ebert What A Movie Review Should Do

This ability to critically analyze movies helps them offer valuable insights and engage in thought-provoking discussions.

Exceptional Writing Skills

Writing is an essential aspect of being a movie critic. Exceptional critics can craft compelling and articulate reviews that captivate readers. They effectively communicate their thoughts and opinions, supporting them with evidence and examples from the film. 

By using descriptive language and engaging storytelling techniques, they transport readers into the world of the movie and make their reviews more impactful.

“In ‘Jaws,’ which may be the most cheerfully perverse scare movie ever made, the disasters don’t come on schedule the way they do in most disaster pictures, and your guts never settle down to a timetable. Even while you’re convulsed with laughter, you’re still apprehensive, because the editing rhythms are very tricky, and the shock images loom up huge, right on top of you. There are parts of ‘Jaws’ that suggest what Eisenstein might have done if he hadn’t intellectualized himself out of reach — if he’d given in to the bourgeois child in himself.” — When the Lights Go Down (1980)

— Pauline Kael in Jaws

Developing a Unique Voice

What sets exceptional movie critics apart is the development of their unique voice. They have a distinct style and perspective that distinguishes them from other critics. This voice reflects their personality, values, and expertise. 

By cultivating their individuality, exceptional critics leave a lasting impression on their audience and contribute to the diversity of opinions within the field. In this video, Siskel and Ebert advise young critics to find their voice and tone.

Siskel & Ebert Advise Young Movie Critics

Becoming an exceptional movie critic requires a combination of skills, a passion for cinema, and the ability to view films critically. By honing their keen eye for detail, analytical thinking, exceptional writing skills, and developing a unique voice, movie critics can make a significant impact in the industry, just like the famous critics who have paved the way.

Related Posts

• What is the Setting of a Story? →
• How Does Rotten Tomatoes Work? →
• Plot vs Story — Differences Every Screenwriter Should Know →

How to Become a Film Reviewer

Educational background and training.

Becoming a movie critic doesn't have strict educational requirements, but having a background in film studies or journalism can be advantageous. Different routes of background and training can pave the way to a successful career in movie criticism.

Film Studies

One possible route to develop a solid foundation is through film studies. Engaging in courses that cover topics such as film history, theory, and analysis can provide valuable insights into the art of cinema. Understanding the various techniques, genres, and cinematic elements can help shape a well-rounded movie critic.

Another path to consider is through journalism. Building skills in researching, interviewing, and writing can contribute to becoming an effective movie critic. Journalistic training can provide a strong framework for conducting interviews with filmmakers, analyzing movies, and conveying opinions clearly and concisely.

Film Criticism and Creative Writing Courses

In addition to film studies and journalism, taking courses specifically focused on film criticism or creative writing can further enhance your skills as a movie critic. These courses can provide specialized knowledge in analyzing and interpreting films, as well as honing your ability to craft compelling and insightful reviews.

By exploring these different routes of background and training, aspiring movie critics can equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in this dynamic field.

Starting a blog or YouTube channel, writing for your school newspaper or local magazines, are all great ways of gaining practical experience. Building a portfolio of your work showcases your ability to prospective employers.

Guide on How to Become a Movie Reviewer

Study the greats.

Learning from seasoned critics can also be a beneficial part of becoming a movie critic. Studying the work of prominent figures in the field can provide a wealth of insights. These critics, with their distinctive voices and unique perspectives, have shaped the art of film criticism and continue to influence it today.

Pauline Kael

Pauline Kael was known for her sharp, provocative, and often contrary views. Her work celebrated the emotional experience of the cinema and was often as entertaining as the films she critiqued. Kael's fierce independence of thought and her refusal to bow to popular opinion made her a trailblazer in the field.

Roger Ebert

American critic Roger Ebert, famous for his straightforward and conversational style, was one of the most influential figures in the industry. His reviews, packed with wit and humanity, made film criticism accessible to a broad audience. Ebert's ability to blend detailed analysis with a passionate love for cinema makes his work a must-read for any aspiring critic.

“Here is part two of the greatest crime saga ever made, a saga that will continue. No, it doesn't have that one scene that everyone remembers and quotes, like in the first film. But, it's a film we grow to love. The Godfather Part II is a quiet, brooding film that works upon reflection. The American dream has never seemed so ruthless.” 

— Ebert's review of The Godfather Part II

André Bazin

French critic André Bazin co-founded the influential film magazine Cahiers du cinéma. He championed the auteur theory, insisting on the director's role as the author of a film. Bazin's profound philosophical and moral engagement with cinema continues to inspire critics today.

Studying the work of these notable critics can offer valuable lessons in constructing compelling arguments, developing a distinctive voice, and understanding the many ways in which films can be interpreted and appreciated. Aspiring movie critics can draw inspiration from these industry greats, adapting their lessons to their unique perspectives and voices.

Learning How to Become a Movie Critic

Starting your career.

Embarking on a career as a movie critic is both exciting and challenging. This journey requires not only a passion for films but also a steadfast commitment to honing your craft, establishing your unique voice, and continually learning about the ever-evolving world of cinema. 

Networking is key in the film industry. Attend film festivals, join film societies, and connect with other critics. Opportunities for professional development, such as seminars and workshops, can help you stay updated with the latest trends in the industry.

Job Opportunities and Career Progression

Job opportunities for movie critics can be found on various platforms including websites, film festivals, and newspapers. Career progression might include becoming a senior critic, an editor, or even publishing a book of your reviews.

Best way to Write Movie Reviews

Hone your skills.

Writing about movies is like any other type of writing, it takes practice to get better. In the digital age, online platforms offer a practical way to hone your skills as an aspiring movie critic. Establishing an online presence not only allows you to practice and improve your writing but also helps you reach a wider audience and interact with fellow movie enthusiasts.

Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter or YouTube are excellent places to start. These platforms enable you to share your thoughts on movies in bite-sized posts or longer threads. Additionally, interacting with other users can provide valuable feedback and stimulate interesting discussions about cinema.

Letterboxd is a social network specifically designed for film lovers. It's a perfect platform to log the movies you watch, write and share reviews, and discover new films through community recommendations. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the film community and practice your writing in an environment dedicated to film appreciation.

How to Use Letterboxd  •  Social Network for Film Lovers

By harnessing the power of these online platforms, you can start practicing your film criticism skills, engage with a community of film lovers, and establish your online presence as an emerging movie critic.

Critics' reviews are not dictations, but invitations to dialogue. They spark discussions, provoke thought, and challenge perspectives. They celebrate cinema's triumphs and critique its shortcomings, thereby encouraging filmmakers to push boundaries and strive for excellence.

Movie critics are an integral part of the cinematic ecosystem. They bridge the gap between the art of filmmaking and its audience, fostering a deeper, more meaningful engagement with film. In doing so, they help keep the magic of cinema alive and thriving.

What is Story Structure?

If you’re looking to become a movie critic, then one thing you will undoubtedly need to understand is story. In our next article, we take a deep dive into story structure and how it impacts how a story is told in film. 

Up Next: What is Story Structure? →

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Become a Film Critic

Writing film reviews & contributing podcast reviews for uk film review.

It is the age-old question...well one of the age-old questions. Much like “If a tree falls in the wood, and there is no one there to hear it fall, does it make a sound?”, the philosophical ponderings around the black magic that is film criticism has had many a would-be reviewer scratching their heads with pointed quills. Luckily, for those scribes with a penchant for movie reviews, you can stop inflicting yourself with unnecessary head wounds, because (to paraphrase Kermode and Mayo) “How do you become a film critic? You just become a film critic.”

Here at UK Film Review, our motto is...not in the groin. But after that, it is we give anyone a try. Whether it be a first-time filmmaker submitting their shoe-string budget short film about killer clowns, or Michael Bay’s latest action film highlighting the plight of slaves in 19th Century New England (coming to a cinema near you in 2029). And with that ethos, we invite anyone wanting to become a film critic to submit their best piece to us.

All that we ask is that you are:

A decent writer who is passionate about film criticism

Willing to review ALL kinds of films - not just those at the cinema

Happy to take on constructive criticism and develop

Be a film reviewer who writes about all aspects of a film, not just a detailed account of the plot

We are introducing a new Tier System for our writers - so we can start paying our hard-working writers for their awesome work. These are the tiers:

Get started by reviewing films from the list on the next page.

Pro - £3 per review*

Review shorts & indie feature films submitted by filmmakers from around the world from our queue. We have lots of these!

UKFR House Critic - £5-£20 per review**

Review films from our Queue Jump or Promotion Packages - shorter deadlines but higher pay available.

*payment made by bank transfer for every 5 films

**scale of payment depends on review type (e.g. Video Reviews earn more) ​ Please note: paid reviews are available on a limited basis depending on filmmaker submissions.  

As a UK Film Review Critic you can also enjoy the following:

The chance to get their writing on a (very) popular film reviews website

Access to some of the latest indie and short films

Invitations to press screenings of the biggest theatrical movies

Promotion in front of our 1000s of social media followers

Support and guidance on improving their writing

Being part of an online film-loving community

BRAND NEW: Have your review read out/played on the UK Film Review Podcast show "UK Film Club"

TOP LISTEN: Film critic & UKFR founder Chris Olson gives his top tips for film critics on the UK Film Review Podcast

If you ever wondered what a film critic's journey looks like, the below film podcast episode is essential listening. The UK Film Review Editor-in-Chief gives his FREE top tips for film critics, as well as an insight into pitching to publications and how to network in the film industry. Listen now using the embed below, or find the episode on all good podcast platforms.

All sounding good? Remember to follow UK Film Review on social media (links in the footer) so you can stay up to date with our film reviews, movie trailers, and film festival updates.

HOW TO SUBMIT A MOVIE REVIEW ​

Click Here to Get Started

For anyone looking to take their film reviews to the next level, our Editor-in-Chief and film critic Chris Olson has written a short guide with 9 Top Tips for Aspiring Film Critics . Inside you will find hints and advice from someone who has written/proofed/edited over 2,000 movie reviews.

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How to Write a Movie Review

Last Updated: May 13, 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 5,617,187 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

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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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