Watch a movie that you want and write an essay evaluating the movie. State your judgment (thesis statement) clearly, and support it with a convincing argument based on standards of value that your readers will be likely to agree. Assuming that your readers do not know anything about the movie, you describe it and inform them why the movie is recommended to watch or graded low. Provide a brief plot summary so that the audience can get an idea of what the movie is about. You also discuss about the strengths and/or weaknesses of the movie. Do not simply retell the story of the movie. This is not a story-telling test.
It is important to have a thesis statement in the introduction, and a topic sentence and supporting details in each body paragraph. Introduction and conclusion should be connected in a way or another. Try to reduce errors as many as possible. If you have many errors, you will not get a satisfactory grade. Do not simply retell the story of the movie.
Basic features of evaluation
A Well-presented subject
A clear, well-balanced judgment
A convincing argument
Pointed comparison/compare and contrast similarities and differences with a movie that belongs to the same genre.
Organization
Present the background, a brief plot summary of the movie that offers the foundation of your evaluation.
Discuss the universal criteria you will analyze in the essay as you evaluate the film.
Judge the movie from your critical perspective(s).
Body paragraphs
Give several reasons and support them with convincing details (evidence) from the movie.
Plot: How is the story told (chronological, flashback, or flashforward)? Why do you think the director structure the movie that way? How does the plot contribute to making the movie theme? Is the story interesting? Confusing? Moving? Believable? Just a copy of other movies that you’ve seen? What specific parts do you think problematic or efficient?
Genre: what type of movie is this? For example, action, adventure, horror, sci-fi, romance, mystery, comedy, tragedy, documentary? How is the movie evaluated, for example in the ranking? How does the movie attract the audience?
Pace: Is the movie slow-paced? Or action-packed? What parts were dull or exciting? How does the pace contribute to the story? Why do you think the director set that pace in the movie?
Acting: How is the acting done? Do they seem to be acting effectively? How much the acting contribute to the movie?
Music: What kind of music is used as a sound track? Is the music proper to the subject of the movie? How does the music create the mood of the scenes?
Dialogue: Does it sound natural? Were there any specific scenes of the movie where dialogue stood out for some reasons? Any memorable dialogue?
Any social, political, issues: What message does the movie try to send to the audience?
Remember you should use specific examples (dialogue, scene...) from the movie to support each above category.
