News You Can Use: How to Review Films Like a Pro

"The biggest piece of advice I have is to watch as many movies of as wide a variety as possible and get in the habit of writing about them," said Sarah Hennigan, associate chair of the Department of Theatre and Film and assistant professor of film production at Ole Miss.

"Even if this starts as just a journaling practice of getting your initial thoughts on paper, it helps to build a writing practice and get you in the head space of critical analysis. Similarly, I would suggest reading a variety of reviews from successful reviewers over the years so that you can better understand how each of their individual voices connected well with their audience."

When considering aspects of a film, Hennigan advises viewers to focus on the plot.

"First and foremost, audiences should be watching for story," she said. "Does this film connect with its audience? Why and why not?

"As for the crafts that go into the art form as a whole, one may consider writing, directing, performance, cinematography, sound design, production design, costuming, editing, musical soundtrack or original score and visual effects."

When evaluating these categories, one can critique how cohesive these elements are, whether they support the storytelling and how effectively they capture audiences, Hennigan said.

"I think most filmmakers would agree that a successful film is one that made the audience feel something," she said. "The individual goals of every filmmaker are different and the same film may approach different audiences distinctly, but almost all films share the goal (of) creating characters the audience can care about."

The more a person watches a particular genre of film, the better he or she will become at evaluating films of that type, Hennigan said.

"Every genre has a set of conventions that help to define it," she said. "If you're attempting to directly compare two films of entirely different genres, you likely have to go back to the basic questions you can ask of any film: Do I care about these characters? Do I care about the situation they are in? Am I satisfied with how the film resolves – or doesn't – their conflicts?"

Hennigan also recommends watching a film before reading critics' reviews.

"Personally, I tend not to read exhaustive reviews until after I've seen a film, so that I may form an independent opinion and then compare it with other audiences," she said.

"I think movie reviews can be very helpful to audience members who have specific tastes that they want to make sure a film aligns with or who like to know about the story they're about to watch before they get there."

So head to the theater, buy a ticket and take in the wonder of the big screen. Afterward, pull out the laptop and have at it. See you at the movies!

Top: With a little practice, everyone can learn to watch movies with a critical eye, film production professor Sarah Hennigan advises. Viewers should particularly focus on plot and how well a movie connects with audiences, she says. Adobe Stock photo