Goal: There are two goals:
1) To write a critique about a film you have seen.
2) To find two professional reviews or critiques about the same film and write about those two reviews.
NOTE: You may not find a big difference between film critiques and film reviews. Sometimes they seem one in the same. Read below to find out the difference. Try your best to find in depth film reviews that analyze the movie instead of just review it. The Sacramento Bee Friday Ticket or the Sunday Entertainment section are good sources for in depth reviews.

Some background on writing a "Critical" Film Critique

A good film critique provides the reader with a basic idea of what the film is about. It provides the writer’s critical assessment of the success/failure or effectiveness/ineffectiveness of the film supported by the evidence the writer gathers from the film. It is more than a film review. It is deeper. For the writer, the critique is an opportunity to exhibit a critical awareness of the elements of the film as well as to share the delight and pleasure (or frustration and disappointment) the film offers the viewer.

The questions below are meant to stimulate thought about a film and to provide areas of concern you may wish to address in your critique. Early in the critique it is desirable to sketch enough of the plot to give the reader an idea of what happens in the film. Do not try to recount everything—the key word here is sketch.

If you provide only a plot summary, you are not writing a critique—you’re writing the equivalent of a book report. Once you introduce the main characters and devote a few lines to the plot, thus giving the reader a good overview, get down to the job of convincing the reader that you have something interesting to say about the film—the plot is trivial, the hero is not really a hero, the plot and characters are fine but the\ camera work is needlessly tricky, or whatever else you decide your thesis to be.

Always use the present tense when writing your review and avoid words such as “great’’, “excellent” and the all-encompassing “really good”.

Assignment, Part A:
Write a critique on a movie. Use the questions below to organize your critique. Write it out in paragraph style, starting with the name and director of the film, who stars in it, and its rating. You can then continue your critique by following the order of the questions below to guide the format of your critique but don't just give simple, one or two word replies. Think deeper.

1) Is the film adapted from fiction or drama, or is it based on an original idea and screenplay? Does it sacrifice the original work for unnecessary cinematic devices? If the story is original, how fresh or innovative is it?
2) Are the characters believable?
3) Are the actors appropriately cast?
4) What is the theme of the film? Do the plot, acting, and other elements in the film successfully impart the theme to the viewer?
5) Is the setting/locale appropriate and effective?
6) Is the cinematography effective? Does the film make certain use of color, texture, lighting, etc. to enhance the theme, mood, setting?
7) Is the sound track effective? Is the music appropriate and functional, or is it inappropriate and obtrusive?
8) Are camera angles used effectively? Are they ever used for a particular effect?
9) Are there special effects (and/or special effects makeup) in the film? If so, are they essential to the plot? Are they handled skillfully? Do they serve a necessary function, or does the film sacrifice plot or characterization for the effects themselves?
10) Does the film make use of symbols or symbolism? What purpose do the symbols serve? Are they used effectively? How does the symbolism in the film contribute to or enhance the film’s overall theme?

Assignment, Part B:

Collect two critiques (reviews) for the film you wrote about in Part A. Try looking for "film critics" and not just reviewers. Check online and your local paper. Print or cut out (from newspaper or magazine) the reviews so you have hard copies to read and to turn in. Attach Part B below to the front of the reviews.

What to write about.
1) Start with information:
a. Name of the Film
b. Director; Two main actors; Year released; Rating

2) List the two reviewer's names and where the reviews were published (newspaper, book, online - give full name and date of the review)

3) Read the reviews with the 10 questions above in mind, and decide if the reviews have a positive or negative opinion of the film. Give some quotes to show this. List each reviewer by name and then give the quotes. Highlight the quotes in the hard copies of the reviews you will hand in.

4) Do the reviews site specific examples (scenes, dialogue) from the film to support the review? List each reviewer by name and then give the examples. Highlight the examples in the hard copies of the reviews.

5) Do the reviews give away important plot twists or surprises? List each reviewer by name and then give the examples. Highlight the examples in the hard copies of the reviews.

6) Do you agree with the reviews? Why or why not? Use the reviews you agree with to support your argument and contrast your ideas with the reviews that have a differing opinion if there is one?