Write a Movie Review To Practice Your Critical-Writing Skills
The month between the end of the fall semester and the beginning of the spring semester is usually a time of rest, relaxation, and recovery for most students. However, some ambitious students do take a course during the intersession, and others work on their academic skills in an unusual, non-credit-bearing way.
For example, I have had students come to me and ask me to give them a writing assignment. These students are looking for a writing challenge, and they want some feedback on their writing before the new semester begins. Thus, since I want to provide a reasonable task that will not overwhelm the student with research, I will typically ask the student to write a review of the last movie he or she has seen. Writing a movie review is an excellent way to practice the critical-writing skills that most instructors are looking to evaluate. Here are four simple steps to get started.
First, write a short summary of the movie and identify all the key elements: the time and place of the story, the main characters and the actors and actresses who portray those characters, and some of the details concerning the conflict without revealing the resolution of that conflict. After all, you don’t want to reveal the ending to someone who hasn’t yet viewed the movie. For example, I recently saw The Unforgivable (2021), and my…