So as I mentioned in my first post, I plan on posting reviews for any movies that I see (and possibly some television shows) and any video games I play. So I figure that I should describe my review process so you can see how I will evaluate anything that I see or play. So first off movies!
I will review movies on five scales with a max of ten points each. I will then take all five scores and average them together to get a score out of 10. The five scales are:
Story: At the heart of all movies is a story. Even the cheesiest of comedies have a story that drives the film forward. So is the story engaging and well done? Do you care about the protagonists and hate the villain? Is the dialogue well written? Or is it as cliched as humanly possible and completely predictable?
Acting: Most movies live and die with their actors and actresses. Especially the stars. So do the stars stand out in spite of the rest of the movie? I.E. are the actors good despite the story being weak? Or do the stars’ performances fall flat and are forgettable? And what about the ensemble cast?
Presentation: This is pretty simple; does the movie look good? Are the scenes shot multiple locations or does it stick to the same few spots for no reason? (Now I know some good films don’t have a ton of different sets. Reservoir Dogs comes to mind. That is ok but there are some movies, like the recent Fantastic 4, where they stick to what seems like 3 locations and adds to the repetitive nature of the film. So that is what I’m talking about there.) This scale also includes the cinematography and the soundtrack.
Effect: Here is my personal spin on reviews but an important aspect. Does the movie accomplish what it sets out to do? For comedies, is it actually funny? Did you have a fun time watching it? For dramas and thrillers, are you interested in the characters and on your seat for the duration? Does the film keep you guessing until the very end? This is what makes a great film for the viewers.
Other: This last scale is kind of a combination of other scales I thought of when coming up with this list. One is engagement. I’ll assess that by asking myself this question: Was I engaged for the duration or was I looking at the clock 20 minutes in? Another is flare (yes I said flare). Is there anything to make the movie stand out from other movies in the genre? And the last one is price. Simply put, is it worth the 15 dollars for the ticket?
So there you go. That’s how I’ll review movies and how I’ll organize my reviews as well. And like I said in the beginning of this post, I’ll also use this basic structure for any tv show reviews I do. While I’ll have to tweak it slightly to fit a show, I won’t worry about that right now. You’ll see more of that later. I’ll also later post my guidelines for video game reviews soon too!
So until I get to my first review, please feel free to comment on my scale and what you think is important in a movie review.
No Duty to Watch 