The Joyful Crafter: How to Write a Movie Review

I've always wanted to try out on writing reviews -- whether it be for a restaurant, book, place or movie, but never really done it due to lack of experience and knowledge. I'd say knowledge in writing an effective one. A review where I express and share my opinion but at the same time help the reader decide on it (say for a movie whether they want to watch, rent or buy the movie). To be able to give out enough details without giving away the essential parts of it.

And I realized that if I really want to be able to write reviews, I better start learning how to do it. So I have made my research and these are the things I have learned through several how-to sites:

Choose your movie and be familiar with it - Even before watching the movie, try to know a little about it - the actors, director. See what their past works are. Are they Oscar winners? What they're known for - their styles, etc. Is the movie based on a book or a real life story? A sequel? Knowing the following information will help you understand more about the movie. You'll be able to pick up easily on the details, hints, trademarks of the director or its actors and have more insights of important story elements. You'll be able to impart to your readers if it has lived up to the original, or the book. Important things that helps a movie critic write a solid movie review.
Watch your movie - You'll never be able to give your 100% opinion on a movie you didn't even see. Watch a movie in a place you're comfortable watching so you can focus your attention to it, you wouldn't want to be distracted, would you? Watching the movie the second time also helps you absorb a lot more detail about the movie. Most movie reviewers take down notes as they watch movie review.
Give your opinion - But before doing that, take time to soak in the film. Think about it for a few hours before you start writing. Let all the excitement, appreciation or distaste wear off a bit so you don't write too emotionally. Formulate a specific opinion in one sentence. Your main job as a movie reviewer is to give an opinion of the movie. This may anywhere be between a "Thumbs Up" or a "3 Out of 5 Stars". But give out a specific thesis to drive your critique. For example, "I didn't like this comedy" becomes "The story had it's funny moments but it went on too long." "This horror movie is good" becomes "This horror movie works because it builds suspense right up until the end." Always aim for that specific opinion that will be the foundation of your film review. Just remember that in all journalism, the reviewer should also give impartial details, and allow their readers to make their own mind over an issue the reader would like or dislike. Opinions should be explained give readers the chance to determine whether they would agree with your opinions.
Create a good lead - There are general writing tips that apply to most forms of writing. One of those tips is to grab your readers immediately. Of course you'll want your readers to be interested in what you have to say. Grab him in that initial paragraph in several ways: Start with a great quote from the movie, and explain how it reflects the movie; refer to the reputation of the actor/actress and compare it to how s/he did in this movie; compare this movie to another well-known film in a few sentences or two; explain what your expectation was, and if it was fulfilled or not. Then end that first paragraph by writing your opinion statement.
Give an outline of the movie or recap briefly - If you've read professional movie reviews you'll notice that they either give an outline of the movie or recap of it. Give it but never give out essential details such as the end or any surprises. You can tell the people the basic premise of the movie. In fact, you should write about the basic premise, and tell them where the story builds, but don't give away the 'moments', especially not the ending! Keep the movie synopsis brief then get to reviewing.
Support your main opinion with specifics - Now you can talk about why you think the movie took so long. It's time for you to prove it! You can also write about the: actors, on how well you think they acted; structure, if the movie followed a regular predictable storyline or did it get you thinking til the very end?; cinematography and lighting, give details on how the movie was shot and directed. Was the lighting good in the crabby scenes?; music, did it have its own soundtrack or it featured songs from famous artists?
Be honest in your appraisal - Even if you hate the actress or love the actor, when writing a movie review remember not to hold back on your true opinion of the film. Set a standard in mind: a comedy should be funny, a horror movie should be scary, etc.; Use those standards to judge the movie and not against any pre-existing opinions you may have. This will make the review more valuable to your readers.
Read. Read. Read - Let your review sit for a few hours and read it back with fresh eyes then edit it. Make sure to read and check your review thoroughly as it can be embarrassing to find errors in your review after it has been published.