Movie Review Criteria

Movie Review Criteria

Philosophy:

I can’t stand how the average film review is written. It’s often a rambling essay that spends the majority of its text describing the basic plot of the film, often with some ambiguously chosen star rating attached. The highest star rating is often shared by over ten films of the current year, and – as the top rating – is shared with the best films of all time. With this format, multiple critics must be sought out to get a balanced view of the film, and to make sense of rankings.

With this in mind, I wanted to create a better format for presenting film reviews.

My goal is to present the major aspects of a film in a user-friendly format. I break down each review into five major elements, each described thoroughly and rated individually. These five ratings are averaged to gain the overall star rating. This way, it will be quite transparent how the final star rating was reached.

The Five Elements:

The five categories of my reviews are based on the elements of drama outlined in Aristotle’s Poetics: Plot, Character, Diction, Melody, and Spectacle. (And yes, I realize Aristotle had six parts. I’ve foregone his Spoken Thought, as it most closely resembles dialogue in film, and I would consider dialogue a function of the script, which is covered by Plot.)

Plot – The plot is what happens in a story, and is typically dictated by the script. With this category I will describe the premise of the script, and judge how well the film lived up to that premise. A good realization of a premise is well paced, contains few (if any) unnecessary scenes, has a defined structure and feeling of cohesion, and answers the narrative questions presented by the premise.

Character – This category is judged based upon both the strength of the characters and the strength of the performances by the actors portraying them. A good character has goals, an active inner life, a life that begins before the story and could continue after (assuming they live through the film, of course). They are memorable, usually likeable, and can be imagined in contexts outside of the main narrative. A good performance is not only believable, but convinces the audience of the character’s being. It brings interest and drama to otherwise insignificant actions and dialogue.

Diction – Images are the language of cinema, and a film’s diction is its cinematography. Strong images tell stories in themselves, and enhance the emotion of the action. Composition, choice of lens, camera moves, and film speed and type all contribute to the feel of a shot.

Melody – Melody takes into account the elements of production concerned with style and mood: music selection, art design, editing, sound design, wardrobe, costumes, make-up, and set design.

Spectacle – A film’s spectacle is its wow-factor. What is new and impressive in the film? Are the special effects believable? Does the film present a unique vision? Is the voice of the film original and well-developed? Will the film be influential to later films, or merely forgotten?

Movie Review Criteria

Philosophy:

I can’t stand how the average film review is written. It’s often a rambling essay that spends the majority of its text describing the basic plot of the film, often with some ambiguously chosen star rating attached. The highest star rating is often shared by over ten films of the current year, and – as the top rating – is shared with the best films of all time. With this format, multiple critics must be sought out to get a balanced view of the film, and to make sense of rankings.

With this in mind, I wanted to create a better format for presenting film reviews.

My goal is to present the major aspects of a film in a user-friendly format. I break down each review into five major elements, each described thoroughly and rated individually. These five ratings are averaged to gain the overall star rating. This way, it will be quite transparent how the final star rating was reached.

The Five Elements:

The five categories of my reviews are based on the elements of drama outlined in Aristotle’s Poetics: Plot, Character, Diction, Melody, and Spectacle. (And yes, I realize Aristotle had six parts. I’ve foregone his Spoken Thought, as it most closely resembles dialogue in film, and I would consider dialogue a function of the script, which is covered by Plot.)

Plot – The plot is what happens in a story, and is typically dictated by the script. With this category I will describe the premise of the script, and judge how well the film lived up to that premise. A good realization of a premise is well paced, contains few (if any) unnecessary scenes, has a defined structure and feeling of cohesion, and answers the narrative questions presented by the premise.

Character – This category is judged based upon both the strength of the characters and the strength of the performances by the actors portraying them. A good character has goals, an active inner life, a life that begins before the story and could continue after (assuming they live through the film, of course). They are memorable, usually likeable, and can be imagined in contexts outside of the main narrative. A good performance is not only believable, but convinces the audience of the character’s being. It brings interest and drama to otherwise insignificant actions and dialogue.

Diction – Images are the language of cinema, and a film’s diction is its cinematography. Strong images tell stories in themselves, and enhance the emotion of the action. Composition, choice of lens, camera moves, and film speed and type all contribute to the feel of a shot.

Melody – Melody takes into account the elements of production concerned with style and mood: music selection, art design, editing, sound design, wardrobe, costumes, make-up, and set design.

Spectacle – A film’s spectacle is its wow-factor. What is new and impressive in the film? Are the special effects believable? Does the film present a unique vision? Is the voice of the film original and well-developed? Will the film be influential to later films, or merely forgotten?

Star Ratings:

I wanted a ranking system that spanned from the greatest films ever made to the worst films imaginable, and that would rank films evenly between. I didn’t want the best film of the year to be equal to the best film of all time, unless it really was one of the best films of all time. Likewise the worst.

Five Stars – Among the best of all time. A great film.

Four 1/2  Stars – One of the best of the year. A must-see.

Four Stars – Isn’t perfect, but very strong. Highly recommended.

Three 1/2 Stars – Worth seeing, recommended.

Three Stars – A respectable effort. Enjoyable.

Two 1/2 Stars – Not good, not awful. But not worth your time.

Two Stars – Bad. The elements don’t work.

One 1/2 Stars – Annoyingly bad. You’ll suffer through the film’s runtime.

One star – Painfully bad. Everything is poorly done.

Half Star – Small children with no film experience could do better if given the chance. A half star film will ruin your day, and should be avoided at all costs.

Some examples of films that received five stars and are exemplary in one of the five categories:

Plot – Citizen Kane

Character – The Wizard of Oz

Diction – Vertigo

Melody – 2001: A Space Odyssey

Spectacle – Metropolis

Most of these are stellar in multiple categories, and a few could easily be interchanged. As these are all established classics, I also picked a modern film that would get five stars by my ranking: Requiem for a Dream.

I wanted a ranking system that spanned from the greatest films ever made to the worst films imaginable, and that would rank films evenly between. I didn’t want the best film of the year to be equal to the best film of all time, unless it really was one of the best films of all time. Likewise the worst.

Five Stars – Among the best of all time. A great film.

Four 1/2  Stars – One of the best of the year. A must-see.

Four Stars – Isn’t perfect, but very strong. Highly recommended.

Three 1/2 Stars – Worth seeing, recommended.

Three Stars – A respectable effort. Enjoyable.

Two 1/2 Stars – Not good, not awful. But not worth your time.

Two Stars – Bad. The elements don’t work.

One 1/2 Stars – Annoyingly bad. You’ll suffer through the film’s runtime.

One star – Painfully bad. Everything is poorly done.

Half Star – Small children with no film experience could do better if given the chance. A half star film will ruin your day, and should be avoided at all costs.

Some examples of films that received five stars and are exemplary in one of the five categories:

Plot – Citizen Kane

Character – The Wizard of Oz

Diction – Vertigo

Melody – 2001: A Space Odyssey

Spectacle – Metropolis

Most of these are stellar in multiple categories, and a few could easily be interchanged. As these are all established classics, I also picked a modern film that would get five stars by my ranking: Requiem for a Dream.