A critical analysis paper asks the writer to make an argument about a particular book, essay, or in our case, movie. The goal is twofold: one, identify and explain the argument that the author is making, and two, provide your own argument about that argument. One of the key directions of these assignments is often to avoid/minimize summary – you are not writing a book report, but evaluating a movie.
Be sure to consider these questions:
1. Who is the director?
2. Quality of Script/Writing/Storyline
3. Would you recommend the movie?
4. Did it hold true to the source material? (if applicable)
5. Who is the target audience?
6. Does the movie fit the genre?
7. Does it work as a part of the series?
8. How significant is the movie? Quality, importance in a culture, long awaited, a new spin-off, etc.
9. How well did it do at the box office?
10. How realistic is the plot?
Consider touching on these elements:
1. Moral/Theme
2. Symbolism
3. Hero/Heroine, Antagonist/Protagonist, Good/Evil, Hero/Villain
4. Genre
5. Style
6. Casting/Actors’ performances
7. Awards
8. Historical Context/Setting
9. Special Effects
10. Soundtrack
The final draft of your essay should meet the following requirements:
• A succinct thesis statement with a clear evaluation of the movie.
• Effective organization and use of transitions
• Sufficient use of details and background information from the event
• The use of the movie and three or four sources offering reviews of the movie.
• Parenthetical Citations and signal phrases as appropriate. The movie will not require parenthetical citations when referred to by name in the text of the essay, so any documentation of the movie does not count towards this requirement.
• The use of at least one paraphrase and one quote from each source. Proper documentation for both the quotes and the paraphrases/summaries
• The use of only third person – you are just reporting on the event and the accuracy of the response and should not include statements spoken in personal experience or opinion — i.e. first person pronouns (“I”) — or second person pronouns (“you”).
In addition to the above, the final draft of your essay should be
• At least 1000+ words in length
• formatted according to MLA style
• documented using MLA style with the use of a Works Cited page and In-Text parenthetical citations
(Movie review sample attached)
