WCU Writing and Learning Commons
How to Write a Book Review, Film Review, or
Other Critique
The key to writing a good review or critique, whether it is for books, films, music, or another
medium – is knowing what you think and why. There is no way to have a wrong opinion, but in
order to have a useful one, you must be able to explain your opinion clearly.
How to Develop a Defensible Opinion
Students may often feel shy about expressing their opinions because they’re afraid they’re not
educated or sophisticated enough to “know what they’re talking about.” If this is the case for
you, remember that the point of a review or critique is to discover and examine your thoughts on
the subject you are reviewing. In other words, the point of a review is to learn "what you're
talking about." The best way to have confidence in your opinion and convince others to take it
seriously is to develop principles. You probably already have principles—you just don’t use that
particular word. A good way to discover your principles is to ask yourself relentlessly why? For
example, let’s say you read a book (or watch a movie) and don’t enjoy it very much. Someone
asks you, "Why?" You say you "don’t like stories with happy endings." I don’t like stories with
happy endings is a principle. Perhaps you genuinely do not like any stories with happy endings,
but if you ask yourself why again, you might come up with a more specific answer. “Why didn’t
I like the happy ending in this story? Because it was cheesy and unrealistic.” I don’t like stories
with sentimental and unrealistic endings is a more specific and more interesting principle than
the first. If you can figure out what your principles are, then you will “know what you’re talking
about" any time you give your opinion. The next time someone asks you why you don’t care for
a particular movie, you can say, “I don’t really like movies with unrealistic endings; however, if
you like love stories where the protagonists always wind up together in the end, you might like
it.” By articulating your principles fully, you are saying to another person, “This isn’t really my
cup of tea, but you have the right to feel differently.” You are giving an intelligent, well-
reasoned opinion and at the same time, treating other opinions with respect. This is the
cornerstone of intelligent discussion and a key component in effective writing.
How to Read or Watch for an Opinion
The kind of principle described above works well for fiction books and most Hollywood movies.
However, if you are reviewing a non-fiction book in some specialized field, a documentary, or
avant-garde film, then you may not have enough experience with the genre to know ahead of
time how your principles are defined in that area. One way to get started is to figure out what
purpose the author or filmmaker has and whether or not it is achieved. In a non-conventional
film, the director's purpose may be difficult to determine, and a great deal of critical thinking on
your part may be necessary. You might arrive at the conclusion that the filmmaker's purpose is to
leave the viewer with a sense of confusion. If you can support your perspective with evidence,
then you have something to write about. One way to articulate this position might be to write, I
do not care for confusing films; however, the filmmaker has accomplished her purpose.
On the other hand, non-fiction books often contain a preface in which the author states their