You are asked to write a film review as a college assignment or for the local newspaper. Though you are a complete movie buff, you know nothing about writing reviews and so it may seem to be a difficult task. However, writing a film's critical review is not as difficult as you think. Other than good command over the English language, what you require is some basic knowledge about the structure of the review. Here are some tips that have to be kept in mind. Research Work: Before you watch the movie, it is very essential to do some research work. Try to understand the context properly i.e. what is the basic plot, when and where the story is set, the principal characters, etc. Try to know whether the story is original, a true life story, adaptation of a novel, or a sequel of some other movie. You should also research about the earlier works of the director and actors. This will give an idea about what to expect from the movie. Watching the Movie: The next obvious step is watching the film. To make a proper judgment, it is recommended that you watch it more than once. This would help you understand certain nuances really well. While watching the movie, take down some important points that you would like to mention in your review. It is important to form a specific opinion of the film, as this is what people are looking for. You should also analyze the basic facts like whether it is a comedy, tragedy, historical, action, etc. Beginning to Write: It is very important to grab the attention of the reader from the word 'GO'. For this you need to find the most striking start. One great idea would be to start with certain significant lines taken directly from the movie, or else you can talk about the trailers and whether the film is as good as the hype that was created. Having a good start would surely help in attracting the interest of your readers. Synopsis of the Movie: The lead must be followed by the synopsis of the story. Here, you have to be very careful, as you should not give up the whole story to the audience, especially the end. You must describe the basic storyline, however avoid mentioning the important scenes and twists that form the crux of the film. Writing: Once you finish with the brief synopsis, start analyzing the movie. Here, you have to talk about the positive and negative points. Mention areas that were good and those that were bad and also explain the reasons for it. However, you need not stick to the main story, rather you have to comment about the acting, script, plot, direction, background score, and technical factors like the special effects, cinematography, costumes, etc. Make It Interesting: We have already discussed that the start should be interesting, however it is also important to write the rest of the article in the same way. You can use your creativity and use the right adjectives, metaphors, analogies, adverbs, etc. to keep the reader interested. Honesty: Honesty is a crucial quality for writing a review. Your article should reflect what you feel about the movie. One should avoid reading reviews written by other critics, as there are chances that you may get influenced by them. You must remember that every human being can have different opinions about the same thing and your only duty is to write your point of view. You can end your write-up by stating your opinion about the movie in a single sentence. You should remember that though it is important to be honest about your attitude towards the movie, you should never discourage the readers from watching the movie. A good review would be one which tempts the reader to see the film.