A movie is a video story that you can watch on your computer or in a theater. In the past, people would call it a film, but now that the term has become more colloquial, people often use the word to describe anything they can watch that is longer than ten minutes and does not include a television show or a commercial break. Often, movies are based on books or other stories and people like to see them because they allow them to immerse themselves in a different world. They also can be a way to learn more about a particular topic or event, which makes them educational.
The movie genre you choose for your essay will help shape the type of criticism you deliver. For example, you might write about the way that the director uses a certain technique to portray a character or how the setting is used in the plot. You can also choose to focus on more formal elements of a film, such as cinematography and editing techniques. When writing your essay, be sure to watch the entire movie you are analyzing and take notes on different aspects of it. It is also helpful to watch it more than once, since the first time you might not pay attention to all the details in the movie. During a second viewing, you can look at the movie from different perspectives and analyze how it changes on repeat watchings.
When choosing a movie for your essay, you should consider whether it has a strong theme or message and how well it is delivered to the audience. For example, if the movie is about war, you might want to discuss whether it makes an effective argument against the use of weapons and if it succeeds in making viewers rethink their position on the issue. Similarly, if the movie is about a particular historical event, you might want to compare it to other works on that subject and discuss how it differs or similar it is to others.
One of the best movies ever made, The Godfather is both an art movie and a blockbuster. It has a lot of moments that are instantly recognizable – Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes, Marlon Brando’s snarky delivery – but it also has depth and substance. The story of a mob family’s struggle for power is timeless and enduring, and it has changed the culture of cinema in profound ways.
A modern fairy tale, Guillermo del Toro’s dark and baroque fantasy is both gorgeous and terrifying. The visuals are stunning, but they never seem over-the-top or fake. The characters are believable and compelling, and the movie makes you think about how your own morals and values relate to real-life situations. It may not be as “important” a movie as some of the other entries on this list, but it is definitely one of the best of all time.