Film Review Philosophy:

Having established criteria to rate and review films is essential when beginning as a critic. It lends your review structure, and keeps you from rambling on and on about the plot of the film while ignoring the more technical aspects of the film experience. It also gives you guidelines when choosing a star rating, which not only keeps your ratings consistent, but keeps you honest.

With this in mind, we wanted to create a strict but balanced format for reviewing films on Filmivore.com. The goal of each review is to encourage general viewers to look at films more critically, and to engage more serious cinephiles with more in-depth material. If you are interested in writing for Filmivore, please read how to Submit a Review.

In each review, the major aspects of a film are discussed in five major elements, each described and rated individually. These five ratings are averaged to gain the overall star rating.

The Five Elements:

We have based our criteria for review on in Aristotle’s Poetics. Of his six elements of drama, five relate directly to film: Plot, Character, Diction, Melody, and Spectacle.

Plot – The plot is what happens in a story, and is typically dictated by the script. With this category we 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:

A ranking system should span from the greatest films ever made to the worst films imaginable, and everything in between. Ideally, the best film of the year will not be equal to the best film of all time, unless it really was one of the best films of all time. This makes it very rare for a true five star review to appear, but when it does, you know the film is a classic.

• 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:

1. Plot – Citizen Kane
2. Character – The Wizard of Oz
3. Diction – Vertigo
4. Melody – 2001: A Space Odyssey
5. Spectacle – Metropolis

Most of these are stellar in multiple categories, and a few could easily be interchanged. For an example of a modern film that has gotten five stars by this ranking, see the review for Requiem for a Dream.