Movie Review Terms

Blurb

• When quotes are mixed up and changed around to give the words a different meaning

• When a quote from a review is used in a commercial/advertisement

Critic

• A professional who publishes his opinion on a particular movie/play/book

• A clever play on words

Mediocre

• Competent but not especially outstanding

• When handing over a review to a publication, the editor has the power to create a title and cut things out of the review

Cliche

• When the same article is published in more than one newspaper or publication.

• Something that’s been used so many times that it no longer surprises or interests the audience; overexposure

Character Driven

• When the critic uses a scale to show the degree of how much they recommend the movie

• When the characters in a fictional work develop over the course of the story into people you care about

High-Concept

• When the idea behind the story is interesting enough to get people to see the movie without knowing anything else about it

• When the critic recommends that only a certain group of people should see, or not see, the film

Plot

• What the story is about

• When the critic recommends that only a certain group of people should see, or not see, the film

Hype

• When the critic cannot review the film fairly due to a personal problem with something in the film

• Using different techniques to get the audience excited about the story

Spoilers

• When the critic recommends that only a certain group of people should see, or not see, the film

• When a critic reveals secrets and plot points that could ruin the surprise for the audience and lessen their enjoyment of the movie.

Out of Context

• When quotes are mixed up and changed around to give the words a different meaning

• When a quote from a review is used in a commercial/advertisement