1. Don't summarize the plot. Most reviews are 3/4 plot summary. This is unnecessary and detrimental to the enjoyment of the person reading it. People need to know the genre of the movie(or book) and a brief idea of the premise. There should be no more than a sentence or two about what the story is about.
2. Tell me your opinion. Write why you liked it or didn't like it. There is no way a reviewer can be "objective" so stop trying to pretend as if you are. Describe how it made you feel, what you thought worked, what you thought didn't work, tell me what you thought of the performances.
3. Come up with your own rating system. The four star system has no context any more. Every reviewer is writing from a place from their personal taste and style. Embrace that and use a personalized rating system. If a reader has a better sense of who the reviewer is and what they like they can make more accurate decisions on what they may like.
4. Be Brief. Be judicious with all that you write because anyone reading a review is going to be influenced by it. A long impassioned review of a book or a movie is going to stick in the mind of the person reading it and is going to shape how they view the movie or read the book. Reviews should be a tool for people to find movies or books that appeal to them, they shouldn't create preconceived notion or bias.
5. Don't use analogies. Steer clear of the Europa Report is Event Horizon meets Moon or The Heat is Beverly Hills Cop meets Romy and Michele's High School Reunion trap. This is an obvious and easy way to classify a movie that is rarely actually accurate or helpful. Sometimes for a terrible or simple movie it is a perfect descriptor but even so: use it sparingly.
Reviews should be read for a person to get an idea if they would like something or not. Or for a person to help analyze something they've already seen or read.
Reviews should not ruin story.
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