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Waidner-Spahr Library

Film & Media Studies: Film Reviews

Film Reviews

A film review is an evaluative oral or written judgment about the quality of a movie, based upon various assumptions, facts, biases, etc. Professional film reviewers are known as critics; a film review usually includes a brief synopsis (avoiding spoilers), a balanced notation of both the film's pros and cons, quotable wording, and some judgments. More extensive, in-depth film evaluations are called analytical essays.

Film Review Journals and Periodicals

The following periodicals deal exclusively with film reviews.

Film Criticism

Film Comment

Films in Review

Finding Film Reviews in Books

Film Review Databases

The best way to start searching for a review of a film in the following databases is to type the title of the work as a keyword, and add "review" to the search as another keyword. Searching this way is likely to exclude works that are not critical reviews of the film.

Finding Film Reviews Online