A review of a book, film or performance

A common misconception about reviews is that their primary purpose is to say whether some subject was good or bad, enjoyable or humdrum. This perception of reviews confuses them with critiques, which are brief evaluations of books and performances that one finds in newspaper and magazines. A review in academic writing -be it a book review, a review of a performance, or a literature review- has three important functions. A review
  • summarizes the main idea or theme of the subject being reviewed;
  • evaluates how successfully the subject being reviewed conveys, demonstrates or performs this central idea or theme; and
  • explains the significance of the central idea or theme and its demonstration in the subject being reviewed.

While writing a review you should always have the target audience in mind: who are you writing for? Readers who you know have a certain expertise and/or knowledge about the subject will probably want to read something more than an average audience. Without passing judgment, both audiences need to be treated differently, and rightly so. The summary, for instance, can be drastically shortened, if not deleted entirely if your paper is intended for academics.

Structure

The writer(s) of a book review have a certain freedom in the content and organization of their reviews, because, in the end, they are expressions of their own perspective or position. Even so, the structure of a book review or a review of a performance is usually straightforward and uncomplicated.

  • Introduce In the first part, you introduce an important idea that the people who will read the review are interested in, state that the book or performance under review deals with this idea, give the details of the book's publication of the performance's times and location, and -in a sentence or brief passage resembling a thesis- suggest the degree to which the book or performance adds significantly to the readers' understanding or appreciation of the important idea.
  • Summary In the second part, you summarize the central idea of the book or performance and explain how the book or performance manifests, develops, or plays out this central idea. Here, you may also highlight parts of the book/performance for either positive or negative commentary.
  • Evaluation In the third part, you evaluate the degree to which you found the development of the book or the accomplishment of the performance to be engaging, successful, and effective.
  • Conclusion In the fourth part, you explain the degree to which the central idea's development or manifestation in the particular book or performance being reviewed contributes to the readers' intellectual or aesthetic growth.

Mind, this structure does not necessarily mean you only have to write four paragraphs!

Example

Authors: Sophie Coolsaet and Jozefien De Baere

The Lion King (released June 24th, 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures) is probably the most extraordinary and timeless coming-of-age tale in Disney's canon of classic family films – extraordinary, because it departs from the light-heartedness seen in films like Aladdin, Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. It contains a fair deal of humour but, in many ways, we find that the underlying tone is of far more serious and even adult nature. But it is also a timeless story, because it appeals to all ages and up to this day leaves no one un-touched. So let us dig into the Disney magic and determine why exactly the audience still hates Scar for killing Mufasa.

The Lion King tells the story of the cub Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick), son of King Mufasa (the ubiquitous James Earl Jones) and heir to the throne. Simba lives a joyous life, until Mufasa’s jealous and treacherous brother Scar (Jeremy Irons) schemes a plot to kill the king and prince. Simba survives, but is forced to flee into the jungle believing he killed his own father. He befriends the comical duo Timon (Nathan Lane, stealing the show), a dishy meerkat, and the flatulent warthog Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), and the three of them live a carefree life as Simba slowly heals from his traumatizing experiences in the Pride Lands. But it is never that easy to escape the past…

One might say The Lion King still has such an effect on anybody who watches it because of the majestic scenery and top-notch animation. The story is set against a breathtaking African background that, with its bright colour palette and realistic style, can easily compete with its contemporary digital brothers. Although it was the first Disney picture to feature computer animation, large parts of the film are still hand-drawn and –coloured, using the traditional methods the studio has been renowned for since its early days. At the same time a fabulous original score, with contributions by Elton John and Time Rice, complements the visual experience.

Others will claim it is an interesting piece of work because of the many parallels the film’s story bears with Shakespeare’s Hamlet. With its mature undercurrent and epic style, this emotionally pungent movie sometimes seems more appropriate for adults than for children; the omnipresent theme of Death and the often very graphic violence might disturb younger viewers.

But what is believed to make The Lion King such an all-time classic and public favourite, are no doubt the lively characters, that take you on an emotional roller coaster all the way from exuberant delight to deep ruefulness and back to sweet elation. The Lion King plays our feelings like nothing else can, often making our eyes well up with tears, but always maintaining the central idea of believing in the power of the Good. Continuously holding true to the traditional Disney ideals, the producers create the elusive Disney magic that nobody seems to quite comprehend. That is why the audience still hopes Mufasa will manage to climb up that slope and why they hate Scar for murdering his brother. It is the art of moving people up to a point where they fail to distinguish reality from fiction and of making them genuinely believe in the slogan “if you listen to your heart, you will find your place in the Circle of Life.”

Of course, criticasters might argue that there is no such thing as “Disney magic” and that The Lion King is yet another blockbuster which has only added to the already immense fortune of the billion dollar enterprise. Still, one cannot deny that this film is a mix of intense emotions, held together by an epic narrative, while still maintaining the characteristic taste of Disney magic. This is definitely a film worth seeing. However, if you were among the spectators who believed the death of Bambi's mother was traumatizing, then bear this in mind when deciding to see The Lion King, because the overwhelming feelings this picture causes might often lead to intense hatred towards Scar, and many spectators will continue to feel the effects of this until today. Thanks Disney, thanks a lot.

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