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The most common types of review are film and book reviews, but people also review music, television programmes, theatre performances and computer games.

All reviews share a number of different purposes. For example, a film review needs:

• to inform - the review needs to tell people who is in the film, who it is by and where or when readers can see it
• to describe - the review should describe the story, characters and some of the action - without spoiling the plot or giving too much away
• to entertain - to use humour to provide the reader with their opinion of the item that they are reviewing
• to analyse - a good review gives an opinion on whether the film is good or not and why
• to advise - the review should tell the reader whether or not to go and see the film

Audience

Reviews will vary in their audiences: it could be people who are specifically interested in that film or book, who are actually considering going to see the film or buy the book. But it could also be people who are just generally interested in films or books, who like to read about them. A review of a kids’ film is probably aimed at parents, who will want to know whether or not to take their children to see it. A review in a specialist games magazine will use very different terminology than a review of a computer game in a national newspaper. The readers in the games magazine will have more specialist knowledge, and might judge the game against specific things that a games expert may want from a game.

Example

This is a review of the film The Golden Compass.

The Golden Compass

Reviewed by Stella Papamichael

Free will is the object of the game in The Golden Compass, a big budget exercise in orienteering where witches and polar bears point the way to enlightenment. You'll have to look between the CG seams to find the original intent of Philip Pullman's atheistic novel, but this isn't the overriding problem. It's that writer/director Chris Weitz doesn't convey a strong enough sense of purpose.

Thank goodness for the star presence of Dakota Blue Richards. She is thoroughly engaging as Lyra, a young girl singled out in prophecy as 'the one' to save all others from some awful yet indeterminate fate. It all sounds a bit messianic really, except that organised religion, represented by The Magisterium, is a force for evil. Nicole Kidman does the ominous eyebrow lifting as a guardian of the establishment who kidnaps children to wrest them from their 'daemons' (the animal sidekicks who embody their better judgment). Among the abductees is Lyra's best friend, and so begins the voyage north to find him.

Many questions raised

Daniel Craig has little to do as Lyra's scientifically minded uncle except hint at potential sequels. The draw is in a simple story of friendship and Lyra's journey of self-discovery. The line-up of curious characters she meets along the way helps to lighten Pullman's otherwise dark material. Sam Elliot is wryly amusing as a cowboy aeronaut and the spectacle of Lyra being carried across the arctic wastelands on the back of a polar bear (voiced by Ian McKellen) will appeal to the child in everyone. Towards the end, some impressively realised battle scenes up the excitement. Disappointingly though, all this magic and mystery fails to lead to any grand unveiling. There are just too many questions raised and not enough answered. Approach this not as a lesson in the facts of life, just a bit of childish escapism.

The Golden Compass is out in the UK on 5 December.

Analysis

We can divide this review into four parts:

1. Introduction - this gives an overview of who is in the film and what it's about. It also sums up the reviewer's conclusion about the film (so readers can form an opinion without reading the whole of the review).
2. Paragraph 2 - the reviewer then describes the plot and the action, while informing the reader which actor plays which role.
3. Paragraph 3 - the reviewer then analyses the film, talking about the director and then the actors, looking at good things as well as bad things.
4. Finally - the review informs the reader when the film is out (and sometimes, in a local review, where it can be seen).

The writer uses a number of language choices to show their feelings towards the film:

• the writer’s appreciation of the actress ‘She is thoroughly engaging’
• this is further extended to the other members of the cast ‘Sam Elliot is wryly amusing’
• an acknowledgement of the storyline’s ability to entertain ‘some impressively realised battle scenes up the excitement’
• final closing sentences that contradict with this appreciation to reveal the writer’s final view of the film ‘Disappointingly though’
• a sentence that attempts to sum up the film for the reader ‘Approach this not as a lesson in the facts of life, just a bit of childish escapism’