Free Movie Review Template (PDF) for Students, With an Example
A movie review template gives you a place to put your thoughts while you watch, and a structure to turn them into a review afterwards. Most weak reviews aren’t badly written. They’re badly planned, with plot summary where the opinions should be. This free movie review template fixes that on two pages. Page 1 holds your notes, using our 8-point formula. Page 2 turns them into an outline. It’s a fillable PDF in US Letter and A4, with a filled-in example for The Big Short.
TL;DR: Notes, Outline, Review
Fill in page 1 while you watch or straight after: rating, verdict and a note for each of the 8 points. Then build your outline on page 2, one paragraph per box. Tick the checklist before you hand it in. Most students finish the notes in 15 minutes and write a better review in half the time.
Download the Free Movie Review Template
Pick your size. The template is a two-page fillable PDF. The example shows it filled in for The Big Short.
What Is a Movie Review Template?
A movie review template is a worksheet that breaks a review into parts, so you cover everything a good review needs before you start writing.
- Who uses it: high school and college students, film clubs, bloggers and anyone reviewing for YouTube or a podcast
- Other names: film review template, movie review worksheet or movie review outline
- When to fill it in: during or right after the film, while the details are fresh
- What it’s not: a script. Your review should read like you, not like a form
The template follows the 8-point formula from our guide on how to write a movie review. If you’ve read that guide, the boxes will look familiar.
What’s in the Movie Review Template
Two pages, every field fillable. Print it if you take notes by hand.
- Film details: title, year, director, genre, runtime and where you watched it
- Rating and verdict: a score out of 5 and your review in one line
- The 8-point formula: plot summary, acting and direction, themes, sound and visuals, pacing, specific examples, descriptive words and a recommendation
- Review outline: headline, target word count, introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion
- Checklist: eight things to check before you hand it in
Movie Review Example: The Big Short
Here’s the template filled in for Adam McKay’s The Big Short (2015), the story of the outsiders who bet against the US housing market before the 2008 crash.
And here’s how the notes look on the page.
- Write the verdict first. “Furious, funny and sharp about 2008.” If you can’t sum it up in a line, you’re not ready to write.
- Keep the plot summary short. Two sentences. The setup, not the ending.
- Name names. “Steve Carell is the heart of it as Mark Baum” beats “the acting is good”.
- Use the sound and visuals box. Most students skip it. The handheld camera and freeze frames are half of what makes this film work.
- Collect scenes, not adjectives. Margot Robbie in the bubble bath and Ryan Gosling’s Jenga tower are proof. “Funny” on its own isn’t.
- Say who it’s for. Fans of The Social Network, or anyone who wants 2008 explained without a textbook.
From Template to Review
Here’s the introduction and first body paragraph the template produced, written out in full. Each sentence comes straight from a box.
A movie about mortgage bonds shouldn’t be this much fun. Adam McKay’s The Big Short (2015) follows a handful of outsiders who saw the 2008 crash coming and bet against the banks. It’s the angriest comedy of the decade, and one of the best.
Steve Carell holds it together as Mark Baum, a fund manager who is furious at everyone, himself included. Watch him at a Las Vegas dinner with a CDO manager. Baum barely speaks, but his face tells you the moment he understands how big the lie is.
The hook came from the verdict box. The film details came from the top of page 1. The body paragraph came from boxes 2 and 6.
Here’s the trick most students miss.
Fill in box 6 first.
If you can’t name three scenes, you didn’t watch closely enough to review it yet. Go back to the film before you go to the keyboard.
Movie Review Format
Most movie reviews for class follow the same five-paragraph shape. The outline on page 2 matches it.
| Part | What goes in it | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Hook, title, year, director, your verdict | 60 to 100 words |
| Body paragraph 1 | Your strongest point, with a scene | 100 to 150 words |
| Body paragraph 2 | A second point, with a scene | 100 to 150 words |
| Body paragraph 3 | What didn’t work, or a third point | 100 to 150 words |
| Conclusion | Restate the verdict, recommend it or not | 50 to 80 words |
That adds up to roughly 400 to 650 words, which fits most class assignments. If your teacher asks for more, add a body paragraph rather than stretching the summary.
Movie Review Tips
- Watch it twice if you can. Once as a viewer, once with the template open.
- Write in the present tense. “Baum walks into the dinner”, not “Baum walked”.
- Warn before spoilers. Or leave the ending out altogether.
- Use film terms you can back up. If you mention mise en scène or a type of shot, point to the scene.
- Keep your plot summary under 20 percent of the review. The rest is your opinion.
Your first reaction is data, not a verdict.
Write down how the film made you feel before you look anything up.
Then read one professional review and see what they noticed that you didn’t. That gap is where you get better.
For the full method, read how to write a movie review. Need to condense a film’s story first? Our movie synopsis guide shows how.
Want to go deeper than a review? Our film analysis guide shows how to break down a movie scene by scene, with a free worksheet.
FAQs About Movie Review Templates
Can I Use This Template for a Book Review or a TV Episode?
Yes. For a book, swap “sound and visuals” for writing style. For a TV episode, review the episode and mention where it sits in the season.
Should I Give a Star Rating in a School Review?
Only if your teacher asks. The template has a score box because it forces you to commit to a verdict, but the written argument is what gets marked.
Can I Use “I” in a Movie Review?
In most reviews, yes. A review is an opinion. Some academic film analysis assignments ask for third person, so check the brief.
The Final Cut on the Movie Review Template
A movie review template turns what you noticed during the film into a review with a clear shape.
Download the PDF, fill in page 1 while the film is fresh, and build your outline on page 2.
Then tick the checklist, and hand in a review that sounds like you had something to say.
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.