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Argumentative About Horror Movies

Categories: Social Commentary

About this sample

Words: 679 |

Published: Mar 19, 2024

Words: 679 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

The controversy surrounding horror movies, the complex nature of horror movies, reflecting society's fears and anxieties, catharsis through confronting fears, horror movies as social commentary, fostering critical thinking and analysis, potential negative effects.

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College Nut

The Art of Writing College Essays Inspired by Movies

Why movies are a great inspiration for college essays.

Movies have the power to move us emotionally and intellectually. They can make us laugh, cry, and even change our perspectives on life. As such, movies are a great source of inspiration for college essays. Not only do they provide an opportunity to showcase your creativity, but they also allow you to convey your thoughts and ideas in a unique and memorable way.

How Movies Can Help You Choose a Topic

One of the biggest challenges of writing a college essay is choosing a topic. You want to write about something that is meaningful to you, but you also want to impress the admissions committee. Movies can help you with this by providing a wide range of subjects to explore. For example, if you are passionate about social justice, you could write about the themes of discrimination and inequality in the movie “The Help.” Or, if you are interested in science, you could write about the ethics of cloning in the movie “Jurassic Park.”

How to Incorporate Movie References in Your Essay

Once you have chosen a movie to draw inspiration from, the next step is to incorporate it into your essay in a meaningful way. One way to do this is by using quotes or references from the movie to support your argument. For example, if you are writing about the importance of perseverance, you could use the quote from “Rocky Balboa” where he says, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

How Movies Can Help You Stand Out

One of the main goals of a college essay is to stand out from the crowd. Movies can help you achieve this by providing a unique lens through which to view your experiences and ideas. For example, instead of writing a generic essay about your summer vacation, you could write about how watching the sunset in “The Notebook” inspired you to pursue a career in environmental conservation.

How to Use the Structure of Movies in Your Essay

Another way to draw inspiration from movies is to use their narrative structure in your essay. Just like movies have a beginning, middle, and end, your essay should also have a clear structure. You could use the three-act structure of movies to organize your thoughts and ideas. The first act could introduce your topic and thesis statement, the second act could provide supporting evidence and arguments, and the third act could conclude with a powerful message or call to action.

Tips for Writing an Effective College Essay Inspired by Movies

1. choose a movie that resonates with you.

The key to writing a great college essay is to choose a topic that is meaningful to you. When selecting a movie to draw inspiration from, choose one that resonates with you on a personal level. This will make it easier for you to connect with the material and write a compelling essay.

2. Use Your Own Voice

Another important aspect of writing a college essay is to use your own voice. Don’t try to sound like someone else or use big words that you don’t understand. Be yourself and write in a way that feels natural to you. This will make your essay more authentic and memorable.

3. Show, Don’t Tell

One of the biggest mistakes that students make when writing college essays is telling rather than showing. Instead of simply stating that you are passionate about a certain topic, show it through a personal anecdote or example. This will make your essay more engaging and persuasive.

4. Edit and Revise

Writing a great college essay takes time and effort. Don’t be afraid to revise and edit your essay multiple times. Have someone else read it and provide feedback. This will help you catch any mistakes or inconsistencies in your writing.

5. Be Honest and Vulnerable

Finally, don’t be afraid to be honest and vulnerable in your essay. Admissions committees want to see the real you, not a perfect version of yourself. Share your fears, doubts, and struggles. This will make your essay more relatable and memorable.

In conclusion, movies can be a great source of inspiration for college essays. They provide a unique lens through which to view your experiences and ideas. Use them wisely and incorporate them into your writing in a meaningful way. Remember to be yourself, show, don’t tell, and be honest and vulnerable in your writing.

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Film Writing: Sample Analysis

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Summary: A sample analysis of a filmic sequence that makes use of the terminology on the OWL’s Writing About Film page .

Written by Kylie Regan

Introductory Note

The analysis below discusses the opening moments of the science fiction movie Ex Machina in order to make an argument about the film's underlying purpose. The text of the analysis is formatted normally. Editor's commentary, which will occasionally interrupt the piece to discuss the author's rhetorical strategies, is written in brackets in an italic font with a bold "Ed.:" identifier. See the examples below:

The text of the analysis looks like this.

[ Ed.: The editor's commentary looks like this. ]

Frustrated Communication in Ex Machina ’s Opening Sequence

Alex Garland’s 2015 science fiction film Ex Machina follows a young programmer’s attempts to determine whether or not an android possesses a consciousness complicated enough to pass as human. The film is celebrated for its thought-provoking depiction of the anxiety over whether a nonhuman entity could mimic or exceed human abilities, but analyzing the early sections of the film, before artificial intelligence is even introduced, reveals a compelling examination of humans’ inability to articulate their thoughts and feelings. In its opening sequence, Ex Machina establishes that it’s not only about the difficulty of creating a machine that can effectively talk to humans, but about human beings who struggle to find ways to communicate with each other in an increasingly digital world.

[ Ed.: The piece's opening introduces the film with a plot summary that doesn't give away too much and a brief summary of the critical conversation that has centered around the film. Then, however, it deviates from this conversation by suggesting that Ex Machina has things to say about humanity before non-human characters even appear. Off to a great start. ]

The film’s first establishing shots set the action in a busy modern office. A woman sits at a computer, absorbed in her screen. The camera looks at her through a glass wall, one of many in the shot. The reflections of passersby reflected in the glass and the workspace’s dim blue light make it difficult to determine how many rooms are depicted. The camera cuts to a few different young men typing on their phones, their bodies partially concealed both by people walking between them and the camera and by the stylized modern furniture that surrounds them. The fourth shot peeks over a computer monitor at a blonde man working with headphones in. A slight zoom toward his face suggests that this is an important character, and the cut to a point-of-view shot looking at his computer screen confirms this. We later learn that this is Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a young programmer whose perspective the film follows.

The rest of the sequence cuts between shots from Caleb’s P.O.V. and reaction shots of his face, as he receives and processes the news that he has won first prize in a staff competition. Shocked, Caleb dives for his cellphone and texts several people the news. Several people immediately respond with congratulatory messages, and after a moment the woman from the opening shot runs in to give him a hug. At this point, the other people in the room look up, smile, and start clapping, while Caleb smiles disbelievingly—perhaps even anxiously—and the camera subtly zooms in a bit closer. Throughout the entire sequence, there is no sound other than ambient electronic music that gets slightly louder and more textured as the sequence progresses. A jump cut to an aerial view of a glacial landscape ends the sequence and indicates that Caleb is very quickly transported into a very unfamiliar setting, implying that he will have difficulty adjusting to this sudden change in circumstances.

[ Ed.: These paragraphs are mostly descriptive. They give readers the information they will need to understand the argument the piece is about to offer. While passages like this can risk becoming boring if they dwell on unimportant details, the author wisely limits herself to two paragraphs and maintains a driving pace through her prose style choices (like an almost exclusive reliance on active verbs). ]

Without any audible dialogue or traditional expository setup of the main characters, this opening sequence sets viewers up to make sense of Ex Machina ’s visual style and its exploration of the ways that technology can both enhance and limit human communication. The choice to make the dialogue inaudible suggests that in-person conversations have no significance. Human-to-human conversations are most productive in this sequence when they are mediated by technology. Caleb’s first response when he hears his good news is to text his friends rather than tell the people sitting around him, and he makes no move to take his headphones out when the in-person celebration finally breaks out. Everyone in the building is on their phones, looking at screens, or has headphones in, and the camera is looking at screens through Caleb’s viewpoint for at least half of the sequence.

Rather than simply muting the specific conversations that Caleb has with his coworkers, the ambient soundtrack replaces all the noise that a crowded building in the middle of a workday would ordinarily have. This silence sets the uneasy tone that characterizes the rest of the film, which is as much a horror-thriller as a piece of science fiction. Viewers get the sense that all the sounds that humans make as they walk around and talk to each other are being intentionally filtered out by some presence, replaced with a quiet electronic beat that marks the pacing of the sequence, slowly building to a faster tempo. Perhaps the sound of people is irrelevant: only the visual data matters here. Silence is frequently used in the rest of the film as a source of tension, with viewers acutely aware that it could be broken at any moment. Part of the horror of the research bunker, which will soon become the film’s primary setting, is its silence, particularly during sequences of Caleb sneaking into restricted areas and being startled by a sudden noise.

The visual style of this opening sequence reinforces the eeriness of the muted humans and electronic soundtrack. Prominent use of shallow focus to depict a workspace that is constructed out of glass doors and walls makes it difficult to discern how large the space really is. The viewer is thus spatially disoriented in each new setting. This layering of glass and mirrors, doubling some images and obscuring others, is used later in the film when Caleb meets the artificial being Ava (Alicia Vikander), who is not allowed to leave her glass-walled living quarters in the research bunker. The similarity of these spaces visually reinforces the film’s late revelation that Caleb has been manipulated by Nathan Bates (Oscar Isaac), the troubled genius who creates Ava.

[ Ed.: In these paragraphs, the author cites the information about the scene she's provided to make her argument. Because she's already teased the argument in the introduction and provided an account of her evidence, it doesn't strike us as unreasonable or far-fetched here. Instead, it appears that we've naturally arrived at the same incisive, fascinating points that she has. ]

A few other shots in the opening sequence more explicitly hint that Caleb is already under Nathan’s control before he ever arrives at the bunker. Shortly after the P.O.V shot of Caleb reading the email notification that he won the prize, we cut to a few other P.O.V. shots, this time from the perspective of cameras in Caleb’s phone and desktop computer. These cameras are not just looking at Caleb, but appear to be scanning him, as the screen flashes in different color lenses and small points appear around Caleb’s mouth, eyes, and nostrils, tracking the smallest expressions that cross his face. These small details indicate that Caleb is more a part of this digital space than he realizes, and also foreshadow the later revelation that Nathan is actively using data collected by computers and webcams to manipulate Caleb and others. The shots from the cameras’ perspectives also make use of a subtle fisheye lens, suggesting both the wide scope of Nathan’s surveillance capacities and the slightly distorted worldview that motivates this unethical activity.

[ Ed.: This paragraph uses additional details to reinforce the piece's main argument. While this move may not be as essential as the one in the preceding paragraphs, it does help create the impression that the author is noticing deliberate patterns in the film's cinematography, rather than picking out isolated coincidences to make her points. ]

Taken together, the details of Ex Machina ’s stylized opening sequence lay the groundwork for the film’s long exploration of the relationship between human communication and technology. The sequence, and the film, ultimately suggests that we need to develop and use new technologies thoughtfully, or else the thing that makes us most human—our ability to connect through language—might be destroyed by our innovations. All of the aural and visual cues in the opening sequence establish a world in which humans are utterly reliant on technology and yet totally unaware of the nefarious uses to which a brilliant but unethical person could put it.

Author's Note: Thanks to my literature students whose in-class contributions sharpened my thinking on this scene .

[ Ed.: The piece concludes by tying the main themes of the opening sequence to those of the entire film. In doing this, the conclusion makes an argument for the essay's own relevance: we need to pay attention to the essay's points so that we can achieve a rich understanding of the movie. The piece's final sentence makes a chilling final impression by alluding to the danger that might loom if we do not understand the movie. This is the only the place in the piece where the author explicitly references how badly we might be hurt by ignorance, and it's all the more powerful for this solitary quality. A pithy, charming note follows, acknowledging that the author's work was informed by others' input (as most good writing is). Beautifully done. ]

10 Best Arguments in Movies Worthy of All the Drama

How about some spice in your life?

I’m right, you’re most definitely wrong! The juiciest movie dramas have been the most quoted in culture, and even the most enjoyed parts of the movie. Whether it is classics like Twelve Angry Men or new movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once , movie arguments are the harboring center (and sometimes the dispersal) of the main drama in the story.

RELATED: The Best Dramas on Disney+ Right Now

Not only does it serve the storyline, but also creates an exciting opportunity for the actors to make choices for how their characters are going to act and react to the situation at hand. With so many possibilities (and also the fact that they are mostly fictional), it’s no wonder why movie arguments are much better than real-life arguments!

Marriage Story (2019)

Marriage Story is one of the most famous movies of the past 5 years and earned a whopping 6 Academy Award nominations. The movie starred Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson and featured Laura Dern . Marriage Story follows the struggling relationship between a stage director and an actor. In one of the scenes, Driver and Johansson’s characters have an intense argument after deciding to meet in private during their court case.

This is by far one of the tensest yet well-received arguments in a film from the 21st century— Driver’s character breaks down in tears and even punches a wall! Any aspiring actors, this one is for you.

Steve Jobs (2015)

In the biographical film about the founder and creator of Apple, one of the largest tech companies in the world, Steve Jobs is in a heated situation as his own company forces him out.

In a struggle with John Sculley (portrayed by the incomparable Jeff Daniels ), the then-CEO of the company, Steve Jobs is forced out of the company and vows to take revenge. This scene in the movie is stunning—Jobs bangs on the table, and Daniels lays out the law in his brilliant performance.

The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network chronicles the beginning of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg , as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg . With the success of Facebook, Savarin (played by Andrew Garfield ) takes Zuckerberg on with lawyers after he finds out that his share of the company is diluted from 34% to 0.035%.

RELATED: Exclusive: Andrew Garfield on ‘Tammy Faye,’ ‘The Social Network,' ‘Tick, Tick...Boom!,’ ‘Spider-Man’ and Why Fincher Is Such a Great Director

In a flashback-narration scene, Savarin is called into the company and learns that he has been set up. In a fit of rage, he smashes a computer and threatens to take them on. He even feigns a punch to show his power. Overall, this performance is impeccable and even went viral on TikTok!

Good Will Hunting (1997)

The famous quote “My boy’s wicked smart!” comes from none other than Good Will Hunting . When an egotistical Harvard student tries to outsmart and humiliate Will’s ( Matt Damon ) friends in order to charm a girl, he steps in and turns the tables on him. In this argument, it’s almost laughable how articulate and on his feet Will is in the face of a rich Harvard boy.

The argument is not only brilliantly written but also a wonderful display of Will’s character, who believes in originality and self-motivation.

La La Land (2016)

La La Land is a musical comedy-drama film about a struggling jazz pianist named Seb ( Ryan Gosling ) and an actor named Mia ( Emma Stone ). At a nice dinner, Seb tells Mia that he is going on tour in Boise. When Mia is taken aback at how long Seb will be away, Seb takes offense and thinks that Mia doesn’t believe in him.

The acting in this monologue is so well done and truthfully raw. Nothing creates a better argument than two characters who just want the best for each other, but have different ideas.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

The Edge of Seventeen is a coming-of-age film about a young girl whose life becomes even more of a struggle when her best friend dates her older brother. The movie is one of the classic 2010s coming-of-age films and should be a definite watch (even just for the marvelous Hailee Steinfeld ).

In an argument with her brother who came to pick her up with his girlfriend, she lets loose on how she feels about him and how he’s treated at home compared to her. He marches up the driveway and tells her that he never cared about her, that he loves his life, and that he loves that dating her best friend absolutely destroys her. Wow.

Toy Story 3 (2010)

In perhaps one of the most famous Pixar movies of all time , Woody (who is still loyal to a now-grown Andy) pleads with the rest of the toys to return home. The other toys feel rejected, and think that Andy placed them there for a reason (when in reality it was all an accident in his move to college).

The scene is even a tad bit emotional, as fans of the franchise see the characters they know and love to feel a bit unappreciated by a kid who once was devoted to his playtime with them.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) - Kahmunrah

Larry Daley ( Ben Stiller ) returns as a nightguard, but this time in the famous Smithsonian museum. When the evil Egyptian ruler Kahmunrah awakens and traps two of Larry’s museum friends in an hourglass, Larry barters with him.

In a hilarious argument, Kahmunrah threatens to kill Larry if he crosses the line (which he does multiple times). To see a villain get so painstakingly frustrated and not really be able to do anything about it is hilarious definitely worthy of the drama.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) - “Brundon”

The second installment of Night At the Museum makes this list once again. In addition to the scuffle between Kahmunrah and Larry, the film also features a scene with Jonah Hill and Stiller that is oh, so funny.

RELATED: 7 Essential Jonah Hill Performances, From 'Moneyball' to 'Superbad'

Earlier in the film, Larry investigates the Smithsonian underground tunnels to find his friends. He encounters another guard named Brandon (pronounced “Brundon”) and the two argue, have a bit of a headlock situation, and Larry walks away with the snagged ID card.

The Dark Knight (2008)

By far the darkest of the Batman movies, The Dark Knight trilogy is action-packed, brutal, and morbid. In the first of the trilogy, Batman ( Christian Bale ) interrogates the Joker ( Heath Ledger ). When the Joker plays with Batman’s psyche and tries to state his case against the government, things get physical.

Not only is this scene written so well, but also the acting work that went into these characters is some of the most in-depth to date, and it is clear in their portrayal of the characters that they know what they want and exactly how to get it.

NEXT: 10 Sad Movies That Are Worth The Cry (And Where to Stream Them)

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Film Analysis

What this handout is about.

This handout introduces film analysis and and offers strategies and resources for approaching film analysis assignments.

Writing the film analysis essay

Writing a film analysis requires you to consider the composition of the film—the individual parts and choices made that come together to create the finished piece. Film analysis goes beyond the analysis of the film as literature to include camera angles, lighting, set design, sound elements, costume choices, editing, etc. in making an argument. The first step to analyzing the film is to watch it with a plan.

Watching the film

First it’s important to watch the film carefully with a critical eye. Consider why you’ve been assigned to watch a film and write an analysis. How does this activity fit into the course? Why have you been assigned this particular film? What are you looking for in connection to the course content? Let’s practice with this clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958). Here are some tips on how to watch the clip critically, just as you would an entire film:

Give the clip your undivided attention at least once. Pay close attention to details and make observations that might start leading to bigger questions.
Watch the clip a second time. For this viewing, you will want to focus specifically on those elements of film analysis that your class has focused on, so review your course notes. For example, from whose perspective is this clip shot? What choices help convey that perspective? What is the overall tone, theme, or effect of this clip?
Take notes while you watch for the second time. Notes will help you keep track of what you noticed and when, if you include timestamps in your notes. Timestamps are vital for citing scenes from a film!

For more information on watching a film, check out the Learning Center’s handout on watching film analytically . For more resources on researching film, including glossaries of film terms, see UNC Library’s research guide on film & cinema .

Brainstorming ideas

Once you’ve watched the film twice, it’s time to brainstorm some ideas based on your notes. Brainstorming is a major step that helps develop and explore ideas. As you brainstorm, you may want to cluster your ideas around central topics or themes that emerge as you review your notes. Did you ask several questions about color? Were you curious about repeated images? Perhaps these are directions you can pursue.

If you’re writing an argumentative essay, you can use the connections that you develop while brainstorming to draft a thesis statement . Consider the assignment and prompt when formulating a thesis, as well as what kind of evidence you will present to support your claims. Your evidence could be dialogue, sound edits, cinematography decisions, etc. Much of how you make these decisions will depend on the type of film analysis you are conducting, an important decision covered in the next section.

After brainstorming, you can draft an outline of your film analysis using the same strategies that you would for other writing assignments. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind as you prepare for this stage of the assignment:

Make sure you understand the prompt and what you are being asked to do. Remember that this is ultimately an assignment, so your thesis should answer what the prompt asks. Check with your professor if you are unsure.
In most cases, the director’s name is used to talk about the film as a whole, for instance, “Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo .” However, some writers may want to include the names of other persons who helped to create the film, including the actors, the cinematographer, and the sound editor, among others.
When describing a sequence in a film, use the literary present. An example could be, “In Vertigo , Hitchcock employs techniques of observation to dramatize the act of detection.”
Finding a screenplay/script of the movie may be helpful and save you time when compiling citations. But keep in mind that there may be differences between the screenplay and the actual product (and these differences might be a topic of discussion!).
Go beyond describing basic film elements by articulating the significance of these elements in support of your particular position. For example, you may have an interpretation of the striking color green in Vertigo , but you would only mention this if it was relevant to your argument. For more help on using evidence effectively, see the section on “using evidence” in our evidence handout .

Also be sure to avoid confusing the terms shot, scene, and sequence. Remember, a shot ends every time the camera cuts; a scene can be composed of several related shots; and a sequence is a set of related scenes.

Different types of film analysis

As you consider your notes, outline, and general thesis about a film, the majority of your assignment will depend on what type of film analysis you are conducting. This section explores some of the different types of film analyses you may have been assigned to write.

Semiotic analysis

Semiotic analysis is the interpretation of signs and symbols, typically involving metaphors and analogies to both inanimate objects and characters within a film. Because symbols have several meanings, writers often need to determine what a particular symbol means in the film and in a broader cultural or historical context.

For instance, a writer could explore the symbolism of the flowers in Vertigo by connecting the images of them falling apart to the vulnerability of the heroine.

Here are a few other questions to consider for this type of analysis:

What objects or images are repeated throughout the film?
How does the director associate a character with small signs, such as certain colors, clothing, food, or language use?
How does a symbol or object relate to other symbols and objects, that is, what is the relationship between the film’s signs?

Many films are rich with symbolism, and it can be easy to get lost in the details. Remember to bring a semiotic analysis back around to answering the question “So what?” in your thesis.

Narrative analysis

Narrative analysis is an examination of the story elements, including narrative structure, character, and plot. This type of analysis considers the entirety of the film and the story it seeks to tell.

For example, you could take the same object from the previous example—the flowers—which meant one thing in a semiotic analysis, and ask instead about their narrative role. That is, you might analyze how Hitchcock introduces the flowers at the beginning of the film in order to return to them later to draw out the completion of the heroine’s character arc.

To create this type of analysis, you could consider questions like:

How does the film correspond to the Three-Act Structure: Act One: Setup; Act Two: Confrontation; and Act Three: Resolution?
What is the plot of the film? How does this plot differ from the narrative, that is, how the story is told? For example, are events presented out of order and to what effect?
Does the plot revolve around one character? Does the plot revolve around multiple characters? How do these characters develop across the film?

When writing a narrative analysis, take care not to spend too time on summarizing at the expense of your argument. See our handout on summarizing for more tips on making summary serve analysis.

Cultural/historical analysis

One of the most common types of analysis is the examination of a film’s relationship to its broader cultural, historical, or theoretical contexts. Whether films intentionally comment on their context or not, they are always a product of the culture or period in which they were created. By placing the film in a particular context, this type of analysis asks how the film models, challenges, or subverts different types of relations, whether historical, social, or even theoretical.

For example, the clip from Vertigo depicts a man observing a woman without her knowing it. You could examine how this aspect of the film addresses a midcentury social concern about observation, such as the sexual policing of women, or a political one, such as Cold War-era McCarthyism.

A few of the many questions you could ask in this vein include:

How does the film comment on, reinforce, or even critique social and political issues at the time it was released, including questions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality?
How might a biographical understanding of the film’s creators and their historical moment affect the way you view the film?
How might a specific film theory, such as Queer Theory, Structuralist Theory, or Marxist Film Theory, provide a language or set of terms for articulating the attributes of the film?

Take advantage of class resources to explore possible approaches to cultural/historical film analyses, and find out whether you will be expected to do additional research into the film’s context.

Mise-en-scène analysis

A mise-en-scène analysis attends to how the filmmakers have arranged compositional elements in a film and specifically within a scene or even a single shot. This type of analysis organizes the individual elements of a scene to explore how they come together to produce meaning. You may focus on anything that adds meaning to the formal effect produced by a given scene, including: blocking, lighting, design, color, costume, as well as how these attributes work in conjunction with decisions related to sound, cinematography, and editing. For example, in the clip from Vertigo , a mise-en-scène analysis might ask how numerous elements, from lighting to camera angles, work together to present the viewer with the perspective of Jimmy Stewart’s character.

To conduct this type of analysis, you could ask:

What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?
How does this scene represent the theme of the movie?
How does a scene work to express a broader point to the film’s plot?

This detailed approach to analyzing the formal elements of film can help you come up with concrete evidence for more general film analysis assignments.

Reviewing your draft

Once you have a draft, it’s helpful to get feedback on what you’ve written to see if your analysis holds together and you’ve conveyed your point. You may not necessarily need to find someone who has seen the film! Ask a writing coach, roommate, or family member to read over your draft and share key takeaways from what you have written so far.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Aumont, Jacques, and Michel Marie. 1988. L’analyse Des Films . Paris: Nathan.

Media & Design Center. n.d. “Film and Cinema Research.” UNC University Libraries. Last updated February 10, 2021. https://guides.lib.unc.edu/filmresearch .

Oxford Royale Academy. n.d. “7 Ways to Watch Film.” Oxford Royale Academy. Accessed April 2021. https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/7-ways-watch-films-critically/ .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Step By Step Guide On Writing Powerfully Persuasive Film Review Essay

By Film Threat Staff | February 8, 2021

We all have to write a compelling film review, sooner or later. Someone deals with the task quickly and easily. In turn, others can face severe difficulties and spend hours writing a review, which usually ends up being low-quality. Is there a solution then? Why can one handle the task without any problem while others have no idea what to write? Any problem has a solution, and writing a movie review is not an exception. With the right approach and follow of this step-by-step guide, you will likely compose a powerful and persuasive movie review shortly.

Learning Background

Before writing the review, you have to learn more about it. Reading the history of making the movie, the locations, the film director, and primary and secondary actors is a must. When you know a bit of a movie, you will find it easier to write the entire paper. Plus, you will spend less time drafting the review and polishing it afterward. This strategy has been proven for years by this paper writing service . The company confirms that learning background is vital and efficient, as it helps to capture concealed features of the given film while watching it. That is why every review on this academic agency is positive, making the company the most credible in the market.

Watching A Movie

If you have watched the movie and know what is going on there, you can skip this step or at least skim the film to recall the plot. Conversely, if you haven’t watched, make sure to do that. You don’t have to note down anything at this stage. Feel yourself a regular consumer who came to the cinema on Friday night to have a rest and let their mind get lost.

When watching the movie, simply follow the plot and get familiar with how it evolves. Besides, you can think of general impressions after watching it. Evaluating primary attributes that every person would assess—cinematography, tone, music and sound, acting—is a nice thing to do to help you craft a draft.

Drafting The Review

Another crucial step is drafting. Drafting helps you create a rough version of your paper, modify it, and polish it to shine in the long run. Since you know some background information—such as the title of the film, a release year, director’s name, lead actors, and genre—and watched the film, you can start writing the draft.

Draft the review based on your previous knowledge. Make sure to create a coherent piece, writing the paper according to the structure. Usually, it is an introduction, the main part, and the conclusion. When writing an introduction, make sure to add an opening sentence. It aims to spark the reader’s attention and make them follow your paper. Some quotes related to the movie will always do the job. Then goes a thesis statement, with the main opinion concerning the movie.

The body part reveals the plot (however, without delving into details) and helps the audience understand the movie’s backbone. Finally, the conclusion restates the thesis and wraps up the review’s content. When drafting the review, mind your word count. Every assignment has a word limit, exceeding which is undesirable and will result in a low grade. So, if you have to write a 5 page essay , ensure making your draft twice less. You will fill another half after re-watching the movie.

When you write the draft, it is time to become a proficient movie critic and immerse yourself in the movie itself, analyzing it in-depth. For that reason, you have to put the draft aside, take a clean sheet of paper, and watch the movie the second time.

Re-Watching The Movie

You have to scrutinize the movie from a technical part when approaching it again. There are six basic elements every film critic pays close attention to. Let’s look at them:

The film reflects the director’s mindset and viewpoint. Every director has exclusive signs they follow when making films. Analyze and highlight the points you liked and disliked. If you have watched other films by the same director, how can you compare them?

Cinematography

Can you see any technique that was used in the film? Was it the Dutch angle, bird’s eye shot, close up shot? What were the main elements to create a proper setting? Did you like them? Finally, what was the movie’s tone?

When watching, consider analyzing how scenes switched. Were they awkwardly cut, or was the movie smooth-running? Did the movie have many cuts or scenes that were relatively long and coherent? Finally, what were the effects? Did they fit the plot and were realistic?

Check the script. Was it informative and full of meaningful conversations? Was the entire plot outside the box or tedious? Did it have semantic load? In other words, can readers learn something after watching it?

Costume Design

Did the clothing pertain to every scene? Did they help the viewer dive into the movie, or they somewhat distracted them?

Was it right? Did it work in general? Sound is helpful to create suspense or amusement. So make sure to add some words about sound.

Once you re-watch the movie and analyze all these components, write the paper, adding examples from the film.

Editing, Proofreading, Submitting

Ensure dedicating some time to editing the review and making it error-free. Employ useful tools, such as Grammarly and Hemingway, to perfect the essay. You can ask your friends to proofread the paper before submitting it. Once it is fine, you are ready to send or publish it.

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Movies That Are Practically Guaranteed to Spark an Argument

Some of these movies spark fierce debate if they are even mentioned in a conversation.

There are many films out there that are pretty much universally adored. The Princess Bride, Back to the Future, and the first Star Wars film are pretty much guaranteed to land with nine out of ten people who watch them. They are fun experiences that rarely bring up that much enraged arguments online or in person. Then there's the other side of that coin. Movies that even by mentioning them spark a fierce debate that can lead to screaming matches or even online threats of violence. These are the lightning rod films that have never stopped causing debates that may never end.

Some of these films are controversial entries into a longstanding franchise that fans can't seem to agree on. Others are undeniably genius but are constantly compared to another work that is its direct competitor. Then there are films that are indicative of a larger trend in Hollywood that is beloved by some and viciously hated by others. These are the films that have lit the internet on fire and likely won't stop in the near future.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi

There is no film in the last decade that has landed quite like The Last Jedi did. Before the film's release, there was a wave of positive reviews that declared that this film was the best the franchise had produced since The Empire Strikes Back. Then, once the film was released to the general public, many fans strongly disagreed with this assessment. Every aspect about The Last Jedi that many see as genius are the exact same things that many others see as the worst mistakes in the history of film. There are dozens of YouTube video essays that analyze practically every scene of the film, calling it either brilliant or garbage with very little sentiment in between.

It is clear that The Last Jedi will either be seen as one of the franchise's greatest (if misunderstood) achievements or perhaps its greatest failure. Only time will tell which of these views will land on top in the years to come. One thing is clear though, the discourse surrounding it isn't going anywhere.

Related: Rian Johnson Says Bringing Luke Skywalker Back in The Last Jedi Was 'Complicated'

Star Trek (2009)

It has always been hard to gauge the reaction to 2009's Star Trek reboot. The film was met with fantastic reviews, a great box office haul, and career-defining performances from Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and the rest of the cast. That being said, the larger fandom has always considered Star Trek (2009) to be a weaker entry into the larger canon. Its reliance on action, its lack of a complex plot, and its abuse of the canon are all seen as near-sacrilege to the passionate Star Trek fanbase.

Yet, for many out there who say they love Star Trek, what they are referring to is this version of the iconic crew . They aren't thinking of the one led by William Shatner. In fact, this movie series paved the way for a whole new era for the franchise. One that is heavily debated as projects like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continue to shock, amuse, entertain, and anger one of the biggest fandoms of all time. It's a film that is as equally loved as it is despised.

Hereditary/Midsommar

Fans of the film studio A24 are just as passionate about those movies as fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are of the famed superhero films. A24 fans will often argue over the quality of one film or another, but there is one argument that is a true internet showdown. That is the debate over whether Ari Aster's Hereditary or Midsommar is the better film. Both are often considered to be the very best movies the studio has ever produced. Only one can truly be victorious though.

Many believe that Hereditary's twists, cinematography, and incredible performances make it the true classic while others hate on its jump scares, over reliance on horror tropes, and the leaps of logic one has to make to accept the film's plot. Others think that Midsommar's original feel, gut-punching performances, and brutal depictions of violence make it superior while the main complaint against the film is that it has a very slow pace and is simply not that frightening. Horror fans haven't yet made up their mind over who the best slasher is, Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, or Chucky, so there's little hope this will ever be resolved.

Blade Runner

Is Deckard a Replicant or is he a human? This is one of the biggest film debates ever. Blade Runner has several different cuts that make the argument lean one way or the other. Fans of the film seem CONVINCED that he either is or isn't a robot who thinks he's a human all along. His feeble strength and human attributes make the argument for his humanity pretty strong. The famous unicorn dream sequence pushes the argument far in the other direction. It is really up to the viewer to decide.

Blade Runner 2049 had a chance to put this argument to rest, but it chose to leave things ambiguous like its predecessor.

The Hobbit Trilogy

Practically no one would argue that The Hobbit trilogy is better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. One is a timeless classic that won pretty much all of the Oscars while the other leans far too much on CGI and added, unnecessary characters. There are many defenders of the films that claim it is a worthy adventure in Jackson's Middle Earth, even if it's not a better one. Many fans have even famously recut the film into what they describe as a true fantasy classic worthy of revisiting.

Though to others, it will always be regarded as an example of how greed tried to ruin one of Hollywood's greatest franchises.

Justice League

While there are a ton of arguments online about superhero films, few have been as victorious in one direction as the discourse over Justice League has been. Pretty much everyone declared that Joss Whedon's cut of Justice League was unwatchable garbage. While many fans of the franchise felt like original director Zack Snyder's version would be just as awful, his fans rushed to his defense. Things went so far that a very expensive director's cut was released, Zack Snyder's Justice League. Lo and behold the film was not only far better than the original in almost every way, it was actually one of Snyder's greatest achievements in his career.

Unfortunately, the film did not tie up all of the storylines. As a proposed part one of a two part, or possibly even three part, epic, the story remains incomplete. Fans want the Snyderverse to continue, but the new boss James Gunn has crushed those dreams, seemingly for good.

While comic book fans are well known for arguing over a comic adaptation, film critics are less inclined to get into the weeds about them. They usually make an initial opinion about one of the many adaptations out there and then just move on to the next one. Then there's Joker which has thrown a wrench into the entire way films like this are seen. For many, Joker is a masterpiece that proves that films in this genre really can be proper cinema. They call focus to the gorgeous cinematography, the timely social messages, and the giant twists on the Batman mythos as examples of how incredible the film is. Funnily enough, critics call attention to these same things as proof of why the film is garbage. Many consider the cinematography to just be a cheap knockoff of films like Taxi Driver . They consider the social messages dangerous to the point that some consider it to actually promote violence. Even the twists on the Batman story are met with eye rolls by many who consider them to be a bit pretentious. Is Todd Phillips one of the best or worst directors working today? The internet cannot seem to make up its mind.

The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that Joaquin Phoenix delivered one of his greatest performances. That's never been in question.

Related: Joker 2 Image Reveals First Look at Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

There is probably no film in history that was as hyped as Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace . Fans who had eagerly awaited the franchise's return for so long lined up along the block to purchase tickets to the surefire masterpiece. Once the film actually was seen by these fans, the reaction was far from happy. Many fans considered this to be the utter ruination of the entire franchise. Then the subsequent prequels were met with the same level of disdain.

Now though, the prequels have a huge following of fans who defend all of the once-hated aspects of the film. Jar Jar Binks is considered by many to not be an annoying sidekick, but a secret Sith who uses a drunken-fist fighting style that only appears to be silly. The hated child actor who played Anakin Skywalker has been recontextualized once everyone learned how much the reaction to the film damaged his life. The long senate sequences are not seen as boring but as essential world building. Now, this film is considered to be the worst and one of the best of the franchise depending on who you ask.

Everyone can agree that the film's final lightsaber fight was one of the franchise's finest moments. That's not even an argument.

Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood

Many Quentin Tarantino films have controversies surrounding them, there's only one film that has managed to bring about the level of hatred from a massive fandom that Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood has. While there are conversations about Charles Manson, Roman Polanski, and Sharon Tate, there's one moment that seems to be universally despised. That is the scene where the famous martial arts master, Bruce Lee, is depicted as a short blowhard who fails to take down Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth.

Not only has this depiction angered fans of Lee, but it has also angered the surviving family members of the actor as well. People across the board have been quick to provide examples of how Bruce Lee was actually the opposite of how he was depicted in the movie. Others would argue that the film exists in Tarantino's shared universe and that this isn't the same Bruce Lee as the real one. Regardless, you'd think a massive Bruce Lee fan like Tarantino would've seen this coming.

Any Alan Moore Movie Adaptation

There is a solid argument that pretty much any comic book movie has failed to properly acknowledge, or pay, the comic creators the film has adapted. Gasoline is thrown on to that fire any time an Alan Moore adaptation is brought into the conversation. While many love movies like Watchmen and V for Vendetta, it has been made EXPLICITLY clear that Alan Moore despises any adaptation of his work. He is quick to discuss how unethical he feels like all of these films are. He will often go on a profanity-riddled interchange about how much he hates any filmmaker or producer that works on a film based on one of his comics. Not only does he seem angry about every adaptation of his work, but recently he has claimed to even despise the work itself.

This has obviously led to hundreds of side arguments. Some think that Alan Moore has lost his mind and that his hatred of his own writing is indicative of an artist who is sabotaging his own legacy. Others consider Moore to be one of the greatest geniuses in the history of comics and one who should always be listened to. It seems clear that no arguments really matter on this subject. Warner Bros will never stop adapting his works regardless of what anyone thinks about it.

Titanic was one of the most iconic films of the 1990s, if not THE most iconic one. While people may debate whether or not the film is overrated, there is one part of the film that has sparked an argument that literally never ends. That would, of course, surround the notion that Rose could've saved Jack's life in the final moments of the movie. Many think that there was plenty of room on the door that Rose was floating on for Jack to hop on to. Others think that it would've surely doomed them both had Jack tried to join her on the flimsy floating piece of wood.

In fact, discourse around the film has largely shrunk down to a running joke about how Rose allowed her one true love to freeze and drown just to save herself. Even the stars of the film seem to be frustrated with it at this point. Though we all know it won't end any time soon.

Constantine

In an entirely different era of DC Comics adaptations, Keanu Reeves played the universe's most famous magic-wielder, John Constantine. The Constantine movie was initially met with negative reviews from both fans and critics alike. While critics pretty much burned the film itself to the ground, fans focused on smaller details of the movie. Particularly that Reeves was missing almost all of Constantine's iconic attributes. He didn't have an English accent, a long coat, or blonde hair. In fact, he seemed like a completely different character altogether.

Like many movies that were hated when they first arrived, Constantine now has an avid fanbase. That includes star Keanu Reeves who considers him to be one of his favorite characters to play. In fact, he has long campaigned for a sequel to come out. Fans seem divided over whether or not the universally-beloved Keanu Reeves should get another shot at the role, or if a new actor should be given a chance to embody Constantine. Then there are those who hope that television's John Constantine, Matt Ryan, should be the ONLY actor to ever play the character. He does pretty much nail it.

Any Marvel Movie

The Marvel Cinematic Universe changed Hollywood forever by building the biggest shared film universe ever crafted. There's no denying that super-producer Kevin Feige created a true feat of genius by pulling this off, but it is obviously a lightning rod for internet arguments. While many of the arguments just concern whether one film is better or worse than another, one argument has overtaken all of the others. Are Marvel movies proper films, or are they just mindless entertainment for the brain-dead masses? Are the films saving Hollywood or have they ruined it forever?

This goes far beyond internet comments sections or YouTube video essays. Massive directors like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Denis Villeneuve, and many more auteur filmmakers have been all-too-happy to share their annoyance over the massive success of the franchise. Many other directors, many of whom have worked for Marvel, are quick to offer their defense of the beloved franchise. As it continues, there's no denying that this argument will likely never end.

When La La Land first dropped on the big screen, critics and fans alike were all-too-happy to declare the film an instant classic. Everyone seemed to agree that Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling had recaptured Old Hollywood magic with an epic romance, incredible songs, and some iconic dance moves.

Then it seemed like the opinions surrounding the film flipped practically overnight. Where the film once seemed charming, it now seemed cloying. Where Ryan Gosling's dark obsession with jazz was initially seen as attractive, in then was seen as frustrating. The discourse surrounding this movie has become so negative that it is shocking that this was a Best Picture contender a few years ago.

Citizen Kane

There are many films where the argument around it features an ambiguous ending, a controversial moment, or even whether or not it is even good at all. With Citizen Kane there is a whole other level of argument that few films could ever hope to compete with. Is Citizen Kane truly the greatest film ever made? Pretty much every person with a passion for film considers Kane to be something of a masterpiece and actor/director Orson Welles as one of the greatest geniuses to ever work in Hollywood. While this is rarely ever argued (though some do consider the film overhyped) the claim that Citizen Kane is the best film in movie history is going to attract a great deal of controversy.

Movies like The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Lord of the Rings, The Shawshank Redemption, the first two Star Wars films, 2001: A Space Oddyssey, Casablanca, and Schindler's List are all often mentioned as competitors to Kane's crown. While there are arguments for dozens of films to take Kane's title, no film is as often compared against than this one.

American Psycho

Before Christian Bale was known primarily as Batman, he was known as Patrick Bateman from the twisted dark comedy American Psycho . This film is one part a satirical analysis of Wall Street jerks of the 1980s, one part slasher film, and one part psychological thriller as the entire film comes apart at the seams...on purpose. The film eventually throws a shroud of doubt over the entire film by making it seem like all of the violent sequences were only in Bateman's imagination. While that is one read on the film, the other is that Bateman is so privileged that the entire world goes to extreme lengths to cover up his crimes to avoid disrupting the systems in place.

People who have seen American Psycho are passionate about their understanding of the film and have little patience for those that disagree. If you don't have the same reading of the film, you simply didn't "get it". In reality, it's a subjective experience that is designed with no clear answer in mind. That is not an easy concept for some to deal with.

There are few films that the entire world pretty much agreed on like Inception . It was THE film of summer 2010. Everyone saw it and discussed their favorite scenes and theories about the movie. It was one of the best blockbuster experiences in movie history...except there's one part that people can't agree on. That would be the film's ambiguous ending. Cobb spins his Totem, and it is unclear whether the Totem falls, proving that he's awake, or whether the Totem continues spinning forever in his eternal dream.

The internet has been flooded with videos and articles about this moment ever since. Each one seems to have conclusive evidence that Cobb is dreaming or that he's awake. The lengths that people will go to for their theories are truly extreme. The Christopher Nolan fandom takes his films as seriously as possible. It is less a fandom sharing theories as it is an academic community getting their thoughts peer reviewed.

The Godfather/The Godfather Part Two

The Godfather is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. Pretty much every scene of the film is iconic. When it came time for Francis Ford Coppola to make a sequel to the film, expectations literally could not be higher. The Godfather: Part Two came out to incredible acclaim, leading to a huge problem for fans of the films. Which one is actually better?

There are two camps in this argument. Some think that the original is a timeless masterpiece that cannot be touched even by other classic films like Citizen Kane. Then there are those that think that the second entry is the single greatest sequel of all time and that its flashbacks to the opening days of the Corleone crime family intercut with the modern day struggles of running such a criminal organization make the entire story much more sweeping than the original. There are even some who believe Robert De Niro surpasses Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone.

Though there's only one true answer. Watch both films back-to-back and treat them as one massive epic...that never had another sequel...

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

There are a ton of beloved books out there that have film adaptations that change too much. Several of the Harry Potter films, Ender's Game , Eragon, Artemis Fowl, and many other adaptations are despised because of the strange changes they made to the source material. Perhaps no fandom is as ENRAGED by an adaptation than the fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians . The film changes a great deal ranging from the main characters' ages, certain major plot points, and basically erased some of the novel's characters altogether. While there are some fans who enjoyed the movies, most get incredibly angry about it at the very mention of its existence.

Disney+ is taking another shot at adapting the series with a new television show . They better actually read the books and hold close to the material otherwise this fandom will never forget. Never.

Even though the Alec Baldwin western Rust has yet to be released, it is already one of the most controversial films of the decade. Baldwin famously discharged a live firearm during a scene that struck and ended the life of a crew member. This has caused a huge debate around the way firearms are handled on movie sets. Some feel as though this was simply an accident while others feel as though Baldwin and the other producers are criminally negligent. They will end up going to trial for manslaughter which will likely be a hurricane of press.

What's really going to be interesting is what the film's like when it is inevitably released. Will Rust be good enough to overcome the controversy surrounding it, or will it be another basic western to hit Redbox and be watched by practically no one? Only time will tell.

Related: Alec Baldwin Allegedly Skipped Mandatory Firearm Safety Training Sessions Before Fatal Rust Shooting

50 Argumentative Essay Topics

Illustration by Catherine Song. ThoughtCo.

M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
B.A., History, Armstrong State University

An argumentative essay requires you to decide on a topic and take a position on it. You'll need to back up your viewpoint with well-researched facts and information as well. One of the hardest parts is deciding which topic to write about, but there are plenty of ideas available to get you started.

Choosing a Great Argumentative Essay Topic

Students often find that most of their work on these essays is done before they even start writing. This means that it's best if you have a general interest in your subject, otherwise you might get bored or frustrated while trying to gather information. (You don't need to know everything, though.) Part of what makes this experience rewarding is learning something new.

It's best if you have a general interest in your subject, but the argument you choose doesn't have to be one that you agree with.

The subject you choose may not necessarily be one that you are in full agreement with, either. You may even be asked to write a paper from the opposing point of view. Researching a different viewpoint helps students broaden their perspectives.

Ideas for Argument Essays

Sometimes, the best ideas are sparked by looking at many different options. Explore this list of possible topics and see if a few pique your interest. Write those down as you come across them, then think about each for a few minutes.

Which would you enjoy researching? Do you have a firm position on a particular subject? Is there a point you would like to make sure to get across? Did the topic give you something new to think about? Can you see why someone else may feel differently?

50 Possible Topics

A number of these topics are rather controversial—that's the point. In an argumentative essay, opinions matter and controversy is based on opinions, which are, hopefully, backed up by facts. If these topics are a little too controversial or you don't find the right one for you, try browsing through persuasive essay and speech topics as well.

Is global climate change caused by humans?
Is the death penalty effective?
Is our election process fair?
Is torture ever acceptable?
Should men get paternity leave from work?
Are school uniforms beneficial?
Do we have a fair tax system?
Do curfews keep teens out of trouble?
Is cheating out of control?
Are we too dependent on computers?
Should animals be used for research?
Should cigarette smoking be banned?
Are cell phones dangerous?
Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?
Do we have a throwaway society?
Is child behavior better or worse than it was years ago?
Should companies market to children?
Should the government have a say in our diets?
Does access to condoms prevent teen pregnancy?
Should members of Congress have term limits?
Are actors and professional athletes paid too much?
Are CEOs paid too much?
Should athletes be held to high moral standards?
Do violent video games cause behavior problems?
Should creationism be taught in public schools?
Are beauty pageants exploitative ?
Should English be the official language of the United States?
Should the racing industry be forced to use biofuels?
Should the alcohol drinking age be increased or decreased?
Should everyone be required to recycle?
Is it okay for prisoners to vote (as they are in some states)?
Is it good that same-sex couples are able to marry?
Are there benefits to attending a single-sex school ?
Does boredom lead to trouble?
Should schools be in session year-round ?
Does religion cause war?
Should the government provide health care?
Should abortion be illegal?
Are girls too mean to each other?
Is homework harmful or helpful?
Is the cost of college too high?
Is college admission too competitive?
Should euthanasia be illegal?
Should the federal government legalize marijuana use nationally ?
Should rich people be required to pay more taxes?
Should schools require foreign language or physical education?
Is affirmative action fair?
Is public prayer okay in schools?
Are schools and teachers responsible for low test scores?
Is greater gun control a good idea?
Preparing an Argument Essay: Exploring Both Sides of an Issue
Controversial Speech Topics
Tips on How to Write an Argumentative Essay
Bad Essay Topics for College Admissions
25 Essay Topics for American Government Classes
Topic In Composition and Speech
MBA Essay Tips
How to Write a Solid Thesis Statement
How to Write a Narrative Essay or Speech
61 General Expository Essay Topic Ideas to Practice Academic Writing
40 Writing Topics for Argumentative and Persuasive Essays
Expository Essay Genre With Suggested Prompts
Middle School Debate Topics
Topical Organization Essay
Supporting Detail in Composition and Speech
Writing an Opinion Essay

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Essay on Cinema

300 (Movie) Argumentative Essay Examples

Type of paper: Argumentative Essay

Topic: Cinema , Media , Society , Middle East , Movies , Soldiers , Film , Literature

Published: 02/10/2020

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300 Movie Several opinions can be derived from the movie 300. It is essential to recognize the efforts that were employed in putting together the thoughts behind the creation of the movie. This is achievable by analyzing the thoughts behind the choice of media. The set of the movie is a battleground where three hundred Spartans were facing thousands of enemy soldiers. The movie is inspirational especially for the message that is supposed to pass and the target audience. In order to appreciate the value of the movie, it is necessary to analyze the chosen media (Bennett 43). The question whether the chosen media is positive or negative to the society is essential. This is in appreciating the significance of the film. The use of films to tell stories has been in effect for the practicality in conveying the intended message. In this case, the film was intended to show the determination and courage of the Spartan fighters. This was despite the might and number of the Persians. One would argue that the story would be just as good if it were left in its comic media. This argument has some truth in it, but one must consider the motive behind the choice of media. The film is essential in revealing some attribute of the story that would not be expressed in literature. Some of the expressions that cannot be easily identified by readers are the feelings of the characters involved. Unlike film, the audience would not be able to tell the exact feeling or emotions that may have been portrayed. One would want to see the expression on the faces of the Spartan Soldiers who knew they were outnumbered by the Persians. This was necessary before they pursued them. This would not be illustrated in the literature for the amount of detail required would require vivid expressions. The Spartans were facing Persians who wanted to rule the entire world. They were known and feared for their Tyranny and mercilessness. The Spartans would have stood back and planned on running away from the enemy. Instead, they chose to face their feared enemy. There are a lot of details that the audience would want to know or get the experience on the ground. This would not be revealed if the chosen media was limited to literature. The Spartans were strategic in their war against the Persians as they prevailed against them. One would argue about the inaccuracy of the film due to the use of monster like creatures in the story. This is true considering the Persians were supposed to be human soldiers. The sizes of the Spartan Soldiers seemed to be exaggerated which could be the reason why they were feared. The war between the Spartans and Persians was the main point of the story. This is where the determination and fearlessness of the Spartan fighters is revealed as required in the story. There are concerns from some quarters that the movie is not at par with reality. The reason could be that the Spartans killed about ten thousand Persians in the first day of battle (Hockfield 37). This is unrealistic when analyzed from a reality point of view as one would want to see it. One can also understand that the intention of a film is to educate and entertain at the same time. The idea that the Spartans slain many Persian soldiers is partly true because they had a good strategy. One could also argue that they were lucky and thus they would defeat their enemy. Different views can be gathered from the analysis of the film which could be positive or negative to the society. The negative part of the choice of media is the amount and intensity of violence portrayed in the film. The violence could be seen in a negative light as it can be easily emulated by young children and youths. The film is a fantasy story that is likely to attract a big audience all over the world. Violent scenes and other images can have a negative impact on society. Some of the youths who love watching fantasy stories are likely to borrow some of the content they acquire. They might apply what they learn from the film and directly apply them in their lives (Smith 77). Some of the negative effects that society would be concerned about are including violence and use of course language. The film has some positive lessons that can be derived from it. Some of the lessons that can be derived from the movie are the value of appreciating ancient culture. One is exposed to the supposed ancient ways of doing things including leadership traits. Some of the traits that are evident from the movie are loyalty and the drive to fight for one’s rights. The movie may have negative attributes that are not good for the society, but the positive lessons are greater than negative attributes. The choice of media for the film 300 is appropriate and positive to the society. This is because of the benefits that can be derived from the story.

Works Cited

Bennett, Tara, and Zack Snyder. 300: The Art of the Film. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2007. Print. Hockfield, Victoria. Comparing the Movie, 300 to the Real Life Events of the Battle of Thermopylae. BiblioBazaar. 2011. Print Smith, Star. More than Meets the Eye: 300 Movie VS. Historical at Thermopylae. GRIN Vertlag copyright. 2012. Print

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Guest Essay

Same Old Song: Private Equity Is Destroying Our Music Ecosystem

A colorful drawing of a young Whitney Houston singing with a pained expression.

By Marc Hogan

Mr. Hogan is a freelance writer, reporter and music critic.

Does that song on your phone or on the radio or in the movie theater sound familiar? Private equity — the industry responsible for bankrupting companies , slashing jobs and raising the mortality rates at the nursing homes it acquires — is making money by gobbling up the rights to old hits and pumping them back into our present. The result is a markedly blander music scene, as financiers cannibalize the past at the expense of the future and make it even harder for us to build those new artists whose contributions will enrich our entire culture.

Take Whitney Houston’s 1987 smash “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” which was bought in late 2022 as part of a $50 million to $100 million deal by Primary Wave, a music publishing company backed by two private equity firms. The song was recently rebooted into our collective hippocampus via a movie about the singer, titled, naturally, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” which helped propel streams of the song and her hits collection. Primary Wave — which has entered into a variety of deals with artists or their estates that could include publishing rights, image rights and recorded-music revenue streams — has also helped introduce a Whitney Houston signature fragrance and a nonfungible token based on an unreleased Houston recording.

Buying up rights to a proven hit, dusting it off and dressing it up as a movie may impress at a shareholder conference, but it does little to add to a sustainable and vibrant music ecosystem. Like farmers struggling to make it through the winter — to think of another industry upended by private equity — we are eating our artistic seed corn.

Private equity firms have poured billions of dollars into music, believing it to be a source of growing and reliable income. Investors spent $12 billion on music rights in just 2021 — more than in the entire decade before the pandemic. Though it is like pocket change for an industry with $2.59 trillion in uninvested assets , the investments were welcomed by music veterans as a sign of confidence for an industry still in a streaming-led rebound from a bleak decade and a half. The frothy mood, combined with a Covid-related loss of touring revenue and concerns about tax increases, made it attractive for many artists, including Stevie Nicks and Shakira , to sell their catalogs, some for hundreds of millions of dollars.

How widespread is Wall Street’s takeover? The next time you listen to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” on Spotify or Apple Music, you are lining the pockets of the private investment firms Carlyle, Blackstone and Eldridge. A piece of the royalties from Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” goes to Apollo. As for Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” — hey, whoever turns you on, but it’s money in the till for HPS Investment Partners.

Like the major Hollywood studios that keep pumping out movies tied to already popular products, music’s new overlords are milking their acquisitions by building extended multimedia universes around songs, many of which were hits in the Cold War — think concerts starring holographic versions of long-dead musicians , TV tie-ins and splashy celebrity biopics . As the big money muscles these aging ditties back to our cultural consciousness, it leaves artists on the lower rungs left to fight over algorithmic scraps , with the music streaming giant Spotify recently eliminating payouts for songs with fewer than 1,000 annual streams.

The grim logic that shuttered the big-box store chain Toys “R” Us and toppled the media brand Vice is also taking hold of our music. Historically, record labels and music publishers could use the royalties from their older hits to underwrite risky bets on unproven talent. But why “would you spend your time trying to create something new at the expense of your catalog?” asked Merck Mercuriadis, the former manager of Beyoncé and Elton John who founded Hipgnosis.

Instead, self-styled disrupters can strip mine old hits and turn them into new ones. Nearly four years ago, the publicly traded Hipgnosis Songs Fund bought a 50 percent stake in the funk star Rick James’s catalog, which includes his irresistibly catchy 1981 hit “Super Freak.” To monetize its prize, Hipgnosis found a lightly modernized update of the “Super Freak” track, had Nicki Minaj assemble a songwriting crew and voilà: In 2022, Ms. Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl,” essentially the pop-rap superstar rapping over “Super Freak,” became her first No. 1 single that wasn’t a joint release. Hipgnosis trumpeted the win in its annual report .

This creative destruction is only further weakening an industry that already offers little economic incentive to make something new. In the 1990s, as the musician and indie label founder Jenny Toomey wrote recently in Fast Company , a band could sell 10,000 copies of an album and bring in about $50,000 in revenue. To earn the same amount in 2024, the band’s whole album would need to rack up a million streams — roughly enough to put each song among Spotify’s top 1 percent of tracks . The music industry’s revenues recently hit a new high , with major labels raking in record earnings , while the streaming platforms’ models mean that the fractions of pennies that trickle through to artists are skewed toward megastars.

Fortunately, some of the macroeconomic forces that have brought us that Whitney Houston perfume (forged from a deal between Primary Wave, Ms. Houston’s estate and a perfumer) and a Smokey Robinson wristwatch (via a partnership with Shinola) are shifting. As interest rates have risen, the surge has faded. In February, word surfaced that the private equity behemoth KKR was beating a quiet retreat from the music space. More recently, Hipgnosis Songs Fund, the owner of “Super Freak,” cut the value of its music portfolio by more than a quarter in the wake of a shareholder revolt. Long-hyped deals to sell the catalogs of Pink Floyd , for a proposed $500 million, and Queen , for a reported $1.2 billion, have yet to bear any public fruit.

And that’s probably fine. All music is derivative at some level — outside a courthouse or a boardroom, music has a folk tradition in which everybody borrows ideas from everybody — but it’s hard to argue that already wealthy artists should receive 1990s-level compensation for the type of flagrantly recycled fare that the private equity cohort demands. A music world without, say, a “Dark Side of the Moon” theme park ride or a “Bohemian Rhapsody” film sequel seems like one where fresher sounds could have a little more room to breathe.

And subscription growth for streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music seems likely to slow, as the finite number of possible customers hits its limit. With less growth, values for music rights are expected to level off . Perhaps that will leave more money in the pool for musicians just starting their careers.

Music is invaluable, but to the music industry and the technology companies that now distribute its products, songs are quick dopamine hits in an endless scroll — and musicians are paid accordingly. The presence of Wall Street didn’t start the systematic devaluation of music, but it did bring this dismal reality into stark relief. Private equity’s push into music rights may have proved to be less a sign of a gold rush than yet another canary in a coal mine.

Musicians’ groups have been fighting for fairer pay, and this month, Representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Jamaal Bowman of New York, both Democrats, introduced a bill intended to increase artists’ streaming payouts. Though such efforts seem sure to face stiff opposition, it’s long past time for the music industry to try something new. We need to make the making of music important enough again for that future John Lennon to pick up a guitar.

Marc Hogan is a freelance writer, reporter and music critic.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

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