film trilogies thesis statement

Film Trilogies

New Critical Approaches

• © 2012
• Claire Perkins (Assistant Lecturer) 0 ,
• Constantine Verevis (Senior Lecturer) 1

Monash University, Australia

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Introduction

Introduction: Philosophy of Film, With and Without Theory

Crisis or Upheaval? Reflections on Brexit in Literature and Film: An Overview

Table of contents (13 chapters), front matter, introduction: three times.

Claire Perkins, Constantine Verevis

Some Thoughts on New Hollywood Multiplicity: Sofia Coppola’s Young Girls Trilogy

• R. Barton Palmer

Trilogy as Triptych: John Ford’s Cavalry Films

Bizarre love triangle: the creature trilogy.

• Constantine Verevis

The Scre4m Trilogy

• Claire Perkins

The Broken Trilogy: Jacques Rivette’s Phantoms

• Adrian Martin

A Critical Panoply: Abel Ferrara’s Catholic Imagery Trilogy

• Nicole Brenez

Remake, Repeat, Revive: Kim Ki-young’s Housemaid Trilogies

• Nikki J. Y. Lee, Julian Stringer

The Iceman Cometh (To A Theater Near You): Michael Haneke’s Glaciation Trilogy

• Philippe Met

Trilogy as Third Term: Historical Narration in Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy

• Daniel Herbert

Profils paysans : Raymond Depardon’s Rural Trilogy

• Lucy Mazdon

Remembering, Repeating, and Working Through: Three Screen Memories by Wago Kreider

• Susan Felleman

“Antoine Doinel, Antoine Doinel, Antoine Doinel”: François Truffaut’s “Trilogy”

• Murray Pomerance

Back Matter

'This collection is interesting, informative and much-needed. It will act as a key resource within the field and cross-over with a number of related subjects within film studies, such as adaptation, sequels and remakes.'

- Jamie Sexton, Northumbria University, UK

'Film Trilogies is a timely and welcome addition to recent studies of what has been described disparagingly as commercial cinema's financially motivated compulsion to repeat, but with this marked difference; contrary to its association with remakes, series, and sequels, the trilogy, as this volume ably demonstrates, is generally the work of an auteur, and its repetitions are aesthetic and thematic, not formulaic. The essays in this book represent an important contribution to the continuing exploration of the richness of returning to earlier cinematic material.'

- Jennifer Forrest, Texas State University-San Marcos, USA

Editors and Affiliations

About the editors, bibliographic information.

Book Title : Film Trilogies

Book Subtitle : New Critical Approaches

Editors : Claire Perkins, Constantine Verevis

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230371972

Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan London

eBook Packages : Palgrave Media & Culture Collection , Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)

Copyright Information : Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012

Hardcover ISBN : 978-0-230-25031-4 Published: 21 February 2012

Softcover ISBN : 978-1-349-32120-9 Published: 01 January 2012

eBook ISBN : 978-0-230-37197-2 Published: 21 February 2012

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XIV, 250

Topics : Screen Studies , Film History , American Cinema and TV , Genre , Performing Arts

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Crafting a Powerful Thesis Statement for a Movie Review: Examples and Tips

• backlinkworks
• Writing Articles & Reviews
• October 28, 2023

Introduction

writing a movie review can be an exciting task, but IT requires careful consideration and thought. One of the most important elements of a movie review is the thesis statement, as IT sets the tone and direction for the entire review. In this article, we will explore the process of crafting a powerful thesis statement for a movie review, providing you with helpful examples and tips along the way.

What is a Thesis Statement in a Movie Review?

A thesis statement in a movie review presents the main argument or opinion that you will be discussing and supporting throughout your review. IT typically appears near the end of your introduction and should be clear, concise, and thought-provoking. The thesis statement should provide an overall evaluation or interpretation of the movie, highlighting the key aspects you will be focusing on in your review.

Examples of Powerful Thesis Statements

Let’s now explore some examples of powerful thesis statements to give you a better understanding of how to structure your own. Remember, these examples are not meant to be copied directly but rather to serve as inspiration for crafting your unique thesis statement:

• Example 1: The movie “Inception” explores the convoluted depths of the human mind, challenging our perception of reality and leaving audiences questioning the nature of dreams.
• Example 2: Through its stunning cinematography and emotional storytelling, “The Shawshank Redemption” showcases the resilience of the human spirit and the power of hope in the face of adversity.
• Example 3: In “Black Swan,” the director delves into the dark and obsessive world of ballet, blurring the lines between sanity and insanity, leading to a mesmerizing and haunting cinematic experience.

Tips for Crafting a Powerful Thesis Statement

Now that you’ve seen some examples, let’s dive into some tips to help you craft a powerful thesis statement for your movie review:

• Identify the central theme: Analyze the movie and identify the central theme or message being conveyed. This will serve as the basis for your thesis statement.
• Be specific: Make your thesis statement clear and specific, avoiding vague language or generalizations. This will make your argument more compelling and focused.
• Consider the audience: Think about the intended audience of your review and tailor your thesis statement to resonate with them. Different audiences may have varying expectations or interests.
• Support with evidence: Your thesis statement should be supported by evidence from the movie. Incorporate specific scenes, dialogues, or character developments to strengthen your argument.
• Stay objective: While expressing your personal opinion is essential, ensure that your thesis statement remains objective and balanced. Avoid overly biased language that may detract from the credibility of your review.

Crafting a powerful thesis statement for a movie review is crucial in setting the tone and direction for your review. IT should provide a clear evaluation or interpretation of the movie, supported by evidence and examples. By following the tips outlined in this article and considering the provided examples, you can create a compelling thesis statement that engages your readers and enhances the overall quality of your movie review.

1. Can I include my personal opinion in the thesis statement?

Yes, you can include your personal opinion in the thesis statement, but ensure that IT remains objective and supported by evidence from the movie.

2. Should I mention the title of the movie in my thesis statement?

While IT is not mandatory, IT is recommended to include the title of the movie in your thesis statement to provide clarity and context.

3. How long should my thesis statement be?

A thesis statement should be concise and to the point. Aim for a sentence or two that effectively conveys your main argument.

4. Can I change my thesis statement after writing the review?

Yes, IT is possible to make adjustments to your thesis statement if you feel IT needs refinement or modification based on your analysis and review process.

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Film Analysis

Crafting a Winning Thesis Statement in Film Analysis: A Step-by-Step Guide

Dec 6, 2023

Avinash Prabhakaran

Film analysis is a captivating and insightful way to explore the world of cinema. Whether you're a film student, a cinephile, or just someone who enjoys dissecting movies, you'll find that forming a solid thesis statement is the cornerstone of a successful film analysis. 

A thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your analysis, guiding your reader through your interpretation of the film's elements and themes. 

In this blog post, we'll outline the steps to help you craft an effective thesis statement for your film analysis.

Understand the Film's Context

Before diving into your analysis, it's crucial to understand the film's context. This includes the director's background, the film's era, its genre, and any cultural or historical factors that may have influenced its production. Gathering this context will help you form a more informed thesis statement.

Watch the Film Multiple Times

You must thoroughly watch the film multiple times to craft a thoughtful thesis statement. Each viewing will reveal new details and nuances that you may have missed initially. Take notes during your viewings to record your observations and ideas.

Identify Key Themes and Elements

During your viewings, pay close attention to the film's themes, characters, plot, cinematography, sound, and other elements. Think about what the director is trying to convey and how they use these elements. Make a list of the most prominent themes and elements you observe.

Formulate a Research Question

Based on your observations and analysis, formulate a research question you want to answer in your essay. This question should be open-ended and should invite critical thinking. For example, "How does the use of color symbolism in 'The Shawshank Redemption' reflect the theme of hope?

Brainstorm and Organize Ideas

Now, brainstorm your ideas related to the research question. Think about the evidence you've gathered and how it supports your interpretation of the film. Organize these ideas into a logical structure that will guide your analysis.

Craft a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement should be concise, clear, and arguable. It should encapsulate the main argument of your analysis and give the reader a clear sense of what to expect in your essay. Here are some tips for crafting a solid thesis statement:

Make it specific:  Avoid vague or overly broad statements. Be precise in what you're arguing.

Make it debatable:  Your thesis should invite discussion and disagreement. Avoid stating the obvious.

Make it relevant:  Ensure that your thesis directly addresses the research question and the film's themes or elements.

Example Thesis Statement:

"In Christopher Nolan's 'Inception,' the use of dreams as a narrative device serves to blur the line between reality and perception, challenging conventional notions of truth and subjectivity."

Examples to Support the Thesis:

Dreams as a Narrative Device

Throughout 'Inception,' the characters enter various dream levels, each with its own set of rules and physics. Nolan uses this complex narrative structure to keep the audience engaged and constantly questioning what is real.

The manipulation of time within dreams adds another layer of complexity to the narrative. Time moves differently at each dream level, leading to intricate storytelling that challenges traditional linear storytelling.

Blurring Reality and Perception

The film consistently blurs the boundaries between dreams and reality, making it difficult for the characters and the audience to distinguish between them. This intentional ambiguity creates a sense of unease and intrigue.

The use of the spinning top as a totem to determine reality in the film's closing scene encapsulates the theme of perception versus reality. The spinning top symbolizes the characters' struggle to discern the truth.

Challenging Conventional Notions of Truth and Subjectivity

'Inception' invites viewers to question their understanding of reality and truth. The film challenges the idea of an objective reality by presenting multiple layers of dreams and subjective experiences.

The film's enigmatic ending, which leaves the spinning top's fate unresolved, forces viewers to confront their subjectivity and interpretation of the story's conclusion.

By examining these specific examples, it becomes evident how using dreams as a narrative device in 'Inception' blurs the line between reality and perception, ultimately challenging conventional notions of truth and subjectivity as proposed in the thesis statement. 

This exemplifies the importance of using concrete evidence from the film to validate your interpretation as outlined in your thesis statement.

Forming a thesis statement in film analysis is vital in creating a compelling and well-structured essay. 

By understanding the film's context, closely examining its elements, and crafting a clear and arguable thesis statement, you'll be well on your way to conducting a thorough and insightful analysis that will engage your readers and deepen your understanding of cinema. Happy analyzing!

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10 great film trilogies

As Roberto Rossellini’s groundbreaking War trilogy makes its UK debut on Blu-ray, we round up 10 more of film history’s very best trilogies.

19 March 2015

By  Matthew Thrift

As far as Hollywood is concerned, you can never have too much of a good thing. This year alone will see everything from the fourth (The Hunger Games) to the seventh (Star Wars) to the 24th (James Bond) instalments of popular franchises dominating multiplex screens. In this age of cross-pollinating ‘cinematic universes’, the trilogy appears to have suffered a fate similar to the simple pleasures of a tub of Neapolitan ice cream. Four – at least – is the new three (unless you’re Peter Jackson, when three is the new one).

Of course, we’re used to long-form or episodic narratives in television; the release of entire series on a single day suggesting our proclivity for consuming them in 10-hour stints is an epidemic best fought in pyjamas. The same can be said for a good film trilogy, three seemingly the perfect number for whiling away a lazy Sunday.

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So it’s handy that March sees the Blu-ray release of one of cinema’s greatest, Roberto Rossellini’s War trilogy. The three films (Rome, Open City; Paisà; Germany, Year Zero) may not share a narrative connection, but together offer a sweeping, street-level portrait of Europe during and after occupation.

Once you’re done with those – and if playing catch-up with six Fast and the Furious movies just feels like too much work – here are 10 other great film trilogies to wrap around that Sunday roast…

The Dr. Mabuse trilogy (1922-60)

Director: Fritz Lang

Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960)

Fritz Lang first introduced the world to cinema’s most famous criminal mastermind with his startlingly modern, four-and-a-half hour silent epic, Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler. The Mabuse narrative would span Lang’s entire career, the subtitle with which The Gambler opens – “An Image of Our Times” – as apt for its 1933 follow-up, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (one of the key texts of German Expressionism) as it is for his 1960 swansong, The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse.

While the first film tipped its hat to the previous decade’s Louis Feuillade serials, it’s the second film – charting the spread of the insane doctor’s diabolical influence through his criminal empire – that proved most retrospectively prescient, given its concurrence with the rise of Hitler. Mabuse himself may be long dead come Lang’s final masterpiece, but his insidious methods of social control have been appropriated and integrated into the everyday by a new generation of monsters bearing his name. As warnings – that evil doesn’t die, it just wears a different mask – go, they don’t come more terrifying.

The Cavalry trilogy (1948-50)

Director: John Ford

Fort Apache (1948) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) Rio Grande (1950)

While the three films that make up John Ford’s masterful Cavalry trilogy are by no means without incident, action is hardly at the forefront of the great filmmaker’s mind. Concerned instead with the social dynamics and minutiae of the camps in which the films spend most of their time, they’re celebrations of military tradition and ritual in which a drinking in of atmosphere (along with plenty of drinking) takes precedence over the dramatic impulses often centred on ideological oppositions.

There’s no narrative connection between the three films, but there are constants: the pomp and pageantry of the uniforms (resplendently so in the sole colour entry, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon), the epic backdrop of Monument Valley, and the ubiquity of Ford’s stock company of actors (led, of course, by Victor McLaglen and ‘The Duke’ John Wayne). An almost Hawksian looseness prevails (even if that filmmaker could never succumb to the sentiment or nostalgia redolent here), allowing space for the small moments – the dances at Fort Apache, Duke examining the hole in his tent in Rio Grande – that see the trilogy at its best.

The Noriko trilogy (1949-53)

Director: Yasujiro Ozu

Late Spring (1949) Early Summer (1951) Tokyo Story (1953)

The greatest trilogy in cinema history – collectively named after the character played by the luminous Setsuko Hara – doesn’t follow a progressive narrative across the films, but offers three exquisite variations on a theme. Late Spring – one of the director’s personal favourites – charts the efforts of Noriko’s father (the magnificent Chishu Ryu) to dissuade her of her responsibilities towards him, gently nudging her out of the family nest. In Early Summer, the family dynamics have shifted (Ryu now plays Setsuko Hara’s brother) as Noriko struggles to choose a husband independently of the wishes of her extended clan. For Tokyo Story, Noriko is the widowed daughter-in-law to the elderly parents visiting their busy children.

Each film explores the shifting cultural landscape of postwar Japan – the push and pull between progress and tradition – under Ozu’s characteristically static, low-angle gaze. But for all the formal majesty on display, it’s Ozu’s tenderness for his characters, for life’s ebbs and flows, that can break hearts in an instant, and cements the trilogy’s peerless effect.

The Samurai trilogy (1954-56)

Director: Hiroshi Inagaki

Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) Samurai II : Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955) Samurai III : Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)

As synonymous with the samurai picture as John Wayne was with the western, actor Toshiro Mifune is perhaps best remembered for his multiple collaborations with Akira Kurosawa. The same year that Seven Samurai hit screens, Mifune took on the role of Japan’s most famous swordsman, the 17th-century ronin, Musashi Miyamoto. Over the course of three films for Hiroshi Inagaki – all adapted from the novel by Eiji Yoshikawa – Mifune depicts the folk hero’s passage from troublemaker into legend.

While the trilogy contains thrilling action set-pieces (not least Musashi’s battle against 80 men at the climax of part two), there’s much more to the films than the sum of their swordplay kicks, as they dexterously chart the hero’s emotional and spiritual growth. Inagaki demonstrates a knack for propulsive storytelling as keen as Kurosawa’s, and an eye for dismantling the hero-building tendencies of genre with all the complexity of Ford.

The Apu trilogy (1955-59)

Director: Satyajit Ray

Pather Panchali (1955) Aparajito (1956) The World of Apu (1959)

“I can never forget the excitement in my mind after seeing it,” said Kurosawa of Pather Panchali, “I have had several more opportunities to see the film since then and each time I feel more overwhelmed. It is the kind of cinema that flows with the serenity and nobility of a big river”.

Adapted from the source novels by Bengal author Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, each of the three films in Satyajit Ray’s exquisite trilogy charts a different stage in the development of protagonist, Apu. Pather Panchali – as well as being one of the most extraordinary debuts in cinema – provides one of its richest evocations of childhood. Its follow-up, Aparajito, begins in 1920 with an older Apu, and goes on to the chart the clash between tradition and modernity as embodied in the incompatible values of mother and son. The third film, The World of Apu may find Ray at his most uncharacteristically sentimental come the final reconciliation between Apu and his son, but it also demonstrates the director’s mastery of the medium at full power, and it’s a hard heart that fails to be moved.

The Human Condition (1959-61)

Director: Masaki Kobayashi

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959) The Human Condition II : Road to Eternity (1959) The Human Condition III : A Soldier’s Prayer (1961)

Best known in the west for his later masterpieces Harakiri (1962) and Kwaidan (1964), Masaki Kobayashi’s most personal work took the form of his monumental epic, The Human Condition. Adapted from the six-volume novel by Junpei Gomikawa, the film’s running time offers little change from 10 hours of viewing. Unsurprisingly released in three lengthy parts by the Shochiku studio between 1959 and 1961, it remains a single work, a fierce anti-war statement charting the gradual moral compromise of an idealistic pacifist (brilliantly played by Tatsuya Nakadai), slowly broken down by brutality and bureaucracy.

Despite some early dialogue stating Masaki’s case as bluntly as the film’s title (“I’m boarding this run-down truck, but you’re trying to catch the train of humanism before it’s too late”), the cumulative effect of Nakadai’s physical and mental degradation hits hard come Part III ’s snowbound climax. The director’s eye for striking visuals – not least his movement of bodies through the frame – carries a solemn weight: the tragic impotence of Part I’s half-starved Chinese labourers, in a slow-march protest against the execution of their comrades, resignedly filing back to incarceration, proves heartbreaking, but merely the tip of the iceberg with seven hours still to go.

The Faith trilogy (1961-63)

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Through a Glass Darkly (1961) Winter Light (1963) The Silence (1963)

Whether due to metaphysical progress or by virtue of some special arrangement, in 1976, if you were feeling troubled or life was getting you down, you could pick up the cosmic blower and have a talk with God – at least, you could if you were Stevie Wonder. A decade or so earlier, on the Scandinavian island of Fårö, it was a different story for one Ingmar Bergman; furiously scrawling ‘hotline to the maker’ on any number of polystyrene cups, only to puzzle over the attached string’s listless droop into the void.

Such theocentric failures of communication form the spine of the director’s early 60s trilogy; from the paranoid psychological breakdown of Through a Glass Darkly (in which a schizophrenic girl finds God manifested in the form of a spider), to the emotional chasm between two sisters investigated by The Silence, whose formal experiments prefigure Bergman’s 1966 masterpiece, Persona. It’s Winter Light that proves the trilogy’s high point however, as Bergman simultaneously escalates and undercuts his trademark austerity with a sardonic wit blacker than any he’d demonstrate elsewhere.

The Godfather trilogy (1972-90)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

The Godfather (1972) The Godfather Part II  (1974) The Godfather Part III  (1990)

As metaphorical polygons of quality go, the Godfather trilogy is of a decidedly isosceles-ian persuasion. While the third entry has its apologists (both presumably second cousins of Coppola), it remains impossible to reconcile that bastard offspring’s lumbering gait with the towering stature of its predecessors.

Picking a favourite between The Godfather and Part II  is a veritable Sophie’s Choice: who can choose between Brando and the structural magnificence of its sequel; between James Caan’s Sonny and young Vito’s arrival in America; between the murders of Sollozzo and Don Fanucci? Of course, we don’t have to. Either one is a meal, both together a feast. And yet it’s impossible to sate those bi-annual Godfather cravings without going all the way, despite knowing better. Who wouldn’t want to gorge on more after that gunshot rings out across the lake? So we order dessert – we eat it because it’s there – and time and again we regret it. Part III  may promise closure, and contain a vaguely appetising essence of nostalgia among its list of synthetic ingredients – but we’re always served the same limp cannoli, over-baked in the oven of indifference.

The Trilogy of Silence (1984-88)

Director: Theo Angelopoulos

Voyage to Cythera (1984) The Beekeeper (1986) Landscape in the Mist (1988)

No one loved a trilogy quite like Theo Angelopoulos; the Greek maestro had just started production on the final part of his fourth when he was tragically killed back in 2012. We could have chosen the earlier Trilogy of History for the purposes of this list, given its magnificent climax with his four-hour 1975 epic The Travelling Players, but then one can sling darts at Angelopoulos’ CV blindfolded and chances are you’ll hit a masterpiece.

If the earlier trilogy offered a more pronounced historical and political discourse, that which followed served to internalise such concerns, fusing them inseparably to the personal to create arguably his greatest works. “History is now silent,” said Angelopoulos of his second trilogy, “and we are all trying to find answers by digging into ourselves, for it is terribly difficult to live in silence.” Tackling respectively – in the director’s words – the silence of History, Love and God, the three films see Angelopoulos at the height of his creative powers (although he wouldn’t take the Palme d’Or at Cannes until 1998, for Eternity and a Day). The final part, Landscape in the Mist is the filmmaker’s crowning achievement, its majestic final shot one of the most unforgettable in cinema.

The Koker trilogy (1987-94)

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987) And Life Goes On (1992) Through the Olive Trees (1994)

Abbas Kiarostami’s return to Koker – five years after his first film set in the northern Iranian town – was a response to the 1990 earthquake that devastated the region, claiming upwards of 50,000 lives. While his 1987 film, Where Is the Friend’s House? was a deceptively simple tale of a young boy’s attempt to return a school mate’s notebook, the subsequent works would blur the lines between fiction and documentary, creating – seen as a whole – a reflexive hall of mirrors that questions our perception of narrative and cinematic reality.

While And Life Goes On sees an actor portraying the first film’s director in search of its child stars, Through the Olive Trees begins by unveiling a further layer to the trilogy’s meta-fictional onion, as a second actor reveals himself as director of the previous film. Of course, thrice-removed – framing the wreckage of the natural and social landscape through his trademark long takes – is Kiarostami himself, that grand inquisitor of cinematic representation and the illusive fallibility of its truths.

Your suggestions

To our list above, you voted to add these great film trilogies…

• The Three Colours trilogy (Krzysztof Kieslowski) – Three Colours: Blue (1993); Three Colours: White (1993); Three Colours: Red (1994)
• The Dollars trilogy (Sergio Leone) – A Fistful of Dollars (1964); For a Few Dollars More (1965); The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
• The Toy Story trilogy (John Lasseter/Lee Unkrich) – Toy Story (1995); Toy Story 2 (1999); Toy Story 3 (2010)
• The original Star Wars trilogy (George Lucas/Irvin Kershner/Richard Marquand) – Star Wars (1977); The Empire Strikes Back (1980); Return of the Jedi (1983)
• The Before trilogy (Richard Linklater) – Before Sunrise (1995); Before Sunset (2004; Before Midnight (2013)
• The Vengeance trilogy (Park Chan-wook) – Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002); Oldboy (2003); Lady Vengeance (2004)
• The Indiana Jones trilogy (Steven Spielberg) – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984); Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Peter Jackson) – The Fellowship of the Ring (2001); The Two Towers (2002); The Return of the King (2003)
• The Pusher trilogy (Nicolas Winding Refn) – Pusher (1996); Pusher 2 (2004); Pusher 3 (2005)
• The War trilogy (Andrzej Wajda) – A Generation (1954); Kanal (1956); Ashes and Diamonds (1958)

Trilogies proved one of our most contentious list topics to date, with your suggestions for what we’d missed going far and wide, from the arthouse to the mainstream. Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colours trilogy took an early lead and held onto it to take the number one slot this week, despite passionate support for Sergio Leone’s Man with No Name films, the Toy Story trilogy and many, many more.

Had we erred this time in overlooking many popular favourites (from Back to the Future to The Lord of the Rings), or was there benefit in shining a light on some lesser-known triptychs of international cinema? The debate raged on Facebook and Twitter, and only one thing remains certain: there are heaps of terrific triple-pronged film series out there; a list of 10 trilogies (and 30 movies) can barely scratch the surface.

A shout out then to some of your other suggestions: the Dark Knight trilogy, the Evil Dead trilogy, Michelangelo Antonioni’s Alienation trilogy, Lindsay Anderson’s Mick Travis trilogy, the Bill Douglas trilogy, the On the Buses trilogy, George A. Romero’s Dead trilogy, Godfrey Reggio’s Qatsi trilogy, David Lynch’s LA trilogy, Wim Wenders’ Road Movie trilogy, the Mad Max trilogy, Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy, the Matrix trilogy, the Infernal Affairs trilogy…

Good list. But seriously, wot no Toy Story?!? RT @BFI : Are these the best film trilogies of all time? http://t.co/OrYGkyCe6q — Si White (@siwhite0) March 19, 2015

What, no Back to the Future trilogy?? 10 great trilogies http://t.co/u5kVw5hid4 — Three Rows Back (@ThreeRowsBack) March 19, 2015

These must be decent to keep out Three Colours, Millennium & Star Wars MT @BFI Best film trilogies of all time? http://t.co/Mr5PrpDGhT — Mel Gomes (@melstarsg) March 19, 2015

@BFI - This list, and, by association, the BFI, is too sniffy for the Toy Story trilogy and the Lord of the Rings trilogy...? — Mᴀʀɢɪɴᴀʟ Eʏᴇs 🦅 (@Marginal_Eyes) March 19, 2015

@BFI I would add Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight. If anything, for scriptwriting. — ro ૐ (@romanagiulia) March 19, 2015

@BFI What, no Bill Douglas trilogy? — Cine Outsider (@cineoutsider) March 20, 2015

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50 Film Analysis

Film analysis, what this handout is about.

This handout provides a brief definition of film analysis compared to literary analysis, provides an introduction to common types of film analysis, and offers strategies and resources for approaching assignments.

What is film analysis, and how does it differ from literary analysis?

Film analysis is the process in which film is analyzed in terms of semiotics, narrative structure, cultural context, and mise-en-scene, among other approaches. If these terms are new to you, don’t worry—they’ll be explained in the next section.

Analyzing film, like  analyzing literature (fiction texts, etc.) , is a form of rhetorical analysis—critically analyzing and evaluating discourse, including words, phrases, and images. Having a clear argument and supporting evidence is every bit as critical to film analysis as to other forms of academic writing.

Unlike literature, film incorporates audiovisual elements and therefore introduces a new dimension to analysis. Ultimately, however, analysis of film is not too different. Think of all the things that make up a scene in a film: the actors, the lighting, the angles, the colors. All of these things may be absent in literature, but they are deliberate choices on the part of the director, producer, or screenwriter—as are the words chosen by the author of a work of literature. Furthermore, literature and film incorporate similar elements. They both have plots, characters, dialogue, settings, symbolism, and, just as the elements of literature can be analyzed for their intent and effect, these elements can be analyzed the same way in film.

Different types of film analysis

Listed here are common approaches to film analysis, but this is by no means an exhaustive list, and you may have discussed other approaches in class. As with any other assignment, make sure you understand your professor’s expectations. This guide is best used to understand prompts or, in the case of more open-ended assignments, consider the different ways to analyze film.

Keep in mind that any of the elements of film can be analyzed, oftentimes in tandem. A single film analysis essay may simultaneously include all of the following approaches and more. As Jacques Aumont and Michel Marie propose in Analysis of Film, there is no correct, universal way to write film analysis.

Semiotic analysis

Semiotic analysis is the analysis of meaning behind signs and symbols, typically involving metaphors, analogies, and symbolism.

This doesn’t necessarily need to be something dramatic; think about how you extrapolate information from the smallest signs in your day to day life. For instance, what characteristics can tell you about someone’s personality? Something as simple as someone’s appearance can reveal information about them. Mismatched shoes and bedhead might be a sign of carelessness (or something crazy happened that morning!), while an immaculate dress shirt and tie would suggest that the person is prim and proper. Continuing in that vein:

• What might you be able to infer about characters from small hints?
• How are these hints (signs) used to construct characters? How do they relate to the relative role of those characters, or the relationships between multiple characters?

Symbols denote concepts (liberty, peace, etc.) and feelings (hate, love, etc.) that they often have nothing to do with. They are used liberally in both literature and film, and finding them uses a similar process. Ask yourself:

• In Frozen Elsa’s gloves appear in multiple scenes.
• Her gloves are first given to her by her father to restrain her magic. She continues to wear them throughout the coronation scene, before finally, in the Let It Go sequence, she throws them away.

Again, the method of semiotic analysis in film is similar to that of literature. Think about the deeper meaning behind objects or actions.

• Elsa’s gloves represent fear of her magic and, by extension, herself. Though she attempts to contain her magic by hiding her hands within gloves and denying part of her identity, she eventually abandons the gloves in a quest for self-acceptance.

Narrative structure analysis

Narrative structure analysis is the analysis of the story elements, including plot structure, character motivations, and theme. Like the dramatic structure of literature (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), film has what is known as the Three-Act Structure: “Act One: Setup, Act Two: Confrontation, and Act Three: Resolution.” Narrative structure analysis breaks the story of the film into these three elements and might consider questions like:

• How does the story follow or deviate from typical structures?
• What is the effect of following or deviating from this structure?
• What is the theme of the film, and how is that theme constructed?

Consider again the example of Frozen. You can use symbolism and narrative structure in conjunction by placing the symbolic objects/events in the context of the narrative structure. For instance, the first appearance of the gloves is in Act One, while their abandoning takes place in Act Two; thus, the story progresses in such a way that demonstrates Elsa’s personal growth. By the time of Act Three, the Resolution, her aversion to touch (a product of fearing her own magic) is gone, reflecting a theme of self-acceptance.

Contextual analysis

Contextual analysis is analysis of the film as part of a broader context. Think about the culture, time, and place of the film’s creation. What might the film say about the culture that created it? What were/are the social and political concerns of the time period? Or, like researching the author of a novel, you might consider the director, producer, and other people vital to the making of the film. What is the place of this film in the director’s career? Does it align with his usual style of directing, or does it move in a new direction? Other examples of contextual approaches might be analyzing the film in terms of a civil rights or feminist movement.

For example, Frozen is often linked to the LGBTQ social movement. You might agree or disagree with this interpretation, and, using evidence from the film, support your argument.

Some other questions to consider:

• How does the meaning of the film change when seen outside of its culture?
• What characteristics distinguishes the film as being of its particular culture?

Mise-en-scene analysis

Mise-en-scene analysis is analysis of the arrangement of compositional elements in film—essentially, the analysis of audiovisual elements that most distinctly separate film analysis from literary analysis. Remember that the important part of a mise-en-scene analysis is not just identifying the elements of a scene, but explaining the significance behind them.

• What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?
• How does the film attempt to achieve its goal by the way it looks, and does it succeed?

Audiovisual elements that can be analyzed include (but are not limited to): props and costumes, setting, lighting, camera angles, frames, special effects, choreography, music, color values, depth, placement of characters, etc. Mise-en-scene is typically the most foreign part of writing film analysis because the other components discussed are common to literary analysis, while mise-en-scene deals with elements unique to film. Using specific film terminology bolsters credibility, but you should also consider your audience. If your essay is meant to be accessible to non-specialist readers, explain what terms mean. The Resources section of this handout has links to sites that describe mise-en-scene elements in detail.

Rewatching the film and creating screen captures (still images) of certain scenes can help with detailed analysis of colors, positioning of actors, placement of objects, etc. Listening to the soundtrack can also be helpful, especially when placed in the context of particular scenes.

Some example questions:

• How is the lighting used to construct mood? Does the mood shift at any point during the film, and how is that shift in mood created?
• What does the setting say about certain characters? How are props used to reveal aspects of their personality?
• What songs were used, and why were they chosen? Are there any messages in the lyrics that pertain to the theme?

Writing the film analysis essay

Writing film analysis is similar to writing literary analysis or any argumentative essay in other disciplines: Consider the assignment and prompts, formulate a thesis (see the  Brainstorming Handout  and  Thesis Statement Handout  for help crafting a nuanced argument), compile evidence to prove your thesis, and lay out your argument in the essay. Your evidence may be different from what you are used to. Whereas in the English essay you use textual evidence and quotes, in a film analysis essay, you might also include audiovisual elements to bolster your argument.

When describing a sequence in a film, use the present tense, like you would write in the literary present when describing events of a novel, i.e. not “Elsa took off her gloves,” but “Elsa takes off her gloves.” When quoting dialogue from a film, if between multiple characters, use block quotes: Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin. However, conventions are flexible, so ask your professor if you are unsure. It may also help to follow the formatting of the script, if you can find it. For example:

ELSA: But she won’t remember I have powers? KING: It’s for the best.

You do not need to use quotation marks for blocked-off dialogue, but for shorter quotations in the main text, quotation marks should be double quotes (“…”).

Here are some tips for approaching film analysis:

• Make sure you understand the prompt and what you are being asked to do. Focus your argument by choosing a specific issue to assess.
• Review your materials. Rewatch the film for nuances that you may have missed in the first viewing. With your thesis in mind, take notes as you watch. Finding a screenplay of the movie may be helpful, 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!).
• Develop a thesis and an outline, organizing your evidence so that it supports your argument. Remember that this is ultimately an assignment—make sure that your thesis answers what the prompt asks, and check with your professor if you are unsure.
• Move beyond only describing the audiovisual elements of the film by considering the significance of your evidence. Demonstrate understanding of not just what film elements are, but why and to what effect they are being used. For more help on using your evidence effectively, see ‘Using Evidence In An Argument’ in the  Evidence Handout .

New York Film Academy Glossary Movie Outline Glossary Movie Script Database Citation Practices: Film and Television

Works Consulted

We consulted these works while writing the original version of 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 the latest publications on this topic. 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 .

Aumont, Jacques, and Michel Marie. L’analyse Des Films. Paris: Nathan, 1988. Print. Pruter, Robin Franson. “Writing About Film.” Writing About Film. DePaul University, 08 Mar. 2004. Web. 01 May 2016.

Film Analysis Copyright © 2020 by Liza Long; Amy Minervini; and Joel Gladd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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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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How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Examples, Outline, & Tips

A film analysis essay might be the most exciting assignment you have ever had! After all, who doesn’t love watching movies? You have your favorite movies, maybe something you watched years ago, perhaps a classic, or a documentary. Or your professor might assign a film for you to make a critical review. Regardless, you are totally up for watching a movie for a film analysis essay.

However, once you have watched the movie, facing the act of writing might knock the wind out of your sails because you might be wondering how to write a film analysis essay. In summary, writing movie analysis is not as difficult as it might seem, and Custom-writing.org experts will prove this. This guide will help you choose a topic for your movie analysis, make an outline, and write the text.️ Film analysis examples are added as a bonus! Just keep reading our advice on how to get started.

❓ What Is a Film Analysis Essay?

• 🚦 Film Analysis Types

📽️ Movie Analysis Format

✍️ how to write a film analysis, 🎦 film analysis template, 🎬 film analysis essay topics.

• 📄 Essay Examples

🔗 References

To put it simply, film analysis implies watching a movie and then considering its characteristics : genre, structure, contextual context, etc. Film analysis is usually considered to be a form of rhetorical analysis . The key to success here is to formulate a clear and logical argument, supporting it with examples.

🚦 Film Analysis Essay Types

Since a film analysis essay resembles literature analysis, it makes sense that there are several ways to do it. Its types are not limited to the ones described here. Moreover, you are free to combine the approaches in your essay as well. Since your writing reflects your own opinion, there is no universal way to do it.

• Semiotic analysis . If you’re using this approach, you are expected to interpret the film’s symbolism. You should look for any signs that may have a hidden meaning. Often, they reveal some character’s features. To make the task more manageable, you can try to find the objects or concepts that appear on the screen multiple times. What is the context they appear in? It might lead you to the hidden meaning of the symbols.
• Narrative structure analysis . This type is quite similar to a typical literature guide. It includes looking into the film’s themes, plot, and motives. The analysis aims to identify three main elements: setup, confrontation, and resolution. You should find out whether the film follows this structure and what effect it creates. It will make the narrative structure analysis essay if you write about the theme and characters’ motivations as well.
• Contextual analysis . Here, you would need to expand your perspective. Instead of focusing on inner elements, the contextual analysis looks at the time and place of the film’s creation. Therefore, you should work on studying the cultural context a lot. It can also be a good idea to mention the main socio-political issues of the time. You can even relate the film’s success to the director or producer and their career.
• Mise-en-scene analysis . This type of analysis works with the most distinctive feature of the movies, audiovisual elements. However, don’t forget that your task is not only to identify them but also to explain their importance. There are so many interconnected pieces of this puzzle: the light to create the mood, the props to show off characters’ personalities, messages hidden in the song lyrics.

To write an effective film analysis essay, it is important to follow specific format requirements that include the following:

• Standard essay structure. Just as with any essay, your analysis should consist of an introduction with a strong thesis statement, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The main body usually includes a summary and an analysis of the movie’s elements.
• Present tense for events in the film. Use the present tense when describing everything that happens in the movie. This way, you can make smooth transitions between describing action and dialogue. It will also improve the overall narrative flow.
• Proper formatting of the film’s title. Don’t enclose the movie’s title in quotation marks; instead, italicize it. In addition, use the title case : that is, capitalize all major words.
• Proper use of the characters’ names. When you mention a film character for the first time, name the actor portraying them. After that, it is enough to write only the character’s name.
• In-text citations. Use in-text citations when describing certain scenes or shots from the movie. Format them according to your chosen citation style. If you use direct quotes, include the time-stamp range instead of page numbers. Here’s how it looks in the MLA format: (Smith 0:11:24–0:12:35).

Even though film analysis is similar to the literary one, you might still feel confused with where to begin. No need to worry; there are only a few additional steps you need to consider during the writing process.

Need more information? It can be found in the video below.

Starting Your Film Analysis Essay

There are several things you need to do before you start writing your film analysis paper. First and foremost, you have to watch the movie. Even if you have seen it a hundred times, you need to watch it again to make a good film analysis essay.

Note that you might be given an essay topic or have to think of it by yourself. If you are free to choose a topic for your film analysis essay, reading some critical reviews before you watch the film might be a good idea. By doing this in advance, you will already know what to look for when watching the movie.

In the process of watching, keep the following tips in mind:

• Consider your impression of the movie
• Enumerate memorable details
• Try to interpret the movie message in your way
• Search for the proof of your ideas (quotes from the film)
• Make comments on the plot, settings, and characters
• Draw parallels between the movie you are reviewing and some other movies

Making a Film Analysis Essay Outline

Once you have watched and possibly re-watched your assigned or chosen movie from an analytical point of view, you will need to create a movie analysis essay outline . The task is pretty straightforward: the outline can look just as if you were working on a literary analysis or an article analysis.

• Introduction : This includes the basics of the movie, including the title, director, and the date of release. You should also present the central theme or ideas in the movie and your thesis statement .
• Summary : This is where you take the time to present an overview of the primary concepts in the movie, including the five Ws (who, what, when, where, and why)—don’t forget how!—as well as anything you wish to discuss that relates to the point of view, style, and structure.
• Analysis : This is the body of the essay and includes your critical analysis of the movie, why you did or did not like it, and any supporting material from the film to support your views. It would help if you also discussed whether the director and writer of the movie achieved the goal they set out to achieve.
• Conclusion: This is where you can state your thesis again and provide a summary of the primary concepts in a new and more convincing manner, making a case for your analysis. You can also include a call-to-action that will invite the reader to watch the movie or avoid it entirely.

You can find a great critical analysis template at Thompson Rivers University website. In case you need more guidance on how to write an analytical paper, check out our article .

Writing & Editing Your Film Analysis Essay

We have already mentioned that there are differences between literary analysis and film analysis. They become especially important when one starts writing their film analysis essay.

First of all, the evidence you include to support the arguments is not the same. Instead of quoting the text, you might need to describe the audiovisual elements.

However, the practice of describing the events is similar in both types. You should always introduce a particular sequence in the present tense. If you want to use a piece of a dialogue between more than two film characters, you can use block quotes. However, since there are different ways to do it, confirm with your supervisor.

For your convenience, you might as well use the format of the script, for which you don’t have to use quotation marks:

ELSA: But she won’t remember I have powers?

KING: It’s for the best.

Finally, to show off your proficiency in the subject, look at the big picture. Instead of just presenting the main elements in your analysis, point out their significance. Describe the effect they make on the overall impression form the film. Moreover, you can dig deeper and suggest the reasons why such elements were used in a particular scene to show your expertise.

Stuck writing a film analysis essay? Worry not! Use our template to structure your movie analysis properly.

Introduction

• The title of the film is… [title]
• The director is… [director’s name] He/she is known for… [movies, style, etc.]
• The movie was released on… [release date]
• The themes of the movie are… [state the film’s central ideas]
• The film was made because… [state the reasons]
• The movie is… because… [your thesis statement].
• The main characters are… [characters’ names]
• The events take place in… [location]
• The movie is set in… [time period]
• The movie is about… [state what happens in the film and why]
• The movie left a… [bad, unforgettable, lasting, etc.] impression in me.
• The script has… [a logical sequence of events, interesting scenes, strong dialogues, character development, etc.]
• The actors portray their characters… [convincingly, with intensity, with varying degree of success, in a manner that feels unnatural, etc.]
• The soundtrack is [distracting, fitting, memorable, etc.]
• Visual elements such as… [costumes, special effects, etc.] make the film [impressive, more authentic, atmospheric, etc.]
• The film succeeds/doesn’t succeed in engaging the target audience because it… [tells a compelling story, features strong performances, is relevant, lacks focus, is unauthentic, etc.]
• Cultural and societal aspects make the film… [thought-provoking, relevant, insightful, problematic, polarizing, etc.]
• The director and writer achieved their goal because… [state the reasons]
• Overall, the film is… [state your opinion]
• I would/wouldn’t recommend watching the movie because… [state the reasons]
• Analysis of the film Inception by Christopher Nolan .
• Examine the rhetoric in the film The Red Balloon .
• Analyze the visual effects of Zhang Yimou’s movie Hero .
• Basic concepts of the film Interstellar by Christopher Nolan.
• The characteristic features of Federico Fellini’s movies.
• Analysis of the movie The Joker . 
• The depiction of ethical issues in Damaged Care .
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• Explore the persuasive techniques used in Henry V .
• Analyze the movie Killing Kennedy . 
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• Explore the core idea of the comedy Get Out .
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• Analyze the visual techniques used in Tenet by Christopher Nolan.
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• The hidden meaning of the scenes in Blade Runner .
• Compare the social messages of the films West Side Story and Romeo + Juliet .
• Highlighting the problem of children’s mental health in the documentary Kids in Crisis .
• Discuss the ways Paul Haggis establishes the issue of racial biases in his movie Crash .
• Analyze the problem of moral choice in the film Gone Baby Gone .
• Analysis of the historical film Hacksaw Ridge .
• Explore the main themes of the film Mean Girls by Mark Walters .
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• Describe the techniques the authors use to highlight the problems of society in Queen and Slim .
• Examine the significance of visual scenes in My Family/ Mi Familia .
• Analysis of the thriller Salt by Phillip Noyce.
• Analyze the message of Greg Berlanti’s film Love, Simon .
• Interpret the symbols of the film The Wizard of Oz (1939).
• Discuss the modern issues depicted in the film The Corporation .
• Moral lessons of Edward Zwick’s Blood Diamond .
• Analysis of the documentary Solitary Nation .
• Describe the audiovisual elements of the film Pride and Prejudice (2005) .
• The problem of toxic relationships in Malcolm and Marie .

📄 Film Analysis Examples

Below you’ll find two film analysis essay examples. Note that the full versions are downloadable for free!

Film Analysis Example #1: The Intouchables

Raising acute social problems in modern cinema is a common approach to draw the public’s attention to the specific issues and challenges of people facing crucial obstacles. As a film for review, The Intouchables by Oliver Nakache and Éric Toledano will be analyzed, and one of the themes raised in this movie is the daily struggle of the person with severe disabilities. This movie is a biographical drama with comedy elements. The Intouchables describes the routine life of a French millionaire who is confined to a wheelchair and forced to receive help from his servants. The acquaintance of the disabled person with a young and daring man from Parisian slums changes the lives of both radically. The film shows that for a person with disabilities, recognition as a full member of society is more important than sympathy and compassion, and this message expressed comically raises an essential problem of human loneliness.

Movie Analysis Example #2: Parasite

Parasite is a 2019 South Korean black comedy thriller movie directed by Bong Joon-ho and is the first film with a non-English script to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020. With its overwhelming plot and acting, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect and some kind of shock. The class serves as a backbone and a primary objective of social commentary within the South Korean comedy/thriller (Kench, 2020). Every single element and detail in the movie, including the student’s stone, the contrasting architecture, family names, and characters’ behavior, contribute to the central topic of the universal problem of classism and wealth disparity. The 2020 Oscar-winning movie Parasite (2019) is a phenomenal cinematic portrayal and a critical message to modern society regarding the severe outcomes of the long-established inequalities within capitalism.

Want more examples? Check out this bonus list of 10 film analysis samples. They will help you gain even more inspiration.

• “Miss Representation” Documentary Film Analysis
• “The Patriot”: Historical Film Analysis
• “The Morning Guy” Film Analysis
• 2012′ by Roland Emmerich Film Analysis
• “The Crucible” (1996) Film Analysis
• The Aviator’ by Martin Scorsese Film Analysis
• The “Lions for Lambs” Film Analysis
• Bill Monroe – Father of Bluegrass Music Film Analysis
• Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Harry Potter’ Film Analysis
• Red Tails by George Lucas Film Analysis

Film Analysis Essay FAQ

• Watch the movie or read a detailed plot summary.
• Read others’ film reviews paying attention to details like key characters, movie scenes, background facts.
• Compose a list of ideas about what you’ve learned.
• Organize the selected ideas to create a body of the essay.
• Write an appropriate introduction and conclusion.

The benefits of analyzing a movie are numerous . You get a deeper understanding of the plot and its subtle aspects. You can also get emotional and aesthetic satisfaction. Film analysis enables one to feel like a movie connoisseur.

Here is a possible step by step scenario:

• Think about the general idea that the author probably wanted to convey.
• Consider how the idea was put across: what characters, movie scenes, and details helped in it.
• Study the broader context: the author’s other works, genre essentials, etc.

The definition might be: the process of interpreting a movie’s aspects. The movie is reviewed in terms of details creating the artistic value. A film analysis essay is a paper presenting such a review in a logically structured way.

• Film Analysis – UNC Writing Center
• Film Writing: Sample Analysis // Purdue Writing Lab
• Yale Film Analysis – Yale University
• Film Terms And Topics For Film Analysis And Writing
• Questions for Film Analysis (Washington University)
• Resources on Film Analysis – Cinema Studies (University of Toronto)
• Does Film Analysis Take the Magic out of Movies?
• Film Analysis Research Papers – Academia.edu
• What’s In a Film Analysis Essay? Medium
• Analysis of Film – SAGE Research Methods
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Have you ever read a review and asked yourself how the critic arrived at a different interpretation for the film? You are sure that you saw the same movie, but you interpreted it differently. Most moviegoers go to the cinema for pleasure and entertainment. There’s a reason why blockbuster movies attract moviegoers – cinema is a form of escape, a way to momentarily walk away from life’s troubles.

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Batman Film Trilogy by Christopher Nolan Proposal Essay

Exploring films that are popular among the general public is an exciting opportunity to learn more about the aspects of plot, character, and visuals that enable films to be successful. Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, including Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), revived the story of a famous comic book hero and presented a new take on it, which made the trilogy popular among the public and acclaimed by film critics worldwide.

Arguably, the first film of the trilogy started a new notion in comic book adaptation by responding to the visual, intellectual, and emotional needs of the public in the way previous Batman films never did. In particular, the character development shown in the trilogy helped to establish the ideas of realism and real-world relevance, which were new to superhero films. The topic of the essay will be focused on the aspects of the plot, character, and cinematography that differed from previous comic films and will seek to explain the effect that the Dark Knight trilogy had on the adaptation of comic books for the film in general.

One of the main aspects of the new Batman films that differed from the traditional comic book adaptations is realism. The film has a dark, real-world setting, which was not well-explored in this area of the film industry until then (Fradley 16). Where most traditional comic-based films focused on the character’s adventures in defeating the supervillain, Nolan’s Batman trilogy was more about character development and the inner conflicts experienced by Batman.

This allowed for a connection between the superhero and the audience, thus answering the evolving demands of viewers, who have already seen enough adventure and external conflict in superhero films and wanted something different now (Ioannidou 230). The setting and character development portrayed in the new Batman trilogy added to its realism, making the films more believable and relevant to the real world, which was Nolan’s key goal (Wainer 143).

Superhero films after the Dark Knight continued that notion, offering complex characters and well-developed internal conflicts that contributed to the stories’ realism and improved the viewers’ involvement. Therefore, the key arguments of the final essay will be that the trilogy transformed the comic film genre by connecting it with the audience’s reality and that the believability and realism of Nolan’s Batman films had a major influence on the development of future comic-based films.

Wainer’s book explores Batman’s figure both in comics and on film, providing an explanation of how different directors approached adapting the famous comic. Wainer explores the motivations behind Nolan’s realism and shows how the trilogy differs from the previous portrayals, which is why this source can be used to describe the differences between traditional superhero portrayal and character development in the Dark Knight trilogy.

Ioannidou explains superhero films in terms of their cultural meaning, arguing how superhero films and comics compete for the audience’s attention. In her exploration of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the author shows how the films transformed audience involvement in the comic-based film, thus contributing to the argument of the essay.

Fradley studies Nolan’s films in their political and cultural context, revealing that the film had more connection to reality than meets the eye initially. Therefore, the article will help in the exploration of realism in the trilogy, as it helps to connect the films to real events.

Works Cited

Fradley, Martin. “What Do You Believe in? Film Scholarship and the Cultural Politics of the Dark Knight Franchise.” Film Quarterly , vol. 66, no.3, 2013, pp.15-27.

Ioannidou, Elisavet. “Adapting Superhero Comics for the Big Screen: Subculture for the Masses.” Adaptation , vol. 6, no. 2, 2013, pp. 230-238.

Wainer, Alex M. Soul of the Dark Knight: Batman as Mythic Figure in Comics and Film . McFarland, 2014.

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IvyPanda. (2021, May 7). Batman Film Trilogy by Christopher Nolan. https://ivypanda.com/essays/batman-film-trilogy-by-christopher-nolan/

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IvyPanda . (2021) 'Batman Film Trilogy by Christopher Nolan'. 7 May.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Batman Film Trilogy by Christopher Nolan." May 7, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/batman-film-trilogy-by-christopher-nolan/.

1. IvyPanda . "Batman Film Trilogy by Christopher Nolan." May 7, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/batman-film-trilogy-by-christopher-nolan/.

Bibliography

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Bachelor Thesis “Masculinity in Aki Kaurismäki's “Finland” Trilogy”

This bachelor thesis analyzes Kaurismäki's "Finland" trilogy from a Masculinity Studies point of view. Using David Bordwell's and Kristin Thompson's film approach of Neoformalism, and Connell's and Pyrke's types of masculinities, the analysis aims to idenfity the main characters' traits and behavior using formal cinematographic elements. The main part of the thesis is the analysis of the three films: Drifting Clouds (Kauas pilvet karkaavat, 1996), The Man Without A Past (Mies vailla menneisyyttä, 2002), and Lights in the Dusk (Laitakaupungin valot, 2006). This analysis aims to examine the portrayals of masculinity that are present in these three films, and how are they constructed.

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Childhood is a historically constructed concept. It has been used in different meanings throughout history. The images of childhood in cinema have appeared in different forms at different times in the history of cinema. The image of the child in the cinema of Turkey has been also transforming in its history. The child appeared as an innocent figure in the cinema before 1980, but later it became a figure depicted on the context of crisis. One of the different themes of childhood in post-2000 Turkish cinema is gender. In this study, the examples of Sivas (2014, Director: Kaan İpekci) and Hayat Var / My Only Sunshine (2008, Director: Reha Erdem) movies will be analysed focusing on how the transition period of boys and girls to adolescence appears in cinema. The main theoretical framework of the work is based on R.W. Connell's concept of " hegemonic masculinity " and Pierre Bourdieu's " masculinity habit ". While the dog fighting game in the Sivas film will be analysed through Pierre Bourdieu's concept of homo-social male communities and Johan Huizinga's game; femininity in Hayat Var will be evaluated in terms of the relationship with the femininity and sound fiction of the hegemonic masculinity. Thus, the transition to masculinity and womanhood will be evaluated through the perspectives of the directors who have different techniques in cinema.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Film Writing: Sample Analysis

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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. ]

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Film Essays and Analysis

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1. What is the title of the film, what (brief summary) is it about (subject, topic)?

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Essay 1: auteur.

X-Men series of film is an institution in its amazing way. Bryan Singer pioneered this popular comic characters and brought them to the silver screen. It is a very gigantic task to convert the fictional fantasy of an existence of a superhuman into a realistic visual treat. However, highly creative mind of Bryan Singer is capable of this task. The history is the evidence (The Usual Suspects) of the mastery of Bryan Singer in direction and storytelling. The thesis statement of this paper is the powerful auteur of the directorial team of the movie to bring his vision into reality.

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Chapman University Digital Commons

Home > Dissertations and Theses > Film and Media Studies (MA) Theses

Film and Media Studies (MA) Theses

Below is a selection of dissertations from the Film and Media Studies program in Dodge College of Film and Media Arts that have been voluntarily included in Chapman University Digital Commons. Additional dissertations from years prior to 2019 are available through the Leatherby Libraries' print collection or in Proquest's Dissertations and Theses database.

Theses from 2024 2024

Intolerable Masculinity: Screening Men's Shame and Embracing Curious Futures , Cole Clark

Embracing the Wound of Contingency: Transcribing Reality in Supernatural Horror and Found Footage , Mason Dax Dickerson

Bluey And Adult Fandom: The Importance Of Play In Culture , Olivia C. Gerzabek

Independent Visions of Marginal America: Reimagining a Nation Through Outsiders, Searching, and Non-Arrival , Z Evan Long

From Film Sets to Front Lines and Back Again: Reinventing Star Image in Post-World War II Hollywood , Livia Belen Lozoya

Animating Gender: Conflicting Narrative and Character Design in Gravity Falls , Laine Marshall

Real to Reel: The "Third Gender" Narratives and Queer Identity in Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali Films , Manjima Tarafdar

Cinema's Poetic Function: Creating an Amorous Distance , William Yonts

Theses from 2023 2023

Desire for Transformation: The Actualization of Self-identity Through Change In the Films Raw and Titane , Owen Bradford

The Rape-Revenge Genre in the Digital Age of Heightened Visibility: The Rise of Female Storytellers and Fourth-Wave Feminism , Marynell Dethero

The Audrey Hepburn Image: Stardom, Gendered Authorship, and Creative Agency , Livi Edmonson

How Donald Trump and the 2016 Presidential Election Eclipsed Frank Underwood’s Election in ‘House of Cards’ , Charna Flam

Balancing Multiple Worlds: The Multiverse and the Fractured Asian American Experience in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) , Austin Kang

The Disintegration of Marriage in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Happy Hour (2015) , Afra Nariman

What Are You Crying For?: Renegotiating White Masculine Hegemony through Melodramatic Excess in the 1990s Films of Tom Hanks , Bryce Thompson

“Let’s Do The Time Warp, Again!” The Rocky Horror Picture Show as Hysterical Theatre , Frances Wendorf

Theses from 2021 2021

(De/Re)Constructing ChicanX/a/o Cinema: Liminality, Cultural Hyphenation, and Psychic Borderlands in Real Women Have Curves and Mosquita y Mari , Diana Alanis

Obsessed With the Image: Vulgar Auteurism and Post-Cinematic Affect in the Late Films of Tony Scott , Ethan Cartwright

The Ben-Hur Franchise and the Rise of Blockbuster Hollywood , Michael Chian

Cinematic Palimpsests: Polysemy and In(ter)dependency in the Spectator Experience , Lyric Luedke

Beyond the Image: Marilyn Monroe, Shelley Winters, and The Method , Emily K. Oliver

Layer Cake: Post-Cinematic Aesthetics and the “Social Justice Impulse” in Kaneza Schaal's Jack & , Amber M. Power

Re-animating Post-Digital Cinema: [Animated] Fluidity and Hybrid Aesthetics in Tomm Moore’s Celtic Trilogy , Thomas James Schwaiger

Curation of the Video Art Exhibition in the Museum , Kamla Thurtle

Pennies from Heaven: Death and the Afterlife in World War II Fantasy Films , Elise Williamson

Theses from 2020 2020

Unreal Reality: Post-socialist China's Massive Infrastructural Agenda in Jia Zhangke's "Three Gorges Films" , Weiting Liu

Smell as Self-identity: Capitalist Ideology and Olfactory Imagination in Das Parfum’s Multimedia Storytelling , Xinrong Liu

Revitalizing Hollywood Stardom: Classical Star Power and Enduring Marketability at Warner Bros. in the Beginning of New Hollywood , Tham Singpatanakul

Bong Joon-Ho’s Transnational Challenge To Eurocentrism , Lisa - Marie Spaethen

Theses from 2019 2019

Stardom, Spectacle, Show, and Salability: United Artists and the Founding of the Hollywood Blockbuster Model , Jessica Johnson

Iranian Cinema in Transition: Relative Truth and Morality in Asghar Farhadi’s Films , Mazyar Mahdavifar

AI Film Aesthetics: A Construction of a New Media Identity for AI Films , Priya Parikh

A Cauldron of Chaos and Cultivation: Rediscovering Disney Animation of the 1980s , Thomas Price

Inflicted Viewing: Examining Moral Masochism, Empathy, and the Frustration of Trauma Cinema , Kira Smith

Representative Biodiversity: The Ecosystem of Cartoon Network , Carl Suby

Bending Family Friendly into Fear: Nostalgia, Minstrelsy and Horror in Bendy and the Ink Machine , Isabelle Williams

Theses from 2014 2014

The Criterion of Quality: A Paratextual Analysis of the Criterion Collection in the Age of Digital Distribution , Jonathan Charles Hyatt

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Warner Bros. to Release New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movie ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ in 2026, Peter Jackson to Produce and Andy Serkis to Direct

By Jennifer Maas

Jennifer Maas

TV Business Writer

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Warner Bros. will release the first of its new batch of live-action “ The Lord of the Rings ” films in 2026, which will focus on Andy Serkis’ Gollum.

Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call Thursday.

The project is currently in the early stages of script development from writers Walsh and Boyens, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, and will “explore storylines yet to be told,” Zaslav said.

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Warner Bros. first announced in February 2023 that then-newly installed studio leaders Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy had brokered a deal to make “multiple” films based on the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien books. The projects will be developed through WB label New Line Cinema. Freemode, a division of Embracer Group, made the adaptive rights deal for books including “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” under a venture named Middle-earth Enterprises.

A separate, animated Middle-earth movie, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” is due on Dec. 13 via Warner Bros. and director Kenji Kamiyama. That movie is set 200 years before the events of “The Hobbit.”

Jackson, Walsh and Boyens added: “It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker — Gollum! As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”

“Yesssss, Precious,” Serkis said. “The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa. With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”   

The original “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, helmed by Jackson, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide; Jackson’s follow-up trilogy based on Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” matched those grosses.

Jackson’s first “LOTR” trilogy starred Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin and Cate Blanchett. That trio of films was nominated for 30 Academy Awards and took home 17 trophies, including best picture for 2003’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

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Peter jackson working on new ‘lord of the rings’ films for warner bros., targeting 2026 debut.

The first film, which will center on the character of Gollum, has Andy Serkis set to star and direct.

By Alex Weprin

Alex Weprin

Media & Business Writer

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Warner Bros. has made it official: It will be returning to Middle-earth.

On Warner Bros. Discovery’s first-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, CEO David Zaslav said that the company is “now in the early stages of script development” for new Lord of the Rings movies, which he says they “anticipate releasing in 2026” and will “explore storylines yet to be told.”

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Zaslav says that director Peter Jackson and his longtime writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens “will be involved every step of the way.” Boyens and Walsh will write the screenplay. The deal covers two films in the franchise.

“It is an honor and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that stinker — Gollum!,” Jackson, Boyens and Walsh said in a statement. “As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with [WBD film chiefs] Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”

“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth Peter, Fran and Philippa,” added Serkis. “With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our film making family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious… .” 

“ Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for our theatrical business,” Zaslav said.

Warners first said that it was developing new LOTR movies a little over a year ago, cutting a deal with rights holders Embracer Group AB to develop new films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series.

As The Hollywood Reporter noted at the time , Amazon is also developing its own larger TV universe for the franchise, potentially leading to the two competitive visions. Jackson and his co-writers were said to be frustrated that many people thought they were involved in the Amazon shows, when they were not.

The news that Jackson, Boyens and Walsh will be involved in the new film franchise is sure to calm any concerns from loyal fans.

The original film trilogy, which won a slew of Oscars, will be returning to theaters this summer, remastered and extended.

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