Not sure how to write a review essay? Our pros can help

If you’re one of those students who have received a review essay task for the first time, it’s normal to wonder, “What is a review essay?” Here are the details about writing this essay type and some valuable information about how ThesisWritingService can help you out.

What is a review essay?

So, what is a review essay? The answer to this question lies in the very concept of a ‘review,’ which stands for a critical examination of the theme, aspect, or concept through the prism of academic evidence and the author’s personal opinions, perceptions, and conclusions. You may be assigned to write a review essay about a book, a TV series, or a film. In any of these cases, you will need to study the assigned material in depth and identify a potentially interesting analytical perspective for its in-depth scrutiny.

The purpose of writing a review essay is to capture the level of students’ understanding of the main messages and themes in books or films. They also invite learners to explore the identified themes through their system of values. It is also possible to bridge the learner’s personal ideas and subjective evaluations of the material with the studied academic theories and concepts. This way, a review essay offers a valuable and comprehensive learning experience for students at all levels.

Peculiarities of the review essay format

When writing a review essay, you may get stuck on some aspects of its structuring and organization. It indeed differs a bit from other essays, mainly in terms of relying on subjective judgment instead of objective evidence. However, in all other terms, it mainly follows a regular essay writing algorithm. Like with other essay types, the review essay format also presupposes three main components – an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Here is a deeper glance at the review essay structure:

1. An introductory part that presents the question you’re planning to examine. It names the book or film you’ll be reviewing and formulates the main idea or perspective you’re taking on it. It also lays out the general structure of your arguments, which will later serve as a roadmap for readers.
2. The review part that examines all sides of the argument with the help of external evidence and your personal opinions and conclusions to give the readers a clear idea of where you’re driving them in your analysis.
3. The concluding part addresses all potential criticisms and counterarguments and finalizes the essay narrative with a broad conclusion and major takeaways.

15 review essay topics to get you started

Your sure and confident start with writing any essay starts with wise topic selection. Here is a list of fresh, original review essay topics that will help you proceed with writing without wasting too much time on preparation.

1. Analyze the themes and cultural impact of Orwell’s 1984.
2. Compare The Hunger Games book and its film adaptation.
3. The portrayal of race, gender, and sexuality in Desperate Housewives.
4. Political satire in Dr. Strangelove.
5. Analyze the director’s interpretation of Nelson Mandela’s political legacy in the film Invictus.
6. Discuss literary satire on the example of Rajaa al Sanea’s novel The Girls of Riyadh.
7. Review the portrayal of social media in Black Mirror.
8. The impact of Netflix on Hollywood film production traditions: the case of Scorsese’s The Irishman.
9. Fiction vs. historical accuracy: Larson’s The Devil in the White City.
10. The ills of media manipulation in The Social Dilemma.
11. Human-like qualities of AI: a review of Ex Machina.
12. The debate on human survival in space: the promise of Interstellar.
13. Portrayal of mental illness in Joker.
14. The Great Gatsby: Fitzgerald’s original vs. the 2013 film adaptation.
15. The Circle: a critique of social media and privacy issues.

How to write a review essay step-by-step

As we’ve already clarified, you will need a good topic to proceed with the task. Now that you have it, you will need to look for reliable scholarly evidence for your essay review online. Scan several related databases to find fresh and credible books and peer-reviewed articles from recognized authorities in your area. Analyze those sources and categorize them in line with several arguments and analytical aspects you will include in the essay.

The first part of the actual writing process is surely the review essay introduction. This opening section sets the stage for your further review, so it should contain all the needed components in the right order:

• An introduction of the review subject
• Your main research question
• The answer to your question with supporting evidence (i.e., your thesis statement)

Now, how to write a review essay body? Here are the main tips to follow.

• Outline your main points and arguments and dedicate one paragraph to each.
• Don’t summarize too much of the analyzed piece’s content. Just use the original data from it as a starting point for your analysis.
• Use quotes sparingly; limit their use only to the situations in which you need to rely on the author’s original idea or words to back up your arguments.
• Be evaluative and critical by underlining the author’s weak and strong points in the analyzed aspects.

Now that your main review is over, it’s time to craft a concluding section. It should cover your main points and revisit the initial thesis statement. This way, you will reinforce the idea voiced in the introduction and show how you have achieved the review aims.

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