Describing films
If you"ve just seen a great film, you might want to tell your friends about it. Here are some tips for doing that.
First of all, see our advice for telling a good story in English. Make sure you know how to sequence your story, and use linking words to help others understand you.
Telling a story about a film
Here are some ways you can tell the story (plot) of a film you"ve seen.
It"s set in…(New York / in the 1950"s).
The film"s shot on location in Arizona.
The main characters are … and they"re played by…
It"s a mystery / thriller / love-story.
You can tell the story of the film in the present simple tense.
Well, the main character decides to… (rob a bank)
But when he drives there…
Giving your opinion
I thought the film was great / OK / fantastic…
The actors / costumes / screenplay are/is …
The special effects are fantastic / terrible
The best scene / the worst scene is when…
The plot is believable / seems a bit unlikely
Not telling all
You don"t want to spoil the film for your friends, so you can say something like:
"I don"t want to spoil it for you, so I"m not going to tell you what happens in the end."
"You"ll have to go and see it for yourself."
"I don"t want to ruin the surprise for you."
Useful adjectives
All these are useful words and phrases to spice up your description:
true-to-life (a real story)
the real story of
remarkable (unusual, good)
masterpiece (the best work someone has done)
oscar-winning
