Review (Type of text)

A.  Definition 
Review text is an evaluation of a publication, such as a movie, video game, musical composition, book; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show.

B.  Generic Structures
1. Orientation : Background information of the text.
2. Evaluations : Concluding statement : judgement, opinion, or recommendation. It can consist ot more than one.
3.  Interpretative Recount : Summary of an art works including character and plot.
4.  Evaluative Summation : The last opinion consisting the appraisal or the punch line of the art works being criticized.

C. Communicative purpose 
The social function of Review text is to critic the events or art works for the reader or listener, such as movies, shows, book, and others.

D. The Characteristics / Language Features
– Focus on specific participants
– Using adjectives
– Using long and complex clauses
– Using metaphor style Review Texy Simple



E. Examples & Test yourself

Read the following text to answer questions number 1 to 5.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Captain Phillips is an upcoming 2013 American biographical action thriller film directed by Paul Greengrass based upon the book, A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous days at Sea, by Richard Phillips with Stephan Tatty, and starring Tom Hanks. It is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca. The film tells a biopic of merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage for several days by Somali Pirates when the container ship Maersk Alabama which sailed from southern Oman drown along the coast of Somalia and then to Kenya was hijacked in 2009.

Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), a veteran merchant mariner, still lives in his native New England, and he's a plainspoken family man full of anxiety about the economically bleak new world his kids are facing. When his wife (Chaterine Keener) drops him off at the airport, we can see reverse her. The film then cuts to Somalia, a land of dust and poverty, where the pirates are recruited for their mission as if they were migrant farm workers lining up to be chosen for that day's labor. Greengrass doesn't have to fill in much about the violent, chaotic breakdown of Somalia to let us know that these men have little choice.

The film does not generate quite the same level of excruciating suspense as some of Green grass' previous triumphs, but it nonetheless holds us hostage as it proceeds. As for the four Somali immigrants, they are remarkably effective in their first professional acting gigs.

1. The text is a review of a ....
     A. Song
     B. Book
     C. Novel
     D. Painting
     E. Movie

2. According to the text, Captain Phillips ....
     A. Traveled from Somalia to Kenya to find a ship
     B. Hijacked a container ship
     C. Hijacked many ships in Somalia
     D. Was a hostage by Somalia pirates
     E. Was a sailor in Southern Oman

3. What is the communicative purpose of the text above ....
     A. To criticise about film Captain Phillips
     B. To entertaint about film Captain Phillips
     C. To give information about film Captain Phillips
     D. To describe about film Captain Phillips
     E. To explain about film Captain Phillips

4. "level of excruciating suspense as some ...." (paragraph 3) The synonym of the underlined word is ....
     A. Certainty
     B. Tension
     C. Rejoice
     D. Peace
     E. Attractive

5. From paragraph two, we can see that Captain Phillips was .... about his kids.
     A. Pleased
     B. Happy
     C. Doubt
     D. Worried
     E. Afraid


This text is for question 6 -

Undead, Unwed, and I also wish I could say unread! Okay so here I think I have finally sunk to the bottom of the barrel to try to catch up and complete my challenge. I do have a bit of a thing for vampire novels! And that said I bought three different first in the series, to see if it would help me catch up and bring me back to target.

Seriously, this was one of the trashiest novels I have ever read! It was OK and fun, but I feel like a complete fraud and fake adding this to the list of books I’ve read this year! But I did nevertheless read it! So it’s going to be added. (Taken from P. Prastowo's book)

Maybe one day when I’ve forgotten how bad this book was and just how trashy, I’ll read a few more in the series! But seriously guys I wouldn’t recommend it!

6. The Undead an Unwed is….
     A. a horror novel
     B. a romantic novel
     C. very interesting novel
     D. not a sequence novel
     E. made into the movie

7. The text mainly tells about….
     A. a vampire novel
     B. a very bad novel
     C. an opinion on a novel
     D. a review on Undead and Unwed
     E. a review on Undead and Unwed movie

8. The second paragraph mainly told….
    A. the writer bought three novel
    B. the writer fond of vampire novel
    C. the writer thought the novel was very bad
    D. the writer thought the novel was fun and OK
    E. the writer didn’t recommend the readers read it

9. Which of the following statement does not represent the writer’s opinion?
    A. The novel is very trashy.
    B. It really good and interesting novel.
    C. I will not add this novel to my book list.
    D. Don’t read this novel or you will be upset.
    E. I do really want to forget this bad novel soon.

10. The following statement is not true….
    A. the writer liked vampire novel very much
    B. the writer bought three novel in series
    C. the writer finished reading the novel
    D. the writer could satisfy his target
    E. the novel is not interesting

11. But seriously guys I wouldn’t recomended it! ( paragraph 3 )
      The sentence means….
    A. the reader shouldn’t recommend him to be seriously
    B. the writer didn’t oppose the idea of the novel
    C. the writer recommended to read the novel
    D. the writer recommended to read seriously
    E. the writer didn’t suggest to read the novel

12. The communicative purpose of the text is….
    A. to review the novel
    B. to promote the novel
    C. to tell the story of the novel
    D. to amuse the readers with the novel
    E. to persuade the readers to buy the novel

13. Seriously, this was one of the trashiest novels I have ever read, (paragraph 2)
      The bold word typed refers to….
    A. Mary Janice Oavidson 
    B. the book
    C. the reviewer                   
    D. the novel
    E. the reader

14. It can be concluded that….
    A. Mary Janice Davidson is the main character of the novel
    B. Mary Janice Davidson is the reviewer of the book
    C. the book reviewer didn’t tell the reader to read it
    D. the book reviewer didn’t by the book
    E. the novel is very challenging

15. In general, the writer….
    A. suggested the readers to buy the novel
    B. recommended the readers to read the novel
    C. didn’t recommend the readers to read the novel
    D. didn’t recommend the readers to review the novel
    E. suggested to collect the first three different series