Deconstruction of a Movie Review

Speaking in the honeyed, insinuating tone of the Wolf cajoling Little Red Riding Hood to do his bidding, the narrator of “The Book Thief” is none other than Death himself (Roger Allam), although he coyly refuses to disclose his identity. This irritating know-it-all regularly interrupts the story of Liesel (Sophie Nélisse), a bright-eyed girl living with foster parents in a fictional German town during World War II, to comment obliquely on human nature and mortality.

Allusion of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Metaphorical introduction comparing Death and the narrator. The thesis is clear-cut by stating that the narrator was interrupting the movie and softening Liesel’s story.

Except for the Nazi flags hanging from every building, the town, under a glistening blanket of snow, could be the cozy setting for a holiday greeting card. The pieces of the story, which begins in 1938, are so neatly arranged that the movie has the narrative flow and comforting familiarity of a beloved fairy tale.

Entertaining and humorous, ironically uses cozy and Nazi flags in the same sentence. Love it.

Introduces the setting and point of view. Compares the movie to a fairytale-like structure.

A contradiction between a veneer of innocence and the realities of Nazism and the Holocaust is a signature characteristic of “The Book Thief,” Markus Zusak’s immensely popular young-adult novel, from which the movie, directed by Brian Percival (“Downton Abbey”), was adapted, with a screenplay by Michael Petroni (“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”).

Correlating “veneer of innocence” with a “wolf in a sheep’s clothing”.

Connecting the previous works of the director and screenplay writer to give a sense of what to expect in this movie.

The years-spanning film, which observes traumatic historical events through Liesel’s eyes, looks and tastes like a giant sugar cake whose saccharinity largely camouflages the horrors of the war. Like a caring dentist reassuring a frightened child, it purveys a message: “Don’t be afraid. I’ll try not hurt you, although you might feel a little pinch.”

Entertaining use of analogy: “looks and tastes like a giant sugar cake whose saccharinity largely camouflages the horrors of the war” and “Don’t be afraid. I’ll try not hurt you, although you might feel a little pinch.”

Foreshadows a dramatic twist in the plot?

There’s one scene of Jews wearing yellow stars and being herded grimly out of the town. There’s another of Nazi officers searching houses for Jews concealed in cellars. And late in the movie, the town is leveled by bombs. Although the damage is catastrophic, the bodies laid out on the street seem untouched, as if the victims were fast asleep and ready for instant transport to heaven.

Strong example, though unnecessary use of spoiler. Hinting about a dramatic experience in the previous paragraph, but then revealing the plot twist ruins the experience and anticipation of the movie.  Instead, the reviewer should have left it on a climax or compare a different scene (possibly an earlier scene in the film to foreshadow a dramatic event) to support his statement.

Liesel’s foster father, Hans Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush), is an impoverished, kindhearted house painter and “good German,” suffering from deprivation because he never joined the Nazi Party. He plays the accordion, and even in the darkest moments, its lilt conveys a spirit of bonhomie. His wife, Rosa (Emily Watson), is a fearful scold when Liesel meets her for the first time. But a soft heart beats under the surface.

Backstory on the various characters. Very nicely done, uses analogies and inner motives to emotionally attach the readers to the characters portrayed in the movie.

The actors play their characters like storybook figures imagined by a smart, curious child. From character to character, their accents vary from heavily Germanic to British; the language spoken is English seasoned with German exclamations.

Inconsistent character accents: good or bad? Lack of opinion and context.

This paragraph feels awfully out of place.

Liesel is a little princess whose foster father teaches her to read after her schoolmates taunt her for illiteracy. After witnessing a book-burning rally, she borrows, then steals, volumes from the home of the local burgermeister, whose wife (Barbara Auer) lets her visit her late son’s personal library. Memorizing what she reads, she distracts fearful Germans huddled in a bomb shelter with her recitations.

Good use of metaphor “little princess” pertaining to her innocence.

A short plot summary. Nicely done. Not too revealing and not too lacking, a perfect middle ground.

Liesel’s best friend and next-door neighbor, Rudy (Nico Liersch), is a towheaded angel who idolizes Jesse Owens, the track star of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and is taunted for painting his face black in imitation. When he is selected by the Nazis for elite military training, he rebels and runs off with Liesel to a secluded location, where they both shout, “I hate Hitler!”

Liesel’s friend should be introduced before Liesel’s character description to give the readers a rising suspense throughout the review.

Highlights an important and hilarious event in the movie, my attention just jumped.

The Hubermanns risk their lives when they shelter Max (Ben Schnetzer), the impossibly noble son of a Jewish army buddy who saved Hans’s life during World War I. There are hints of a possible romantic competition between Rudy and the older Max for Liesel, whose portrayal by Ms. Nélisse is appealing but bland.

Suspenseful and emotional event.

The last statement seems random and obtrusive. Why should I care about the romantic competition? Does it have anything to do with your thesis/argument? If so, provide some context.

I can’t imagine that the creators of “The Book Thief” were aware of their movie’s underlying message that it really wasn’t that bad. John Williams’s score — a quieter, more somber echo of his music for “Schindler’s List” — lends the film an unearned patina of solemnity, for “The Book Thief” is a shameless piece of Oscar-seeking Holocaust kitsch.

Allusion of similar themed soundtrack compared to Schindler’s List.

Strong and straight to the point concluding sentence.

Very fluid use of metaphors and words in the last sentence.

Pros:

Engaging introduction keeps the readers wanting more.

Effective usage of analogies and allusions.

Emotional appeals and suspenseful statements are prevalent.

Cons:

Random and sporadic statements that does not correlate to the thesis statement.

Lacking statements and context to back up arguments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/movies/the-book-thief-world-war-ii-tale-with-geoffrey-rush.html