SHS

English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Module 7
First Edition, 2020

Copyright © 2020
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: Regie F. Navor

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team

Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos Jr., P II

Management Team:

ATTY. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent

Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, Ph.D

Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

German E. Flora, Ph.D, CID Chief

Virgilio C. Boado, Ph.D, EPS in Charge of LRMS

Belen C. Aquino, EPS in Charge of English

Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II

Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II
 Target

Writing is hard, simply because one consciously believes that he might not
be able to choose the best possible words to articulate the exact thoughts in mind
and put it in the most logical and creative way. Writing a review or a critique seems
difficult, but in some ways, doing so seems not that different from posting a status
message in Facebook, commenting on issues posted on the newsfeed, or chatting
with friends through Messenger about on-going events and trending topics in
Twitter. In practice, a review or a critique is an informed and insightful standpoint
on performance arts, play, dance, sports, film, religious or community festivals, and
art exhibit.
In your previous lessons, you are informed and guided in utilizing different
techniques in gleaning information, summarizing a text, stating thesis statement,
outlining reading texts, and using appropriate critical approaches in writing a
critique such as formalism, feminism, and Marxism.
This module will provide you with information, drills, and activities that will
help you crystallize your thoughts and you will come to know how to craft a
sounding original and insightful review or critique.
By the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Write an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art, an event
or a program CS_E 11/12A-EAPP-Id-f-18.

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 Module
Writing A Critique or A Review
7

Jumpstart

A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and

critically evaluates a work or concept. Critiques can be used to convey a balanced
view on a variety of works such as creative works (novels, exhibits, films, images,
poetry), research (monographs, journal articles, systematic review, theories), media
(news reports, feature articles), and events or programs.
Remember that a critique should be accessible to the audience or readers.
Therefore, it is very helpful for them to be provided with background information.
In this manner, the writer should have a vast knowledge on a particular work or at
least have researched on it.

Now, try this!

Activity 1: #Trending
Directions: Listed below are some of the trending issues, events, news articles,
movies and mobile apps that people have talked about. Read and think carefully
how well you know each topic. Answer in a separate sheet using the codes below:

- I know the topic very well

 - I know the topic just a little

X - I don’t know the topic at all

1. ABS-CBN franchise issue

2. Bird Box movie
3. Mobile Legends
4. Wattpad
5. BL Series
6. Avengers: Endgame
7. Covid-19
8. Community Quarantine
9. Paintings of Richard Gomez
10.Hello, Love, Goodbye

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Activity 2: Throwback Thursday
Directions: Think of the most unforgettable movie you have ever watched. Get a
review from printed and online sources. Fill out the table below using the
information you gathered. Use may cut reviews on printed sources like newspapers
and paste it on a separate sheet.

Title of the Movie:

Strengths Weaknesses

Remember this!

Critiques are an important rhetorical pattern in academic writing as they

present a balanced view of things. Critiques, however, are based not only on
personal perspective but should be grounded on actual observations. Here are
some tips in developing your critique.
1. Critique should provide readers or audience an overview of a work or a
concept. Therefore, it is your job to provide sufficient information such as
the central ideas of a book, concept, event /program, or movie to be
critiqued.
2. Relating your critique to greater realities will also help as you ground your
critique on the wider scheme of things. For example, what subject/theme
does the movie, concept, book, or event address? Are there questions that
people constantly ask that this particular subject/theme you are reviewing
can answer?

Discover

In this section of the lesson, you will be provided with instructions on how to
do reviews. What makes a review or critique very interesting is how logical the ideas
are when presented to the readers. In general, a critique or review should be
organized in the following manner:
1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclusion

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 Take this one!

Do a product review. The product may be a gadget, a piece of clothing or

garment, or a popular item used among the young generation. Or you may choose
one topic listed in Activity 1 at the Jumpstart page. Fill out the table by answering
the questions in the second column.

Parts of a
Guide Questions Answers
Review

What is the product

about?
Introduction
What are its features?

How does the product

compare with its
Body
counterparts or other
brands?

Will you recommend

consumers to
Conclusion
purchase the item?
Why or why not?
Basically, the I-B-C structure guides you to a logical critique or review.
However, it is very important to keep in mind that before you start writing, have a
thorough understanding of the work or product that will be critiqued. Here are
some tips to consider:
1. Study the work under discussion.
2. Make notes on key parts of the work.
3. Develop understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in
the work.
4. Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.
In the next lessons, you will be guided further on what to write in each part
of the review. You will also be presented samples and you will be asked to answer
some questions.
So, before proceeding to the next lessons, think carefully of the movie, film,
work of art, sports, dance, songs, product, and events or program that you will be
reviewing. Write your answer in the box below and start doing Tips 1 and 2.

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 Name or title of the movie, film, work of art, sports, dance, songs, product, and
events or program you chose:

______________________________________________________________________________

If you have finally picked one, then, you are ready to proceed to the next
lessons. Keep in mind that you have to have a rich background of your topic. You
can do that by researching printed and online sources. Keep important notes. You
will need them in the next lessons. Remember to keep your references for your
citations later on. Also, for your online sources, make sure that you copy and save
the links because you will be needing them when you compile and create the
reference list.

Deepen

In this lesson, you will be guided to write your own introduction, body and
conclusion. Study the sample activities and answer the questions for you to be able
to get familiar with the parts of a review or a critique.

Writing the Introduction

Typically, the introduction is short (less than 10% of the entire review).
These are tips in crafting your introduction.
1. Name the work being reviewed as well as the date it was created and the
name of author or creator.
2. Describe the main argument or purpose of the work.
3. Explain the context in which the work was created. This could include the
social or political context, the place of the work in a creative or academic
tradition, or the relationship between the work and the creator’s life
experience
4. Have a concluding sentence that signals what your evaluation will be. For
example, it may indicate whether it is positive, negative, or mixed evaluation.

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Read the sample introduction below and answer the questions that follow.
Example:
News discourse is a rich area in language studies that has attracted
attention among scholars both old and new. Departing from merely examining
printed texts, the present era of globalized technologies poses serious challenges for
the analysis of news discourse, given that producers of news employ different
modalities to deliver their messages. In addition, the growing mobilities of
individuals (geographical, virtual, and social) raise interesting questions on the
suitable frameworks available for researchers to fully understanding different
aspects of news discourse. Given the present scenario, this book elucidates the
challenges of studying news discourse.
Presented in nine chapters, the book conveniently deals with specific aspects
of the topic, giving readers a manageable resource for study. Chapter 1 overviews
the book, starting with definitions of news discourse, then outlining the different
approaches (sociolinguistic, corpus linguistic, critical discourse analytic, to name a
few) and methods of collecting data. Included in this section is the importance of
studying discourse, which may spark interest among beginning scholars and
readers unfamiliar with the area (Valdez, 2014).

Questions:
1. Why was the review conducted in the first place?

________________________________________________________________________

2. What are some features of the book?

a. _________________________________________________________________

b. _________________________________________________________________

c. _________________________________________________________________

d. _________________________________________________________________

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Activity 1: Show-Me More
Directions: Based on the prompts and information you gathered from sources
about the topic you picked. Fill out the table below and draft the introduction of
your review. Remember to go back to the tips in writing an introduction listed in
the previous page. If the spaces in the table are not enough, you may use separate
sheet for your answers.

Features Notes (Gathered information)

Recent developments in
the world and in the
country or even in the
community where you
belong.

General features of the

material, work, film, etc.

Another major part of the critique in the introduction is a brief summary of

the event, book, concept, or object being critiqued. In this part, specific
descriptions are needed for the reader to have an overview of the central features of
the topic. (See paragraph 2 of the sample introduction in the previous page)

Activity 2: It’s Your Time to Shine

Directions: With the input from the previous activities, draft the introduction for
your critique. Make sure to seek feedback from your friends and teacher for
improvement. Use a separate sheet in writing your draft.

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 Writing the Body of a Review
After providing an overview in the introduction part, it is important to
provide informed insights on the central features. This is the part that connects the
introduction and the body of your review. The body of a review comprises 70% of
the entire review. This is because details and insights will be elaborated and
explained in this part. The informed insights should focus on highlights of the work
or product. For example, weakness or strengths should be based on what is
observable and comparable to other items of the same class.

Some expressions below will help you in presenting strengths and weaknesses.

Illustrating Strengths

Given its features, X may be the best among the competition because…

X does not only provide (enumerate common features found in other counterparts)
but also (enumerate unique features)

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 Illustrating Weaknesses

However, X may not be a wise choice if you intend to … (Cite specific activities of
features needed by a specific user or audience.)

In certain cases, X lacks some interesting points such as … (Cite specific features
or qualities.)

X may not appeal to certain users or audience as it … (Cite specific features or

qualities.)

Consider the following sample statements.

Sample 1:
The smartphone has an eight megapixel camera supported by both
Bluetooth technology and wireless applications. These features are standard among
modern phones, so that the higher price is not justified.

Sample 2:
The movie is worth seeing because it features not only talented actors but
also tells an excellent story filled with unexpected twists.

Activity 1: Tell-Me More

Directions: This is for your own review of a product or a work. Fill out the table
using the guide questions. You may use separate sheet for your answers.

Guide Questions Responses

What are the essential

features?

What are the strengths of

the features?

What are the weaknesses

of the features?

9
 Explore

Identifying the strengths or weaknesses of a particular work or product is

actually part of the process called critical evaluation. Critical evaluation should give
a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the work,
evaluating how well the creator was able to achieve the purpose of the work or
product. For example, you would assess the plot structure, characterization and
setting of a novel; an assessment of a painting would look at composition, brush
strokes, color, and light; a critique of a research project would look at the subject
selection, design of the experiment, analysis of data and conclusions.
A critical evaluation does not simply highlight negative impressions. It
should deconstruct the work and identify both strengths and weaknesses. It should
examine the work and evaluate its success, in light of its purpose.
Here are examples of critical questions that could help your assessment.
1. Who is the creator? Is the work presented objectively or subjectively?
2. What are the aims of the work? Were the aims achieved?
3. What techniques, styles, media were used in the work? Are they effective
in portraying the purpose?
4. What assumptions underlie the work? Do they affect its validity?
5. What type of evidence or persuasion are used? Has evidence been
interpreted fairly?
6. How is the work structure? Does it favor a particular interpretation or
point of view? Is it effective?
7. Does the work enhance understanding of key ideas or theories? Does the
work engage (or fail to engage) with key concepts or other works in its
discipline?
This evaluation is written in formal academic style and logically presented.
Group your ideas into paragraphs. Start with broad impressions first and then
move into details of the technical elements. For shorter critiques, you may discuss
the strengths of the works, and then the weaknesses. In longer critiques, you may
wish to discuss the positive and negative of each key critical questions in individual
paragraphs.
To support the evaluation, provide evidence from the work itself, such as a
quote, example, or research-based facts. You can also cite evidences from related
sources. Explain how this evidence supports your evaluation of the work.

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Activity 1: Support Me
Directions: Given the following ideas, write a sentence that uses a citation to
strengthen specific claims.
1. Claim/Comment: The movie is good for younger audiences.
Cited Information: Torres (1990) emphasized positive values as an indicator
of favorable viewership for younger audiences.

Revised sentence:

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2. Claim/Comment: the car can sustain higher speed for several hours.
Cited information: As seen in several lab tests, the car is not only efficient in
fuel consumption but it is quite fast compared to its competitors (Santos,
2009).

Revised sentence:

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Writing the Conclusion

This part usually is a very brief paragraph. It has two parts. The first part
summarizes the strengths and weaknesses. The second part includes points for
readers to consider before reading the book, watching the film, attending the event,
or purchasing the item. Also part of the conclusion, in some circumstances, is the
recommendations for improvement on the work which must be expressed with tact.
Consider the samples below:
Sample 1:
Taken as a whole, the book can be a helpful resource for teachers planning
to integrate technology in their classrooms. In addition, the sample lessons
provided ion the appendices consider different material conditions of schools
which may be reality in some settings. Since Estacio (2009) views that
technology use in the education may depend on the condition of education
institutions, the lessons in the book are a welcome addition to the growing
number of resources in different context for teachers.

11
Sample 2:
Considering the pros and cons of the computer system, users may want to
check other options that bear the same features, as other companies provide
top of the line features for their premium offerings but with lower price
points.

Activity 1: What Can You Say?

Directions: Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow.
This is taken from Valdez (2014). Use separate sheet for your answers.
The book is a valuable resource as it provides interesting theoretical and
methodological means for analyzing news discourse. For instance, analyzing
the combination of images and texts allows greater understanding of values
encoded in the news. In addition, the book adequately discusses means for
addressing methodological problems in analyzing data in different forms of
media. Moreover, since the book draws on different perspectives, readers will
find a range of options to work with when confronting their own data. To
illustrate, news may not only be seen on the national/international scene
but also in specific locales. Therefore, this can help in making sense of one’s
data through adequate examples.
The book is intended as suitable introduction for graduate students and
researchers interested in exploring the complexities of news discourse, as it
provides input, a list of readings and additional activities for research. It also
integrates several theoretical and methodological perspectives, giving readers
a free hand on deciding which approach to employ in analyzing their own
data. Overall, this book, which is part of the Continuum series of books
covering areas of discourse, is a valuable contribution for the enrichment of
scholarship concerning news discourse.
Guide Questions:
1. Is the recommendation of the book positive or negative? Cite specific
information to support your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2. What consideration did the author mention for the readers to consider in
reading the book?
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

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Activity 2: It’s Your Turn
Directions: Prepare a draft for the conclusion of your review. Fill out the table
below to help you in writing your draft. Use another sheet for your answers.

Point for Recommendation Responses

What are the positive and

negative features of the item?

What background knowledge is

needed for users to fully
maximize the use of item or enjoy
the event/movie?

Would you recommend it to other

people?

Gauge

Finally, it is time to complete your review. Here is a checklist that you may
consider in finalizing your review or critique.
Have I:
1. Mentioned the name of the work, the date of its creation and the name of the
creator?
2. Accurately summarized the work being critiqued?
3. Mainly focused on the critical evaluation of the work?
4. Systematically outlined an evaluation of each element of the work to achieve
the overall purpose?
5. Used evidence, from the work itself as well as other sources, to back and
illustrate my assessment of elements of the work?
6. Formed an overall evaluation of the work, based on critical reading?
7. Used a well-structured introduction, body, and conclusion?
8. Used correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation; clear presentation and
appropriate referencing style?

13
 In the process of editing and reviewing your critique, it is best to ask
feedback from friends and teacher about your work. You can have them answer the
statements below. Or you may send your manuscript and have them comment on it.
1. I think the review is _____________________ because _________________________.
However, it may be good to improve the following points: ________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
2. I think the introduction ______________________________________ but may
need some revisions such as ________________________________________.
3. I think the body is ___________________________. However,
____________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
4. The conclusion is _____________________________________________________ but
______________________________________________________________________.
5. Language use is __________________________________________. However,
__________________________________________________________________________.
Grammar and mechanics are _____________________________________________.
However, ________________________________________________________________

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 Answer Key

Jumpstart
Activity 1: #Trending = Answers may vary
Activity 2: Throwback Thursday = Answers may vary

Discover
Activity: Parts of a Review = Answers may vary

Deepen
Activity: Writing the Introduction
1. Sample answer = to elucidate the challenges of studying news
discourse
2. Possible answers
a. Definition of news discourse
b. Outline of different approaches
c. Methods of collecting data
d. Importance of studying discourse

Activity 1: Show-Me More = Answers may vary

Activity 2: It’s Your Time To Shine = Answers may vary
Activity 1: Tell-Me More = Answers may vary

Explore
Activity 1: Support Me
1. Possible answers
a. The movie is good for younger audiences because of the positive
values highlighted in the story. Torres (1990) emphasized positive
values as an indicator of favorable viewership for younger generations.
b. The car can sustain higher speed for several hours. This is true based
on several lab tests conducted. The car is not only efficient in fuel
consumption but it is quite fast compared to its competitors (Santos,
2019).

Activity 1: What Can You Say? (Possible answers)

1. The recommendation is positive.
a. The book is a valuable resource.
b. The book discusses means of addressing methodological problems.
c. The book offers a range of options when confronting own ideas.
d. The book is recommended for graduate students and researchers.
e. The book integrates theoretical and methodological perspectives.
f. The book is valuable contribution for enrichment concerning news
discourse.
2. Possible answers
a. The practical use of the book in the enrichment of scholarship
concerning news discourse
b. Serves as source of input concerning news discourse
c. The possible group of individuals who will be benefited by the book

Activity 2: It’s Your Turn = Answers may vary

15
 Rubric in Evaluating Your Review
9-10pts 7-8pts 5-6pts 3-4pts 1-2pts
Summary Clearly Presents Presents Insufficient No explanation
(20%) presents author’s thesis author’s thesis, explanation of of author’s
author’s thesis and describes but may not author’s thesis, thesis, and/or
How well does and describes his/her provide and/or no description of
the student his/ her strategies for sufficient insufficient strategies for
summarize the strategies for supporting it. description of description of supporting
text? supporting it. strategies for strategies for thesis.
Describes supporting it. supporting thesis.
Clearly and organization and Poor or no
succinctly presentation of Describes Insufficient description of
describes text. organization and description of text’s text’s
organization presentation of organization and organization and
and text, but may presentation. presentation.
presentation of need more
text details
Overall Exhibits clarity, Exhibits clarity, Exhibits some Exhibit some Exhibit little or
Quality of complexity, and some depth clarity, though faulty logic, no evidence of
Analysis perceptiveness, about the topic, only minimal and/or effective thinking
(20%) originality, and but lacks the depth of thought stereotypical or about the topic
depth of thought qualities of about the topic. superficial (please note that
How well does about the topic. complexity, thinking about the there may be
the student perceptiveness, topic. effective thinking
analyze the Provides and originality Makes some in the
text? excellent exhibited in level attempt to Insufficient composition, but
evaluation of A. present the attempt to present not about the
text’s weaknesses weaknesses or the weaknesses or topic).
or strengths; Provides clear strengths of the strengths of the
evaluative evaluation of text; evaluative text; evaluative Poor to no
criteria are text’s criteria are used. criteria are attempt to
unique and weaknesses or unclear. present the
interesting. strengths; Places text in weaknesses or
evaluative context Insufficient attempt strengths of the
Uses creativity to criteria are to put text in text; no obvious
interpret text unique and context criteria for
(e.g., places it in interesting. evaluation.
interesting
context or Puts text in
compares / meaningful Poor to no
contrasts with context when attempt to put
other relevant interpreting it. text in context.
texts).

Support of Exhibits Exhibits control Exhibits some Exhibit insufficient Exhibit a

Analysis command of of focus, control of focus, control of focus, basic/elementar
(20%) focus, coherent organization, and organization organization (way y sense of
organization, development (all (structure may ramble, be organization
How well does and interesting of the subject be formulaic or repetitious, or (may be purely
the student development matter is be organized locked into a descriptive or
select, (with carefully relevant to the loosely around formula), and/or strictly
summarize chosen, topic, but is not the topic), and development (it formulaic), but
and/or insightful as insightfully development may be mostly ideas about the
paraphrase details, selected as a (may contain descriptive or lack topic are
supporting examples, response at level some poorly adequate support) generally
evidence from arguments, etc.) A) of the topic. chosen of the topic. undeveloped,
the text to of the topic. information, but illogical,
demonstrate major ideas are irrelevant, or
and support adequately inconsistent.
analysis supported).

16
Organization Review is very Review is well Review has Distinction General structure
& Content well organized, organized, separate between of review is
(20%) containing an containing an introduction, introduction, body difficult to follow,
introduction, introduction, body paragraphs, paragraphs, and and/or student
body body and conclusion, conclusion is failed to follow the
paragraphs, paragraphs, but connections unclear. prescribed format.
and conclusion. and among these
conclusion. could be Paragraph Paragraphs are
Paragraphs improved. structure needs unfocused,
contain clear All paragraphs improvement (some incoherent or
topic sentences, contain topic Most paragraphs may be incomplete, require
focus on a single sentences, focus focus on a single or focus on too restructuring.
issue, are on a single issue topic and are many issues, or be
coherent, and and are coherently incoherent). Topic sentences
organized coherently structured. are absent or
according to an structured. Topic sentences do unconnected to
obvious pattern Topic sentences not effectively the paragraphs
of argument. Some use of signal structure signal structure of that follow.
transitional of argument, but argument or lack Transitions are
Effective use of expressions and may require focus / clarity. absent or used
transitional other signposts more focus. More transitions incorrectly.
expressions and that make the Transitions are are needed to
other signposts structure of the present and help develop argument.
that make the document clear. connect parts of Student’s tone
structure of the argument. Student’s tone and and diction are
document clear. Student’s tone diction are inappropriate.
and diction are Student’s tone marginal.
Student’s tone appropriate for and diction are
and diction the argument occasionally
enhance the being made inappropriate for
argument being about the text the target
made about the under review. audience.
text under
review.

Grammar & Clear, concise Mostly clear, Adequate Poor sentence Very poor
Mechanics sentences. concise sentence structure. Writing sentence
(20%) sentences. structure but may be wordy or structure,
No grammatical may require difficult to follow in and/or uses
errors. May have some editing for places. inappropriate
minor clarity/wordine language or
Citations are grammatical ss. Many grammatical language that is
included in the errors. errors. too informal.
correct format. Some
Citations are grammatical Citations are Significant
included in the errors, but included but not in grammatical
correct format; these do not the APA format. errors, and/or
may have minor impede
errors. understanding. Citations are
missing.
Citations are
included with
some issues in
APA formatting.

17
 Sample Film Review 1

Amidst pacing problems, Heneral Luna manages to tell a compelling story –

allegorical and timely to present day – supported by a fantastic script, an
impassioned score, and inspired cinematography.

At first glance, one might mistake Heneral Luna as your run-of-the-mill historical
biopic that showcases a hero of yore whose bravery and passion unite his people in
the face of dastardly foreign invaders. Well, this is only partly correct. There are
invaders, Heneral Luna (John Arcilla) is indeed fiercely brave and madly
passionate, but there is no unity to be found amongst country men – only
infighting, personal interests, and politicking.

Directed by Jerrold Tarog and with a script co-written by him, Henry Hunt
Francia, and E.A. Rocha; Heneral Luna takes a different approach in telling the
story of how we lost the battle and got occupied by the Americans. Taking cues
from Oro, Plata, Mata; the movie deliberately puts the colonialists in the periphery,
making them merely a backdrop whose presence stirred the pot. The real focus
here is the tension, the inner turmoil that brewed in the ranks of our so-called
Filipino founding fathers. Heneral Luna is a tale of how a dissenting voice can get
swept away and ultimately perish under a wave of egos and personal interest.

Carrying the weight of the story is the above stellar performance of John Arcilla in
the title role of General Antonio Luna. Arcilla plays with the whole spectrum of
emotions in his portrayal of the larger-than-life general. He is able to showcase the
fierce, boisterous, and volatile man the general has been historically known to be,
yet he is also able to flip the coin and show the passionate, sympathetic, and
battle-weary softer side of the character. Here’s a man who rides head first
screaming into battle just to rile up his troops’ morale, but at the same time he is a
one who can share warm moments and some banter with his mother. He is an
antihero – the Wolverine of the Filipino insurrection.

One prime example of just how dynamic Arcilla’s portrayal can be is during this
one scene involving a chicken vendor. Delivering virtually the same line of dialogue
on two separate moments, Arcilla is able to convey anger bordering on madness at
first and compassion nuanced with frustration soon after. It is truly his
performance that propels Heneral Luna (and, sadly, his alone).

There isn’t much to be said about the rest of the cast of movie, which is a pity given
that Heneral Luna assembles quite an ensemble. You’ve got names like Joem
Bascon, Alex Medina, Mon Confiado, Nonie Buencamino, Mylene Dizon, and even
Ronnie Lazaro; but sadly none of the other performances stand out. Not that there
are any weak performances, it’s just that none are able to keep up with the gravitas
of John Arcilla’s Luna. Mon Confiado’s Emilio Aguinaldo seems more like a
spineless weakling who hides behind his cohorts rather than a respected political
foil; while Ketchup Eusebio’s Capt. Janolino, the leader of Luna’s killers, feels too
forced as a villain scorned by the titular general. The closest character who can
keep up with Luna’s onscreen presence is his equally proud contemporary, Heneral
Mascardo (Lorenz Martinez) – whose refusal to give in to Luna provides a tension-
filled back-and-forth sequence in the middle of the film. Unfortunately, because of
some jagged pacing, tension such as is this is not consistent throughout the movie.

18
This erratic pacing is felt most during the first act of Heneral Luna – where things
play out very much like an oral history. Used as plot device to serve as the
audience’s perspective, Arron Villaflor portrays journalist, Joven Hernando, who is
tasked to interview the general. This frame narrative leads to various snippets that
feature Luna’s patriotism: from an expertly-shot rowdy meeting with Aguinaldo’s
cabinet to earlier battles against the Americans. Oddly, these scenes just feel
lacking in connective tissue. Its pacing is too quick to really tie the storytelling
together and it doesn’t help either that some set pieces looked too clean and
glossed over – lacking the grit and weariness you’d expect from a war movie. Couple
this with efforts to add humor at some odd moments throughout the film, and
you’ve got a trifecta that hinders the movie from fully immersing you.

Heneral Luna more than makes for these flaws though through its artistic
components – such as its beautiful score, well-crafted cinematography, and, most
especially, its fantastic rhythmic script.

Technically marvelous is the only way to describe the movie’s sound design – from
Luna’s table banging overpowering the raucous in a cabinet meeting, to a guitar
mini-concert midway the film, to the overall masterful score. You have to give it to
effort put in by Jerrold Tarog, who not only directed the movie but also provided its
music.

All sorts of appealing too is Heneral Luna‘s cinematography. One scene you have to
look out for is the flashback sequence to the general’s youth. This particular scene
employs one long take, seamlessly moving from different sets that pass of as a
childhood home, Europe, and other settings from different timelines. It is a visual
spectacle, innovative and masterful in its execution.

Most notable though among the movie’s artistry is its script. Poetic yet
conversational, Heneral Luna‘s script is filled to the brim with flowery lines of
dialogue as if lifted from a sonata. It’s not everyday that you get to hear lines as
beautifully crafted as “kailangan mong tumalon sa kawalan,” “digmaan ang iyong
asawa, ako lamang ay iyong querida,” and “para kayong mga birhen na naniniwala
sa pag-ibig ng puta.” Here is a script so elegant that it can even make curse words
sound so cultured, so tasteful.

Overall, Heneral Luna is not just a film but a wake-up call driving the ever
reminder that some things never change. Its message – we Filipinos are our own
worst enemies, lacking in resolve and torn by self-interests. It is a story
representative of not just our current and still chaotic political landscape but of
who we are and what we can do but don’t. Though it may not be perfect in its
execution, the film does its duty in leaving us with the question lingering “Bayan o
sarili?”

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References
Printed Materials:

Department of Education. (2016). Chapter 2: Writing a Reaction Paper, Review, or

Critique, English for Academic and Professional Purposes Reader (pp.45-80).
Pasig City, Philippines.

Department of Education. (2016). Chapter 2: Writing a Reaction Paper, Review, or

Critique, English for Academic and Professional Purposes Teacher’s Guide
(pp.29-54). Pasig City, Philippines

Saqueton, Grace M. & Uychoco, Marikit Tara A. (2016). Chapter 1: The Reaction
Paper, English for Academic and Professional Purposes (pp 57-68). First
Edition. Quezon City, Philippines: Rex Bookstore Inc.

Valdez, Paolo Niño M. (2016). Unit 3: Writing the Reaction Paper/Review/Critique,

English for the Globalized Classroom Series: English for Academic and
Professional Purposes. Quezon City, Philippines

Website:

Lacuata, Rose Carmelle, (2015). Review: ‘Heneral Luna’ shows human side of hero.
Retrieved on July 23, 2020 from https://news.abs-
cbn.com/lifestyle/09/06/15/review-heneral-luna-shows-human-side-hero

Tsui, Clarence. (2015). ‘Heneral Luna’: Film Review. Retrieve on July 23, 2020 from
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/heneral-luna-film-review
831202

Valdez, Paolo Niño M. (2014). “Review of News Discourse by Monica Bednarek &
Helen Caple”. Discourse Studies. 16(2) 317-318. Retrieved on July 23, 2020
from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461445613518868d

Writing a Critique. (n.d.) QUT Cite/Write. Retrieved July 22, 2020 from
https://www.citewrite.qut.ed.au/write/critique.jsp#

Zinampan, Tristan, (2015). Movie Review: Heneral Luna. Retrieved July 23, 2020
from http://www.filmpolicereviews.com/reviews/heneral-luna

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