Reviewing my reviews

I love reviewing. Maybe it’s somewhat narcissistic of me, but I always feel more of a rush when I see my opinions published than just a regular news story. (Plus, reviews are far less stressful to write for the socially awkward!) So I was pretty excited when Alex told us that this week was Review Week (Sad, I know).

Perhaps I find reviewing so enjoyable because I’m often critical of most media I consume — usually I will have rehashed the plot of a film, or analysed what an even could have done to improve before I’m even halfway home.

It’s hardly a recent phenomenon either; in one way or another, I think I’ve probably been reviewing things since before I even know what the word meant. I’ve definitely been reading reviews with regularity since I was eleven, which definitely helps to find my ‘voice’, as it were.

That said, I still managed to learn a lot this week. Usually, I have pretty clear opinions on whether I like something or not, though I suppose that’s usually because I don’t particularly tend to go out of my comfort zone when it comes to films and music. Still, if I absolutely despise something, I won’t hold back if I can get away it. Often it’s far more fun to rip a terrible film or song to shreds than it is to be constructive.

But the review I wrote this week was for something that I genuinely had mixed feelings for: KingCon, a comic convention that was held in Sunderland for the first time this year. It was partly because there was so much going on, but it was maybe the first time I felt torn about my experience.

And that made it really hard to express how I felt without contradicting myself. But, with some pertinent advice from Alex, I managed to fix my rambling sleep deprived review into something more up to my usual standard.

So, what about the rest of you? Do you enjoy reviewing as much as I do, or do you prefer to write more fact based pieces? DO you have a particular one-liner that you’re particularly fond of, be it your own or someone else’s?