A–B. Listening and Speaking · Listening and Speaking Across la Francophonie

Mon avis critique : Reviewing Films, Graphic Novels and Video Games

A2.2 B1.1 B1.2 B1.4 B2.2About 70 minutes

Learning goals

I can give a structured spoken review of a film, graphic novel or video game, with reasons and examples.
I can use adjectives correctly (agreement and position) to describe and evaluate.
I can compare with plus / moins / aussi... que, meilleur and mieux, and use the superlative.
I can respond to someone else's opinion, agreeing or disagreeing respectfully.

Words to know

une critique
A review (kree-TEEK). Faire la critique d'un film = to review a film.

une bande dessinée (BD)
A comic / graphic story (bah(n)d deh-see-NAY; bay-DAY). Un roman graphique = a graphic novel.

l'intrigue (f.)
The plot (lah(n)-TREEG).

les personnages (m.)
The characters (pair-soh-NAHZH).

la bande sonore
The soundtrack.

passionnant(e)
Gripping, exciting (pah-syoh-NAH(N) / pah-syoh-NAH(N)T).

décevant(e)
Disappointing (day-suh-VAH(N) / day-suh-VAH(N)T). False friend: not deceiving!

prévisible
Predictable (pray-vee-ZEEBL).

divulgâcher
To spoil (an ending), a word created in Québec (dee-vül-gah-SHAY). Used in Québec and other parts of Canada.

Ça vaut la peine.
It's worth it (sah voh lah PEN).

Alors, c'est bon ?

You just finished a video game, a graphic novel, or a movie, and a friend asks: C'est bon ? Saying Oui, c'est cool is an answer. Saying Oui ! À mon avis, c'est le jeu le plus original de l'année, parce que... is a review.

Giving a spoken critique of a graphic novel, film or video game is a classic Grade 9 speaking task. Today you'll learn a five-part structure for a spoken review, the adjectives to make it precise, and how to compare, a key skill for giving strong opinions.

Words for talking about stories and games

Types: un film d'action, une comédie, un film d'animation, un documentaire, un film d'horreur, une BD, un roman graphique, un manga, un jeu vidéo d'aventure / de sport / de rôle

What to talk about: l'intrigue (the plot) · les personnages (the characters) · le héros / l'héroïne · les dessins (the drawings, in a BD) · les graphismes (graphics, in a game) · les effets spéciaux · la bande sonore · le rythme (the pace) · la fin (the ending)

Opinion starters:

À mon avis, ... (In my opinion) · Selon moi, ... (According to me) · Je trouve que... · Je pense que... / Je crois que...
Ce que j'ai aimé, c'est... (What I liked is...)
Ce qui m'a déçu(e), c'est... (What disappointed me is...)
Je le / la recommande à... (I recommend it to...) · Ça vaut la peine ! (It's worth it!)

Adjectives that do real work

Instead of bon and cool every time, choose precise adjectives:

👍 passionnant(e) (gripping) · drôle (funny) · émouvant(e) (moving, ay-moo-VAH(N)) · original(e) · réussi(e) (well done) · génial(e) (brilliant; plural géniaux)
👎 ennuyeux / ennuyeuse (boring, ah(n)-nwee-YUH / ah(n)-nwee-YUHZ) · prévisible (predictable) · décevant(e) (disappointing) · trop long(ue) · effrayant(e) (scary: good or bad!)

Agreement: adjectives agree with the noun. You can often hear the feminine: un film passionnant (silent t) vs une histoire passionnante (t pronounced).

Position: most adjectives go after the noun: une fin surprenante. A small group goes before: Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size (BAGS): un beau dessin, un nouveau jeu, un bon film, une longue scène, la meilleure BD.

Watch out: beau, nouveau, vieux have a special form before a masculine noun starting with a vowel: un bel effet, un nouvel épisode, un vieil ami.

Comparing

plus + adjective + que: Le jeu est plus difficile que le film.
moins + adjective + que: Le livre est moins drôle que le film.
aussi + adjective + que: La BD est aussi intéressante que le film.

Two irregulars English speakers mix up:

meilleur(e) = better (the adjective, describing a noun): Le livre est meilleur que le film. (never plus bon)
mieux = better (the adverb, describing a verb): Elle dessine mieux que lui. · J'aime mieux les comédies. (I prefer comedies.)

The superlative (the most / the least): le / la / les + plus / moins + adjective:

C'est le jeu le plus original de l'année. (adjective after the noun → repeat le)
C'est la plus belle BD que j'ai lue. (BAGS adjective before the noun)
C'est le meilleur film de la série. · C'est le pire épisode ! (the worst)

Three ways to compare. Remember the irregular one: meilleur (better) for nouns, mieux (better) for verbs.

Planning a spoken review (strategies)

A good speaker plans the shape of what they'll say, then speaks from key-word notes, not a script. Use five layers:

Plan these five parts on a cue card with key words only. Start by naming what you're reviewing; end with a clear recommendation.

Speaking strategies for a review

Introduce the topic clearly at the start (Aujourd'hui, je vais vous parler de...) and sum up at the end (Bref, ...).
Give an example for every opinion: Par exemple, dans la scène du pont, ...
Use intonation: let your voice rise with enthusiasm on passionnant or drop on décevant; a flat voice makes a great opinion sound boring.
Keep a personal phrase list: add every useful phrase you hear in class to a list you can reuse in all your presentations.
No spoilers! Je ne vais pas divulgâcher la fin, mais... (I won't spoil the ending, but...)

Worked example

Let's listen to two friends disagree

Félix and Aïcha have just seen the (made-up) animated film Les Gardiens du Nord.

Félix : Alors, tu as aimé ? Aïcha : Oui ! À mon avis, c'est le film d'animation le plus réussi de l'année. Les dessins sont magnifiques, surtout les aurores boréales. Félix : Je suis d'accord pour les dessins, mais l'intrigue était prévisible. Je savais comment ça allait finir après dix minutes. Aïcha : Je vois ce que tu veux dire, mais les personnages sont tellement drôles ! Le renard est le meilleur personnage du film. Félix : Ça, c'est vrai. Mais franchement, je trouve que le premier film était meilleur que celui-ci. Aïcha : Tu as peut-être raison. Moi, je lui donne quatre étoiles sur cinq. Et toi ? Félix : Trois. C'est un bon film, mais pas génial.

Opinions with reasons: Aïcha: le plus réussi because the drawings are magnifiques. Félix: the plot was prévisible because he guessed the ending after ten minutes.
Comparisons: superlative le plus réussi de l'année, le meilleur personnage; comparative le premier film était meilleur que celui-ci (celui-ci = this one).
Respectful disagreement: Je suis d'accord pour..., mais... · Je vois ce que tu veux dire, mais... · Ça, c'est vrai. · Tu as peut-être raison.
Ratings: Je lui donne quatre étoiles sur cinq (lui = to it, the film).

Translation:

Félix: So, did you like it? Aïcha: Yes! In my opinion, it's the most successful animated film of the year. The drawings are beautiful, especially the northern lights. Félix: I agree about the drawings, but the plot was predictable. I knew how it would end after ten minutes. Aïcha: I see what you mean, but the characters are so funny! The fox is the best character in the film. Félix: That's true. But honestly, I think the first film was better than this one. Aïcha: You might be right. I give it four stars out of five. And you? Félix: Three. It's a good movie, but not brilliant.

Worked example

Let's build a one-minute review

Review a (made-up) video game, Odyssée glaciale, an adventure game set in the Arctic. Notes: graphismes superbes · musique émouvante · trop court (6 h) · plus facile que le premier · ados qui aiment explorer · 4/5.

Présentation: Aujourd'hui, je vais vous parler d'Odyssée glaciale, un jeu vidéo d'aventure.
Résumé: Le joueur explore l'Arctique pour retrouver son équipe. Je ne vais pas divulgâcher la fin !
Avis + raisons: À mon avis, c'est un très beau jeu. Ce que j'ai aimé, c'est les graphismes : la glace et la neige sont superbes. La bande sonore est émouvante. Ce qui m'a déçu, c'est la durée : le jeu est trop court, seulement six heures.
Comparaison: Il est plus facile que le premier jeu de la série, mais l'histoire est meilleure.
Recommandation: Bref, je le recommande aux ados qui aiment explorer. Je lui donne quatre étoiles sur cinq.

Spoken all together, this takes about one minute. It has all five layers, a reason and example for each opinion, a comparison with plus... que and meilleure, and a clear rating. (Strictly, formal French would say ce que j'ai aimé, ce sont les graphismes, but c'est is very common in speech.)

Just for fun

Why are comic books always in a good mood? Parce qu'elles ont des bulles ! In French, speech balloons in a BD are called des bulles (bubbles), so every BD is a little bit like a celebration.

Hands-on activity

Ma critique d'une minute (My one-minute review)

You need: an index card, a phone or tablet to record (optional), and a film, BD, book or game you know well.

Fill in the five layers on your card with key words only (no full sentences).
Include: 3 precise adjectives (with correct agreement), 1 comparison (plus / moins / aussi... que or meilleur), 1 superlative, and a rating.
Present it to a family member in about one minute. Use your voice: enthusiastic or disappointed!
Your listener gives their own opinion (in English is fine). Respond in French: Je suis d'accord, parce que... or Je vois ce que tu veux dire, mais...
Phrase list: start a page called Mes expressions utiles and add 5 phrases from today. Keep adding all year.

What to look for: adjectives agreeing (une fin surprenante), meilleur (not plus bon), no spoilers, and a recommendation that says who would like it.

Your turn

Make the adjective agree and place it: une histoire (passionnant).

Compare: the film (drôle) + the book. The film is funnier.

Say: The book is better than the film.

Say: It's the scariest game of the year.

Your friend says L'intrigue était prévisible. Disagree respectfully.

Give a rating: I give it three stars out of five.

What are the five layers of a spoken review?

More practice: warm-up

What does ennuyeux mean?

What is l'intrigue?

What does À mon avis mean?

Where does beau go: before or after the noun?

What does décevant mean?

More practice: on your own

Correct: Ce jeu est plus bon que l'autre.

meilleur or mieux? (a) Elle joue ___ que moi. (b) Sa BD est ___ que la mienne.

Fix the form: un nouveau épisode, un beau effet.

Make it a superlative: une scène émouvante (the most moving scene of the film).

Why should every opinion in a review have an example?

Challenge

Compare two things you know (two games, two films or two series) in 3 sentences using plus... que, aussi... que and le meilleur / la meilleure.

Explain the difference between Je n'aime pas les films d'horreur and Ce film d'horreur est trop effrayant pour les enfants de 8 ans. Which is more useful in a review, and why?

Give a two-sentence negative review that is still respectful and useful.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is correct?

The game is better than the film.

Décevant means...

Which phrase disagrees respectfully?

C'est ___ film de la série. (the best)

Which part should come first in a spoken review?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students give a structured spoken review (B1.1, B1.2), using adjectives, comparatives and superlatives accurately (B1.4), and respond to others' opinions (A2.2, B2.2). Critiquing a graphic novel, film or video game is a typical Grade 9 speaking task.

How to help: After watching a movie or playing a game together, ask your teen for a one-minute review in French, then give your opinion in English and let them agree or disagree respectfully in French.

Common difficulties:

Plus bon instead of meilleur, and mixing meilleur (adjective) with mieux (adverb).
Adjective agreement: listen for the extra consonant sound in the feminine (passionnante).
Reading a script: encourage key-word cue cards so the review sounds natural.

Good to know: Divulgâcher (to spoil) is a word invented in Québec by combining divulguer (to reveal) and gâcher (to ruin). Students enjoy it.