A SITWOL is a
Summary In Twenty Words Or Less.
I have coined this term because I hate reviews with paragraph-long summaries explaining the plot. A bad reviewer, in my opinion, uses long portions of their review to explain the plot for the sole purpose of explaining the plot.
A reviewer does not need to explain the plot; that is what trailers and the actual movie is for. A reviewer needs to explain why they think a film is good or bad or neither.
So, whenever I think a summary is necessary, I condense it into twenty words or less. This challenges me to think of creative ways to explain the plot briefly. I ONLY explain the plot more in-depth if it is relevant to my criticism of the movie.
If you are a reviewer who finds the need to explain the plot in your review, please keep in mind that you usually don’t need to. It is oftentimes boring and unnecessary. Most people who read or listen to your reviews already know what the movie is about. Usually, if I see a review with a massive summary in it, I usually stop reading the review.