Review of Hidden Figures (2016) by Raj S — 06 Dec 2018

Exaggeration or Excellence.

What makes a film excellent? Hidden Figures, directed by Ted Melfi, revolves around three black women named Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson who worked at NASA and were integral to the success of many of the Apollo missions including the one that sent John Glenn into space, which caused him to be the first American to orbit the Earth. Hidden Figures is a critically acclaimed movie that was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy Awards. Hidden Figures was undoubtedly an enlightening movie that captivated its audience, but it also implemented exaggeration to entertain viewers.

Few movies based on true stories maintain the delicate balance of facts and personal struggles like the film Hidden Figures does. The difficult tasks that Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson completed while working at NASA would not have been properly represented had the film creators decided to neglect the scientific and mathematical aspects of these women's careers. Despite the complicated ideas that circulated throughout NASA, Hidden Figures was able to explain the basic function of each of the main character's jobs in simple yet sufficient enough detail so that the audience could appreciate each women's contributions to the space program. This movie induced feelings of inspiration and satisfaction to many of its viewers as it highlighted how Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan overcame various struggles such as sexism and racism to achieve success in their fields. If nothing else, Hidden Figures opened its audience's eyes to the idea that the space program at the highest level was not exclusively run by the white man, and everyone can make an impact in any field.

Movies based on reality are subject to a certain amount of authenticity, and authenticity is one of the major reasons viewers decided to watch Hidden Figures. However, under further scrutiny, the film Hidden Figures proved to have many inaccuracies. Arguably the most important exaggeration included the idea that Katherine Johnson suffered large amounts of explicit racism while working when in reality Katherine Johnson herself admitted that racism was not prevalent at NASA. Movies based on true stories are held accountable to a certain amount of accuracy, yet the filmmakers decided to add false ideas into the movie to make it more entertaining. There are times and places for artistic license, but it should be used to accentuate details not falsify facts. Developing a plot in a movie of this genre needs to be based on truth, and the film Hidden Figures was not able to meet that requirement.

Hidden Figures was an enthralling movie despite using false information to create conflict and entertain viewers. The film showcased Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Katherine Johnson's accomplishments with an appropriate amount of detail. However, the producers detracted from the value of the movie by trying to create a problem that did not even exist. Hidden Figures is the perfect movie for anyone who wants to understand the contributions that these women made to America, but not for those wishing to understand the full, accurate story of their lives. Many people can make an entertaining fictional film, but those who create movies that revolve around the lives of real people need to be held to a higher standard.