Review of Selma (2014) by Stuart M — 24 Apr 2015
It's a decent film. A message piece obviously, but that's not a problem given the subject matter. The performances are excellent, particularly David Oyelowo as MLK. And the events depicted were certainly dramatic enough to deserve dramatization.
The only real problem is that it never really gets us under MLK's skin or finds sufficient material to cover outside of the marches themselves. In fact, it relies an awful lot on MLK's speeches, and while I'm fine with that since he was a great speaker I suspect this was due to an uncertainty what to include beyond the marches.
LBJ's scenes are also likely a result of this, where they make him overly antagonistic to provide us with drama and a sense of MLK's isolation. The film's at its best when providing us with almost documentary-like footage of the marches and public speeches.
In moments like that the film really shines and gives us a sense of being witnesses to history.
This review of Selma (2014) was written by Stuart M on 24 Apr 2015.
Selma has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
