Review of Selma (2014) by Haithamb — 25 Jan 2015

Following Hollywood’s infamous habit of releasing terrible movies in January (Previous years include: “The Legend of Hercules” (2014), “Texas Chainsaw 3D” (2013), “The Devil Inside” (2012), “One Missed Call” (2008)), I decided to skip this year’s Hollywood’s January “treat” to the audience (“The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” (2015)) and decided to see the new Martin Luther King Jr.’s biography by the name of “Selma” (2015).

To begin with, shamefully enough this is the first wide release for a MLK biography, meaning that “Selma” (2015), is screening around the world in over 2,179 theaters. Despite, “Selma” (2015), directed by critically acclaimed African-American director Ava DuVernay (known for “Middle of Nowhere”(2012) and “I will follow” (2010)), is “A chronicle of MLK’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965”.

Firstly, I was skeptical going into this movie, very much aware that this is a two-hour biography about a certain period in a great man’s life, a hero in particular, thus this movie could be interesting but if not brilliantly handled in production, as a result could instead be dull. To my surprise, this is one of the best movies I have seen thus far this year. This was an absolute treat because it is always in January in which you can seek out films for your worst list, however “Selma” (2015) featured an outstanding, truly Oscar-Worthy performance from David Oyelowo (known for “A Most Violent Year” (2014) and “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” (2013)) in which he perfectly portrayed Martin Luther King showing not only his status but also his imperfections as a human being. Basically Oyelowo brought back MLK to life with his electrifying performance. The film also features great supporting roles from Carmen Ejogo (known for “The Purge: Anarchy” (2014)) as MLK’s devoted wife and the beloved Oprah Winfrey as Annie Lee Cooper.

Moreover, this movie has shocking intense and emotional sequences in which the “white” officers fight “black” citizens marching to Montgomery as an ask for their voting rights. The two marches are heart pounding yet enormous and highly constructed therefore, made me appreciate this feature even more. The movie is overall well-directed, well-written and sharply edited, with MLK’s speeches shinning more than ever.

In conclusion, this feature might not be appealing to most teenagers, however schools could benefit from teaching it in classes as it holds valuable information about one great icon of history. It also carries out great positive messages such as “the triumphs and challenges of the civil rights movements and the importance to gather a diverse community to fight racism”. With great positive role models mainly MLK. (“He is not “idealized” in this movie as his flaws are addressed, but he is no shortage of incredible role models among the civil rights leaders”). Subsequently, I highly recommend seeing “Selma” (2015).