Thursday, February 16, 2017

Film Review - Hidden Figures (2017)

Hidden Figures tells the true story of a group of 3 African American women played by Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer and Taraji P. Henson working at NASA during the Space Race of the early 1960s where the US and the Soviet Union but the early 1960s in the US was also the time of segregation which these 3 women sadly know all too well.

I really liked Hidden Figures I was surprised that I enjoyed this film as much as I did when it was over and the reason for that is that wonderful group of actresses who carry this film so well and so effortlessly that you would watch them do anything and it is set up well after the first scene you meet them in the opening of the film, I also really liked the performances by Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst and the ensemble of that group play off each other nicely.

But I also loved seeing Mahershala Ali in this movie he doesn't have a big role like he did as Colonel Boggs the head of security in District 13 in the Mockingjay movies but in both those films and in this one I thought to myself "This guy is the new Denzel" in that like Mr Washington he is a very stern screen presence but also one that is utterly charming, charismatic and likeable which were all the elements that made Denzel the star he is today so I hope that happens to Mahershala as well.

But I'll stop my gushing for him there and turn to what I most admire about this movie and that is while it is an upbeat Science Fiction story like the Dish or the Martian it also never shies away from the issue of Segregation which really held America back in the 60s these three women are the best at what they do and you see it plainly in this film but because of their skin colour they have to live like 2nd class citizens and it made me a little mad at times during the film that they were needlessly held back but happily we have made a lot of advances since then even though we still have a fair ways to go but progress is a long road but one worth travelling on.

And so that was Hidden Figures a film that I really liked and would recommend, 3 and a half out of 5.

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