Andrew
Film Review
Tinashe Kusema
NOW, let us pretend for a minute that the multiverse theory is fact, and there are countless universes that exist parrel to each other and mirror each and every one of us.
There is a good chance that, in one of them, Will Smith is revered as a great thespian, a talented Philly boy credited with shedding his Fresh Prince boyish charm and, first, into a talented rapper, to a big action star and now a respectable actor.
In this universe, “King Richard” is still a hit and Smith got his long-cherished Oscar moment.
Chris Rock probably did make the “G.I. Jane” joke but, rather than Smith storming the stage, he told his wife Jada Pinkett Smith to lighten up, and the 54-year-old actress spent the rest of the night sulking.
For Smith, he probably milked the night for all its worth and shared a couple of cold ones with Samuel L. Jackson and Quest Love.
“Emancipation”, his follow-up hit, gets a cinematic run and Smith takes his seat at the high table.
Sounds nice, right?
Well, that is not what happened in this reality, and I will not bore you with a recap of this year’s Oscar shenanigans, suffice to say “The slap heard around the world” is likely to follow the rest of Smith’s career.
The funny thing about Smith’s latest project is that the slap, really, does not do much harm to the film; the movie does that all by itself.
Director Antoine Fuqua’s decision to go for aesthetics over substance, and Smith’s grandstanding are my biggest criticisms of this film.
But more on that later.
“Emancipation” focuses on a slave by the name of Peter (Smith), who once separated from his family, after being sold off. He decides to run away from his plantation and join Abraham Lincoln’s freedom fighters.
Together with three other slaves, Peter navigates through the terrain of the swamp as he fights alligators; nurses gunshot wounds and evades capture by a ruthless plantation owner by the name of Fassel (Ben Foster).
The film is loosely based on the real-life story of Gordon, a former slave who escaped from his plantation and later agreed to get pictures of his back taken to show the heavy marks of the beatings, whipping and torture he endured.
The pictures were published worldwide in 1863, giving the abolitionist movement proof of the cruelty of slavery.
Now, as far as slavery movies are concerned, and there have been a lot, “Emancipation” could very well be the most graphic and a warning for those of a squeamish nature, as some scenes can be a bit too much.
Director Fuqua deserves some credit for making the bold decision to go full on with some of the graphic beatings, beheadings and general violence of the era.
Unfortunately, he went a bit overboard, and, together with writer William M. Collage, the end product sees basic movie tenets like character development and basic storytelling sacrificed for great visuals.
A balance here was definitely needed.
The movie mainly focuses on Smith’s Peter character and Foster’s Fassel, who dominate a huge chunk of the movie scenes and dialogue.
Their great cat-and-mouse chase, while entertaining, lacks motivation, apart from the basic slave runaway.
We do not really get to know their backgrounds, and even the payoff is lame and disappointing at best.
Peter is described as a religious family man, but all we get in terms of presentation is an odd prayer here and there.
The overall movie is nothing but grandstanding.
All the focus is on Smith’s character Peter. Everything else is just an extra in the Smith show.
Foster probably gets the lines he has only because Peter’s heroics needed a foe, and the 54-year-old actor co-producing and being the biggest star in the movie probably mean that he had some form of creative control.
The accent is weak, and his performance is average.
For those who probably rolled their eyes when I brought up the Oscars debacle earlier, there is a good reason for that. It is very difficult to separate Smith from his actions at this year’s Academy Awards.
Never mind the fact that he ruined Quest Love and Samuel L. Jackson’s night, along with everyone else that day, but the movie has also been affected.
Originally slated for a May release date, it was pushed back several months, and it is somehow difficult not to take his most recent flimsy attempt at apologising back in July as disingenuous.
Online Reporter