Selma

Selma, 2014. Martin Luther King Jr. leads demonstrations in Alabama.

Directed by Ava DuVernay. Written by Paul Webb. Starring David Oyelowo, with Carmen Ejogo, & Tom Wilkinson.

Concept: C
Story: B
Characters: Great for the lead, but most of the supporting characters are background or plot devices. B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: Mostly great, except for one prominent awful song. B
Enjoyment: I can imagine this having been a disaster if someone like Spielberg had directed it. DuVernay spends a lot of focus on Oyelowo's performance, and it's one of the all-time best performances I can recall seeing, subtle and completely captivating. They've made a movie that might have been a history lesson or an inspirational-true-story-cliche into something as powerful as the subject deserves. B

GPA: 3.0/4