User reviews

Unfortunately I was unable to deeply connect to the characters emotionally. Although the cinematography was excellent, I felt that the movie relied too heavily on it and it wasn't enough to carry the movie. I feel that it was the script/story that felt too simplified. It felt rushed and edited to pieces....and just not thorough enough.

The score was mediocre at best. Nothing new to help us connect.

Top notch acting here, but lack of full character exploration (again lack of good script) feels like a huge injustice.

It did make me want to find out more about this particular American Hero tho.

Well, I really enjoyed the film. It is a story about survival, freedom and individual self-confidence. Will Smith's performance was amazing. Odds of winning a Oscar for his performance is very high. Good cinematography, unique color correction and a brilliant stunt sequence.

The alligator scene in particular was shot very well. The ugly truth of slavery shows how few inhuman animals existed in the past. Small request for the viewers, Don't compare movie with the artist personal life, both are different.

An emotional drama about slavery and a reminder of how unfair the past has been to people of color.

It's nothing you haven't seen before, but that doesn't mean that it's a chore, reflecting on past wrongs and crimes, should be done all of the time, especially, as there are those who don't abhor; here we journey in the mire, the swamps that inflict pain and tire, to escape the evil clutches of the whip, the gun, dog judges, through a world that's cruel and dire, freedom's something you acquire, but you're more likely to win, a back of waves and rippled skin.

For me, the cinematography and the semi monochrome effect detracted from the whole. Some of the dialogue was a bit prosaic and the story was predictable; I needed to have the subtitles on to understand a lot of what was being said. I don't think it will go down as a landmark piece of filmmaking on the subject of slavery, to compare it to 12 Years a Slave or Antebellum or indeed Roots would give it credibility it doesn't deserve, but it does deserve some credit, and it does have a story to tell.

"Emancipation" is an Action - Thriller movie in which we follow a slave trying to return to his family after escaping from a plantation where the owners almost killed him. He has to overcome many obstacles on his way back but he is determined to do anything.

I liked this movie because it has a nice, interesting plot that combined very well action with suspense. It reminded me a bit of "12 Years a Slave" of 2013 but I have to admit that "Emancipation" is not that good. The interpretation of Will Smith who played as Peter was very good and he made the difference along with Ben Foster who played as Jim Fassel. To sum up, I have to say that "Emancipation" is a nice movie and I recommend you to watch it.

Greetings from Lithuania.

Although I have never heard a story about this infamous picture taken during slavery times, nor I saw "Emancipation" (2022) before, I could swore I have seen this movie many times before when i was watching it. "Emancipation" is not a bad film, but its just so shallow and generic and forgettable, that you will forget it after seeing it very quickly. Performances were descent but characters are so two dimensional that i did not care about anyone here, including main character - and that sounds like a problem for movie about some historical event and figure. And that is shame because when you have Oscar winner in a lead role, very good supporting actor as well as very talented director, this should have turn out way better then it was. Unfortunately "Emancipation" was highly predictable and forgettable "actioneer" set in historical time.

Will Smith, check.

Black and white film stock, check.

Lots of brutality and slavery depicted in graphic detail, check.

Partially coloured sections like schindlers list, check.

Battle scenes like the ones Denzel made famous in 'Glory', check.

Historically important context given a photograph that links everything to the present, check.

Schmaltzy, happy ending, check.

This is all stuff that we have seen before and seen it done better elsewhere. It's all so unoriginal, harrowing, for sure, but just a copycat of better movies.

Are there any good bits? Well, Ben Foster is good. Some of the cinematography is nice but really that's about it.

I love IMDB and use the ratings as my guide to Whether a movie deserves my time to watch it. So glad I didn't check before watching this. Is it a 10? Obviously not but come on, 5.8 (at time of review), that's just insulting. I've seen far crapier movies with far higher ratings. This should be rated in the sevens for sure. I don't normally bother with reviews but felt I had to say something here!

Acting was fantastic, cinematography was amazing and the story was engaging. Not sure what more anyone could want to rate a movie good. I have to admit I love Will Smith and Ben Foster and thought hey were both brilliant. I think this movie will be appreciated with time.

Not a reference to the subject matter, but the cinematography. I get it... I get that sometimes black and white, or in this case, extremely low level of color saturation allowed, can, and has been used in an artistic way. But for the life of me, I cannot understand why such a masterpiece was done in it. This was a great movie. Great content. Great story, and based on a true story at that. WHY ON EARTH DID YOU SCREW IT UP BY REMOVING THE COLOR???? An otherwise fantastic piece. But ruined by sucking the life out of it. The imagery, and immersion that is created by films like this is wonderful. But due to no color, I felt completely disassociated from the plight of Peter. It was really hard to even stay in my seat to finish it. Stop it.... get some help...

The character ark is so overdone, its like watching a handful of movies being regurgitated into something so unoriginal it hurts to watch. The feeling I had at the end of the movie was akin to watching Apocalypto, Django, 10 years a slave, My Way and I am legend all at the same time - but in black and white.

It was basic in terms of Direction however the cinematography and was pretty decent at times and so I consider it the only redeeming feature - making 2 stars of my 4 star review; the other 2 stars is split between the story and acting (1 star) and 1 star for the production quality.

I can't stress just how disappointing the story line and acting was - leaving a true disconnect between the viewer and the movie which was by far the biggest set back. Ben Foster was playing a character that we've all seen before. Charmaine Bingwa was the best redeeming feature in regards to the acting. I'm not alone in saying that Will Smith is now in the vain of Nick Cage and Jeff Goldblum, where I struggle to see him as the character he plays rather the person himself playing a character. Unlike Nick Cage and Jeff Goldblum though, Will Smith lacks any theatrical range and is now giving off the impression that his on-screen presence is that of an SNL actor.

If you want to waste 2 hours of your life for a half-assed Saving Private Ryan-esque-D-day-beaches battle scene, then this is the movie I would recommend. Very basic. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Will Smith died shortly after the last Oscars and this production was entirely created with AI and advanced CGI technology to sway us into believing he's still alive.

High point a powerful and chaotic battle scene. This is an unvarnished look at slavery in the American south in the 1860s though perhaps a bit too much sentimentality at times - but that's understandable. A re-creation of the iconic and historic wet-plate photograph "The Whipped Slave" was moving and well done.

I do not at all understand the gripes about the film being in B&W as it was spot on for the subject matter and the period - color would have been a cosmetic and superficial distraction. For those who can't deal with it I suggest skipping Citizen Kane and Casablanca.

Will Smith was impressive as were many other actors.

My biggest complaint is the choice to go black and white, but a really weird looking black and white. It almost looks like it was shot on a cellphone. It's really distracting from trying to actually get into the movie. It was just a really bad choice in my opinion. I like pretty much everything Antoine Fuqua has ever made. Unfortunately, this is probably meant to be the most profound work he has ever done, and it's just not. It's really well made, and well acted, and technically proficient. It just doesn't have the impact that I think it's meant to have, which is disappointing. Plus, Ben Foster is a great actor, but I think he needs to move on from being the go to bad guy. However, the weird choice of the strange looking black and white, or whatever it is I was looking at was what really took me out of the experience the most. Oh well, overall it wasn't bad.

Will Smith stars in this Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer/Bait) film from last year. Smith, a Haitian slave now in America, has just been conscripted to work for the south getting their rail lines in order but the keepers are especially brutal which spurs Smith to kill one of his minders causing him to flee w/some others while a slave hunter, the always reliable Ben Foster, hunts him down. What follows is a prolonged chase between Foster & Smith (since compatriots are lost on both sides) where Smith's innate sense of survival allows him to finally get his freedom, fight for the North & return himself back to his family. Smith in any other year may've taken this perf (just from its sheer weight & importance) to a nomination but then slapgate happened so, the film notwithstanding, feels like a mea culpa to the governing body of the Oscars to forgive him but until his own personal demons are addressed not even a cancer cure, well maybe that, will get Smith in the good graces of audiences & critics alike. Also starring Mustafa Shakir as a fellow slave & Steven Ogg, from the Walking Dead, as a Confederate sergeant.

The movie isn't that bad, but the reviews as i read are pretty hard on him. To be honest, the movie is good, but certainly not great, if to be said in a nutshell.

In an era of 4K making a movie in black and white, i don't know what the makers were thinking, perhaps the idea was to give it an historical effect, but for me this was the biggest negative aspect of the movie. Taking colours of life, well dramatize the situation but pull out all the entertainment one looks for in movie too.

Risky step taken, but not worked.

As for the acting, full one ace, 10/10 for will smith, with utmost dedication, with his full heart and mind and what beautiful adaption he carried out into this character.

In addition all the actors performed superbly well, direction was beautiful, scenes, dialogues, script everything worth it but just this uncolorful presentation for me has taken the beauty from the movie.

Still regardless, it worth the watch, one time if not more for sure.

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"Emancipation struggles tremendously to justify its existence. The overly performative, superficial screenplay fails to elevate and distinguish the unique, true story of "Whipped Peter" from all the other generic movies that treat slavery as a mere plot point to "yet another" action/survival flick - surely there's a better way to adapt these stories?!

Cinematography (Robert Richardson), cast - mainly Will Smith - and some of Antoine Fuqua's direction do a lot of the heavy lifting, but it starts to get tiring and painful to continue to watch shameful, traumatic events of our history being used repeatedly for pure Hollywood entertainment."

Rating: C-

One of the best movies about American history that I've seen. Anthony Fuqua is a genius! Will Smith was amazing! I'm glad someone touched on this from this perspective. The filming and directing, and the color scheme was wonderful and different I loved everything about this movie (aside from the reality of the ignorance and cruelty of the past)! This movie needs to be promoted more than it is! Good work Apple TV and to all who took part in this epic film! You all did a wonderful job. If you haven't seen it I suggest you do, and if you hate it I suggest a look in the mirror. The truth although sometimes wicked...should always come to light. Oscar winner for sure!

What's with the strange colour palette of this movie? The, almost black and white with the odd hues of colour thrown in.

One of the most wonderful gifts that most of us are lucky enough to have is to see this wonderful world in all it's beautiful colours. So why purposefully detract a feature that can only enhance it?

I felt that this decision was a little off putting. In some scenes it was a little difficult to distinguish certain things and because of the lack of colour, I felt the film lacked visual depth in certain places.

That's a shame because the camera work was stunning. This arty farty stuff simply took away from the movie.

That aside, I felt the movie was really quite stunning in every area. Would have scored it a 9, but 2 points off for the ridiculous colourisation reduction.

I was blown away by every aspect of this film. All performances in it were amazing, but Will Smith's was definitely Oscar-worthy. The unusual look of the film makes it feel like you're watching a motion picture version of Mathew Brady's photography. The lack of color was a unique way to present the story. The subtle hints of color up to halfway through seemed like his world was gradually coming to life around him as Peter moved toward his goal, but I was probably reading too much into that, as the . I never thought that another Civil War period film could top the Oscar-winning "Glory!", an emotionally moving film filled with stellar performances, but this one does. Like "Glory!", it successfully conveys the horrors of war without battles overshadowing the characters' struggles and hardships, and it keeps to historical accuracy. The story was riveting from start to finish. I can't say enough about this film without spoilers. Just see it.

"Emancipation" tells the triumphant story of Peter (Will Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom.

The film is inspired by the 1863 photos of "Whipped Peter," taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper's Weekly. One image, known as "The Scourged Back," which shows Peter's bare back mutilated by a whipping delivered by his enslavers, ultimately contributed to growing public opposition to slavery.

That said, It's a remarkable movie. Well worth watching.

Emancipation is a valiant effort by all involved which has been overshadowed by Will Smith's unfortunate actions at the Academy Awards.

The story is simple. A slave on the run and being hunted while trying to return to his family.

It's a great performance by Will Smith who gets down and dirty in the role with top notch production, especially the cinematography. But the choice to desaturate the picture was questionable. An artistic choice and while I understand the symbolism behind the choice, I found it completely unnecessary. I think it took away from the film. Black and white, terrible times. I get it but I'd love to see this again with some of that colour and detail restored.

Another important film on slavery in America. It is important for us to repeat this topic even though it is ironic that WIll Smith is the lead.

For me the weird color threw me off. Even our home theater system with all our settings it was hard to get the picture to look good. But the movie sounded awesome. The dialog however was a bit hard to hear so not sure what is going on there.

But overall definitely worth a watch. I did find myself wanting to learn more about this American legend and hero. I think the script could have been a little more interesting as the characters were not as in depth as they could have been.