EMANCIPATION MOVIE REVIEW

On January 1, 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued the the Emancipation Proclamation as the United States entered its third year of the Civil War. A slave named Peter (Will Smith) on a Louisiana plantation is sold into the Confederate war effort. Taken from his family on the plantation, Peter vows to return to them as a free man and bring them all out of bondage. Escaping his Confederate work camp, Peter will have to use his cunning, blacksmith expertise, and unbreakable faith in God to survive the elements and avoid the hunters and one hunter in particular, Jim Fassel (Ben Foster); think of the Predator cloaked in a Dixie Flag. With each belaboured breath and treacherous obstacle, Peter won’t only find himself closer to the loving embrace of his family but also find himself the subject of a photo that changed the course of American history forever. Brad, Chad, Neil, and Jena discuss Will Smith back in action, the success of grandiose action set pieces in a subject about slavery, and ponder over the qualifications of a white person adapting a person of colors history.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Antoine Fuqua

STARRING: Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Steven Ogg, Mustafa Shakir, Timothy Hutton, Gilbert Owuor, Grant Harvey, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Jabbar Lewis, Michael Luwoye, Aaron Moten, Imani Pullum, David Denman

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Bradly Martin (Screener Squad, Eye on the Prize, Breakfast Pub)

Bradly Martin was born in the united states and grew up on a healthy diet of sports, films, and books. A rather shy lad who kept to himself, Bradly soon discovered the best way to know a person was to know what people liked. Throughout the years Bradly became a fan of many things and a fanatic of none. From Doctor Dre, to Doctor Strange and the who’s who of Whos. From Playstation to the Dreamcast and Marvel to DC. From LeBron James to James Bond and Lord of the Rings to Lord Palmerston (or Pitt the Elder if you agree with Wade Boggs) and is a huge fan of dad jokes and randomly obscure Simpsons references. Armed with a vast knowledge of comics, films, and pop culture. Bradly traveled the world making friends and sharing takes. As a young man Bradly married the love of his life young and grew older every year with each new child brought into the brood. If trends continue, Scientists predict that .2% of Canada (where Bradly and family reside) will be populated by Bradly’s children by the year 2029. You can hear him leading and listening to his favorite critics on the Screener Squad and Eye on the prize and maybe even provide some comments of his own.

 

 

Chad Halvorsen (Screener Squad)

Chad Halvorsen currently resides in Milwaukee, WI, where he produces and edits commercials, films, and everything in between. He was always a fan of film/television growing up, spending days in the Summer, making (terrible) home movies with his brothers. Little did he know that passion would carry on into adulthood. Since 2006, Chad has worked for several agencies in various departments. Shooting, producing, editing, production management, directing, and when forced to, writing copy. In 2015, Chad decided to take the big leap and become a freelancer. Since then, he’s produced content for Lyft, AT&T, Target, and Discovery Network. His passion lies in entertaining people, making them feel better, even for a moment. All the pain and suffering of this business is worth it, if even just one person views his work. Chad is a frequent podcaster, most notably posing as a co-host for the podcast “The Film Illogical Society.”

 

 

Neil Anderson (Screener Squad)

I first got hooked on movies when I saw Star Wars at a drive-in theate...