REVIEW #226 Emancipation (2022)

Peter, a slave, escapes a plantation after being whipped within an inch of his life. He must escape his hunters and survive the Louisiana terrain in order to make it to safety where he can join the fight against slavery. 

Emancipation, the first film for Will Smith since the famous Oscar’s incident, had me hoping that it would be yet another Academy Award contender for the actor. However, despite the impressive cinematography, the storyline falls flat and I found myself struggling to even finish it. Smith himself doesn’t perform badly, in fact the entire cast deliver pretty good performances but the screenplay really let them down. The main positive was definitely the overall aesthetic, with great on set locations, costume designs and a variety of impressive shots that really pulled the audience into the time period. The majority of the film was black and white, with the occasional use of colour. For example toward the end of the film the colour red was used, which shines through in contrast to the harsh black and white. Blood and symbolic of the death that had come before and after. 

The pacing was the real issue, it wasn’t very consistent and as I mentioned earlier, I really struggle to even finish it. I’m glad I did because it did pick up slightly towards the end, but nothing significant to really pull back an average rating. So unfortunately the amazing Oscar worthy film I had hoped for, fell short of the mark but I do think it was another performance for Smith that showcases his acting range, even if the film itself isn’t really worth a watch. I do hope this boycott towards the actor ends as soon as possible so we can see him in many more projects. Especially the biopic of his life, which if you’ve read his book, you’d know would be amazing! 

Overall (5/10)

Thanks for reading!

Callan