Harriet - Pretty good

The story of Harriet Tubman is one that has been long overdue for a feature film. Apparently, Disney had the rights to this script, but for some reason, they refused to produce it. It wasn't until after they lost the rights to it that it finally got made. It's funny to think that a studio which has been making bank on Superhero films would not be interested in creating a movie about one of history's greatest real-life heroes. Regardless, thanks to the folks at Focus Features, the script has finally seen the light of day. And if you ask me, Disney really missed a golden opportunity with this one. 

The film chronicles the early exploits of Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo) as an escaped slave who makes her way North to freedom. Soon after, she decides to go back to rescue her husband only to find herself taking a few others along with her. After successfully escorting a handful of slaves to freedom, Harriet became one of the most decorated conductors for the Underground Railroad. She would go on to rescue over 800 slaves, lead a regiment of the Union Army during the Civil War, and became the first spy for the Union. She was, and remains, one of the greatest heroes in American history.

Her movie is, for the most part, pretty damn good. The acting is top-notch, the direction is fluid, and the cinematography is gorgeous. The script is where the film shines most, even though it can feel a little on-the-nose with how much it wants to portray Harriet as an actual superhero. According to history, Harriet suffered a head injury, which, apparently, gave her strange visions. The script chooses to emphasize this aspect of her by treating it as a legit superpower, allowing Harriet to foresee danger and determine the best course of action for most situations. It can come off as a little contrived, but in the modern age of superhero cinema, it makes sense to want to play up a possible superpower angle. While I personally didn't have a problem with it, as I actually liked the idea of a disability being used as an advantage in some capacity, I can understand how some audiences might find it to be a little far fetched. Even so, I thought it was well executed as it never felt utterly implausible.

Oddly enough, that's just about all I have to say about this film. There's wasn't anything about it I didn't like, and everything that is there is well presented. This may be one of those rare films that executes everything so well that you don't remember you're watching a movie. I would not go so far as to call it the highest achievement in cinema, but it does what it needs to do incredibly well.

Is this movie worth seeing?
Yes.

Is it worth seeing in Theaters?
Yes.

Why?
It pretty much does everything right. I almost feel bad for not having much else to say about it, but it is just really that good.

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.