Directed by:
Theodore MelfiCinematography:
Mandy WalkerCast:
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, Kimberly Quinn (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
An untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) - brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big. (20th Century Fox UK)
(more)Videos (5)
Reviews (9)
Well, that was an experience. A two-hour drama in which NOTHING happens is extreme even for me, and I can't pick up anything here except for the realistic presentation of the situation around the segregation of blacks at that time, because for two hours there is talking, talking and more talking. There is zero tension, no build-up or any concern for the viewer about the development of the situation; the characters don't have much to play with and even the ending is not satisfying in any final way. This is simply proof that even dramas can be really annoying, especially when a director has no idea what they want to put in the film. I can appreciate and enjoy this kind of genre, but here I wonder what some of the users are so excited about...
()
An appealing struggle against racial prejudice on the grounds of the American NASA, which is really more a struggle for emancipation than for the control of space. Of course, the United States at the time was all about being first in space and staying ahead of the Soviets in everything, but this film focuses much more on the (from today's perspective) wooden age when "coloreds" had their own toilets and coffee pots. I was going to give it a strong 3 stars, however, given how briskly and with what ease it's filmed, I'll happily and happily resort to a more average 4 stars.
()
A film about racial segregation (not only) at NASA and the space races from the US perspective. With regard to the former, they push it too hard, whilst in the case of the latter it kind of only brushes the surface. Moreover, it is done with a number of various inaccuracies and rather harmful simplifications - for example, if I hadn't been interested in the topic before, I would get the impression from Hidden Figures that the computer scientists at NASA were solely black women, and immediately after the closing credits I'd go looking to see if John Glenn's launch was indeed such a thrilling drama or not. Despite all of this, though, the film is nice to watch, it has a beautiful camera and great music, all three protagonists are fine, and I liked seeing Kevin Costner again.
()
To accuse this slightly cheesy material of being full of clichés is about the same as dwelling on the fact that there is too much action in an action film, so take the opinions of the few nitpickers who will rate it lukewarmly with a grain of salt. In any case, it's exactly the kind of film that will appeal to the masses, not because it's ass-kicking, like some of Ron Howard's earlier pieces, but precisely because the themes and posters look exactly like that and yet it manages to get around it in a fairly sophisticated way. I mean, sure, it's a film full of good personalities and generous gestures, where there can be nothing but a positive outcome at the end, but that's what you expect from the trailer. Where it differs, however, is the intimate, idiosyncratic and incredibly fresh confrontation between black women and white men in a time of oppression and racial segregation. What you don't expect, though, is lots of snappy dialogue and clouds of emotion. Nor do you expect such a great female acting trio, which is complemented by Kevin Costner with his worldly "Man of Steel" type of role, like we all like him. The nominations are understandable, because not once does it slip into excessive sentimentality and yet it is often good to have a handkerchief handy. The only criticism is perhaps the unnecessarily literal script, which makes Hidden Figures just figures in the finale.
()
This film not only illustrates how absurd and ongoing segregation was and perhaps still is, but it also shows how American society was - and likely still is - ossified, clinging to prejudices and nonsensical rules. Let's face it, it's not just going to be American society. Strong, humane, good, with a positive message that shouldn't be forgotten, but unfortunately, it often is.
()
Ads