IMDb Top 250 Journey: 12 Years A Slave

Hello Folks and welcome to The Tony Tay review of 12 Years a Slave, a movie on IMDb’s top 250 list, which we happen to be traipsing through. 12 Years sits at #180 with a score of 8.1.

Immediate thoughts?

Underwhelming. Raw. Cold.

Go on...

A lot of hype was generated about this one, and while it was pretty great, it left me expecting more than what I got. But I do admit that it was probably due to the hype.

Okay, so, basically 12 Years a Slave will boil down to one thing: how it makes you feel. Now, that is true of most movies, but due to 12 Years’ nature, it matters more than most. Many people have called the movie essential viewing, based on the story it depicts – an incredible tale of a man who gets abducted and sold into slavery – the implication being that if the movie doesn't evoke any feeling out of you, it will look worse than it is.

And that is what happened to me.

For the most part, I found the story remarkable, but it was still generally cold, and I felt distanced from the story. It did feel sad, and angry that it was based on a true story, but it was akin to hearing something bad in the news. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it affected my viewing, and left me uninspired at the end. Truth be told, I wasn't even planning on reviewing it, because I wanted to do something different for a change. A very good friend of mine (this very same special one) has a passion for history, as well as a vested interest in this sort of thing. The plan was to interview her, but it didn't pan out. However, she gave me the impression that it didn't quite resonate with her (read she didn't finish watching it).

But was it well-made?

Shout-out to everyone involved, from the acting to the directing. It was confident, masterful work all around. 

Final thoughts?

12 years a slave is a good movie, and it aspires to more than many movies out there. I love that about it, yet I can’t decide if it deserves a spot on the list. If it doesn't Ava DuVerney’s Selma comes to mind as suitable replacement. In any case, 12 years is still a great movie that deserves to be seen. I just don’t know how you’ll feel about it.

My Score: 9

Next week we’re onto Prisoners. In the meantime, how did 12 Years a Slave make you feel?