One day after the passing of Nelson Mandela, I finally was able to see Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Nelson Mandela was such an uplifting and inspirational man, and yet his movie really wasn't. Mandela's story is one of triumph and perseverance, and sadly, his biopic didn't do his powerful story justice.
Truth be told, I only wanted to see ii because I'm hopelessly in love with Idris Elba, not really because I was interested in Mandela's story. Sad, but true. I was hoping that after I stopped lusting after Idris, I could focus on the movie, learn something new, and be inspired. It was easy to stop lusting after those shower and sex scenes, but focus and inspired I was not. Mostly because the movie wasn't really focused or inspirational. I did learn something new, but it's nothing I couldn't have learned from google or wikipedia.
Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela was superb. I'm really hoping for an Academy Award nomination for him. He really transformed himself. But, I've known how great of an actor he is for some time, and now it's time for others to recognize his talent. Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela was strong and emotional, but these two weren't enough to make this movie great. It just seemed like a hodge podge of scenes showing the actors at their best and worse with little to no backstory, information, or reason for what is happening. If you had absolutely no clue what really happened in real life, you'd be left wanting.
In the two and a half plus hours of movie, you would think I'd feel ready to take on the world, but instead, I left feeling disjointed and disappointed. I really wanted this movie to be great for the sake of my future husband and for the legacy of Nelson Mandela, but it wasn't. It was tv movie good at best. The world lost a great freedom fighter and civil rights leader yesterday, but unfortunately Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom doesn't even begin to explain how great of a man he was and how important he is to South Africa and the world. Rest in Peace Nelson Mandela. You deserve it.
Next week: The Hobbit Part 2
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