My Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Woodlawn was definitely an interesting experience and a great example of a Christian movie. It was about 3 weeks ago that my youth group watched it during the Tuesday session, and I anticipated it with a cinematic eye. It’s a movie that focuses on evangelical Christians combatting the racism of the 70s, which is an intriguing premise that I found be honorable and compelling. As a religious cinema, it certainly excels, and as a movie in general, it adequately offers much more than preachy content for all audiences. First of all, I would have to note that I only watched 60 minutes of the movie (the film is 2 hours) because of time constraints and the youth group ended up not watching the rest of the movie the next week. Also, my friends were a bit loud during the film (they didn’t pay attention :/) and the volume was kinda low and there weren’t subtitles, so there were times when I could only see what was happening, not hear what was happening. So, I can’t provide an ultimate judgement of the film, but I can give a review based on what I did watch, which was still enjoyable. Anyway, what I noted about the film was that it was incredibly powerful and inspirational. Every shot had an impact on the viewer, revealing to them the sheer amount of spiritual determination in the face of adversity. There was the reality of racism that was shown through sharp and flaring conflict; the movie communicated to me a time of strife in which African Americans were unfortunately treated with less respect. Such an issue still persists today (with current problems like police brutality and job discrimination) and the movie’s theme was chillingly relevant. Plotwise, as a historical film, it inevitably must follow a series of events that may or may not be entertaining, but Woodlawn understands this and makes the most out of these constraints. Although not perfect, the narrative structure was moving and kept me engaged, with a driving purpose in mind. I could tell the screenplay was beautifully crafted for carefully meticulous historical records – after all, Jon Erwin, one of the writers, is the featured pastor’s son in real life (yes, this movie could be considered a personal endeavor, given that it portrays a portion of the screenwriter’s family history). This gives him emotional drive, and he really put a lot in this film, both for God and his family. The characters could have been developed a little more and I found them quite distant in the first 30 minutes of the movie. But nevertheless, as the rising action developed, they became powerful instruments for the movie’s theme and showed real human emotion. You could see them on the screen and feel their struggles, their aspirations, their strengths and weaknesses, etc. And finally, the aesthetic of the movie is amazing, with a sincere 70s Birmingham backdrop that matched the difficult topics of the film. Everything matched the time period, and the film felt like a genuine glimpse into daily reality. The cinematography is not sloppy and makes sure to properly capture every essence of movement and emotion. In fact, it left me with plenty of time to think and reflect over the message of the movie – a quality that I appreciate in cinema. In conclusion, even if you aren’t a Christian (or evangelical Christian Protestant, that’s what this movie is mostly geared towards), Woodlawn is a powerful movie for everyone to enjoy, capturing the reality of racism in potent fashion and bringing to life historical events with extraordinary talent. What I watched it on: DVD Other critics: Rotten Tomatoes: 73% Metacritic: 57, "mixed or average reviews"
In the beginning of the film, I remember it stating Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." More reviews coming soon! #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #woodlawn #historical
