Director: Ava DuVernay
Writer: Paul Webb (Screenplay)
Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Roth, Cuba Gooding Jr,
Plot: A chronicle of Martin Luther King’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: The Icon Who Took A Stand
Story: Selma starts with Martin Luther King Jr (Oyelowo) preparing to be honoured with his wife Coretta (Ejogo). We see that in 1964 Martin Luther King won the Noble Peace Prize. Even with this award people still cause problems by bombing killing innocent girls. We watch as Annie Lee Cooper (Winfred) try to register to vote but faced rejection.
President Lyndon Johnson (Wilkinson) meets King to try and earn the right to vote in the elections even with the segregated states in the south. After being told for patience King goes to his back-up plan going to Selma, Alabama. King not welcome gets the same treatment that every black person in the town, but he knew that, this was just his way to make the President make a move. Returning to Selma with a group of his best men King gets ready to start the next chapter of the equality movement.
King’s plan is to team up with the students who are already trying to earn the right by peaceful marches through Selma, the hope to make the newspapers everyday but never react to anything hoping the Sheriff Clark would react too. Governor George Wallace (Roth) will not accept any protests in his state but this one raises the tension and pressure on President Johnson. King has to team up with Malcolm X a man who he never saw eye to eye with but could help swing the movement.
Governor Wallace isn’t accepting anything happening and with King out of town he knows the cameras won’t be there he strikes back with force trying to scare any potential protestors.
After King purposes his next march from Selma to state capital Montgomery thee President uses the FBI to try and divide the King movement from within. The march starts and both sides ready for the worst and the troopers leave the black protestors lying all over the bridge with the world witnessing the chaos. King decides to take his supporters and go for the march again but President Johnson tries to end things on both sides between King and Wallace.
Selma tells a very short spell of this great man’s life because in all honesty anything about this man could go on forever. The tension created to an event people know the outcome of is immense but it isn’t all about what King fights for it is about how he got the people to stand with him and how the people against him reacted. This really is a history lesson people should learn because not everything needed to be solved with violence and people learnt and are still learning to treat each other equally. (9/10)
Actor Review
David Oyelowo: Martin Luther King Jr fresh of his Noble Peace Prize he sets out to make sure everyone in America get the chance to vote which means going to Selma, Alabama where the racial tension still splits the town. David does shine in the role and it clearly is Oscar worth. (10/10)
Tom Wilkinson: President Lyndon Johnson who has helped before but it very reluctant to fold to King’s demands. Tom does a good job as the President in what we would expect to see though. (7/10)
Tim Roth: Gov. George Wallace leader of Alabama who wants all the black out of his state. Tim does a good job in the role. (7/10)
Support Cast: Selma has such a big cast I could have looked at a lot of different people performances but I pick just the three main people in the situation. The truth be told the supporting cast is great in every role be the fighting with Martin or the people against each performer does a good job.
Director Review: Ava DuVernay – Ava does a great job directing this and to see it nominated for Best Picture shows how good a job has been done. (10/10)
Biographical: Selma takes a small period of the icon know and Martin Luther King Jr and shows us how difficult it was to make happen. (9/10)
History: Selma is a real history lesson on one of the battles Martin Luther King jr had won for the rights. (9/10)
Settings: Selma creates the settings to look like the time period perfectly to show us what it would have been like visually. (10/10)
Suggestion: Selma is one to be watched mainly because it is a big chapter of history and it shows what people have been like in the past. (Watch)
Best Part: The second march
Worst Part: If you don’t like history you won’t like this.
Believability: This is based on what really happened. (10/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: During the credits we see photos of the march.
Oscar Chances: Nominated for Best Picture and Best original Song.
Box Office: $41 Million
Budget: $20 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 8 Minutes
Tagline: One dream can change the world.
Overall: When it comes to film and history working together we sometimes get left short, this won’t leave you short and will tell you the story that changed a country.
Rating 
