Perfectly adorable

Just so...so bad

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a disappointing film...and I DIDN'T read the book. But while watching it I paused the film and read about Biafra and the Nigerian civil war. This film almost poses that terribly bloody conflict as a severe inconvenience, and as such does it no justice. So that is strike 1.One interesting factor of the film is that it was one of the 2 films of John Boyega's that he made just before he became a shooting star in Star Wars. However, although you see him throughout the film, his lines are limited, so you get no real idea of what kind of actor he was then.Another interesting factor was Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is -- although I can't explain why -- a very interesting actor. There's just something different about him.The other actors do their jobs, but I didn't find any of the performers noteworthy, including Thandie Newton, who is the film's lead. I saw it as a rather flat performance.If I had it to do over again, I'd skip over this film, although I have an idea that under other direction it could have been very good.

This movie is one that captured and then diminished my interest,but then captured it again. I have seen many movies that aim to depict the struggle of a people. Often they are tainted by Hollywood-style productions, which tend to dilute the emotional power they would otherwise have.Unfortunately, there was some of this here. However. Perhaps the majority of its viewers are fully aware of the tragic history of Nigeria in this era, including the formation of Biafra and the horrors in the aftermath of independence. For those who are, I would imagine that the telling of the story would be as gratefully appreciated as would food to the hungry. We in the west have not been graced with most of that history, because, unlike the Middle East and Eastern Europe, it has not been deemed relevant to our historical consciousness. So you might say that rating this movie could be guided by the need for bread, rather than the quest for bon-bons. I do not think the acting was bad, though it was not great. The level of trauma endured by those in the focus of the movie ( both the citizens generally and the main characters) puts in perspective what first world people have difficulty grasping, and lends insight into the reality that within every crisis there are still choices of conduct, and how these matter. I would have liked more linking of the role of the U.S. and Europe, specifically England, to the misfortunes of Nigeria- perhaps that was beyond the movie's scope. The footage in any case showed the cold, calculating mentality of the Royal Family as well as the English media in their involvement.The debate within political circles, and especially around the issue of 'the revolutionary', casts light on how misplaced optimism is so easily generated when change is desired. The ending, an update on the lives of the family,saved the viewers from the final insult of these lives being entirely frustrated by the debacle. Maybe that's a sentimental observation, but that's how it felt to me. I have seen Nigerian films that are nothing but soap operas, though even these have their merits, despite the protests of the high art crowd. I have seen movies such as 'Missing' by the noted director Costa-Gavras, that did not measurably exceed this in transcending Hollywood to tell an important story. So, you might say that this is a promising start for a new director. As an aside, and in conclusion, the name Nigeria comes up in a spell check, but not Biafra.

After Chiwetel Ejiofor's work in 12 Years a Slave, I wanted to see whether his career would be interesting enough to follow after his Academy Award nomination. After all, while many Academy Award nominees go on to have careers worth following, like Gabourey Sidibe for example, but at the same time there are also many actors who seem to have peaked with their nomination, and soon after release hardly anything noteworthy. Though, alongside Ejiofor, there is also Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose as familiar faces worth noting, as well as John Boyega from Attack the Block who is to have a role in the 2015 Star Wars film. So, with the recognizable names and faces mentioned, let's talk about the movie.Characters & StoryThe story begins in the 1950s when Queen Elizabeth visits Nigeria and we meet Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) who are twin daughters of a chief who seemingly lives an upper crust life. Olanna, as well as Kainene, are both well-educated and while Olanna plans to be a lecturer at a local college, Kainene plans to work in a high ranking position within Port Harcourt.Then the drama sets in. We learn of Olanna's boyfriend, a fellow lecturer, Odenigbo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who isn't highly liked by Kainene and is nicknamed "The Revolutionary," and we meet Richard (Joseph Mawle), an English reporter on leave who fancies Kainene. And for most of the movie the focus is the trouble of these two sets of relationships, at least until the Nigerian Civil War. With that, the relationship drama gets thrown in the backseat for surviving becomes imperative, and with Olanna fully committed to Odenigbo, whether poor or rich, we watch as they go through hardship trying to survive in a world in which cultural prejudice has torn their lives apart.PraiseThe story and acting for each and every single person is done so well. Newton and Rose present two sides of a different coin as twins who may have shared a privileged upbringing, but couldn't be more different. Then, when it comes to Ejiofor as Odenigbo, him being a revolutionary isn't seen necessarily in him raising a gun or using bombs, but more so his thinking and conversations. Most of which help provide some sort of insight on why Biafra was made, as well as archival footage making it so it feels that you get a taste of the environment, as well as Nigeria's history, as much as the characters.Leading to a split in praise for Act 1 and Act 2. Act 1 features mostly relationship drama and to me, it felt soap opera like enough to keep you intrigued, but not so overdone it made you roll your eyes. And even when you take away the romantic story of Olanna and Odenigbo, and factor in Ugwu, you are presented a quality story about this kid taken in and seemingly raised like a surrogate son. Then, when it comes to Act 2, it feels like an almost edutainment history lesson. One in which the main points of the Nigerian civil war are noted while an entertaining narrative is given.CriticismBut I must say, as interesting as this film is, it feels way too long. Which could be a testament to my attention span, or just because as much drama that is in this film, I just feel like no one really grabs a hold of you with their performances. For while heartbreaking things happen, people get passionate about love, politics, and other topics, the actors never transcend from playing a role to presenting people. Due to that, I felt a sort of disconnect which made it so I was more so seeing Ejiofor, Newton, Rose and etc., vs Odenigbo, Olanna, and Kainene.Overall: TV ViewingThis is the type of film which seems like it would do better as a mini-series. Which I say because sometimes the film just seems like it tried to cram as much as possible, when it comes to the characters, the story, and the history of Nigeria, that it looks like with breathing room it could have been better. Plus, I feel with time it could have made it where the actors could have settled into their roles more and allowed their characters to seem more natural. For, in my opinion, while the performances were good, a part of me also felt like they were performing more so for accolades than to really tell their character's story.Leading to the main reason this is labeled TV Viewing: It just doesn't keep your attention. For as good as the actors are, and how interesting the story is at times, it's hard to stay engaged throughout. Be it because you don't feel like the actors get lost in the characters, the overall length of the film, or maybe even perhaps the unfamiliarity with the history of Nigeria, it leads to you possibly losing interest after awhile and yet coming back just to see how everything ends.

First of all, the sound in the movie is horrible. You can barely hear hushed conversations and I constantly had to keep raising and lowering the volume. Technical issues aside, the movie is well acted, but ultimately fails to make a connection. The historical events taking place are but a backdrop to a love story, and the drama between the sisters. It's biggest flaw is that it's just plain boring. It seems like the story is better served by the book because the movie feels compressed and at times disjointed. Despite the long running time it feels like there's a lot missing that might have brought the movie together.