spandex07
Joined Mar 2013
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spandex07's rating
Ok, if you're looking for state of the art special effects, you're going to be disappointed. Unfortunately it was made on a small budget, and it shows. but if you're in the mood for something a little different in the ' crusades ' theme, give this one a go! It reminded me so much of the old Simbad movies, with one obstacle after another coming at them. Watch it for the story. The acting is good, not great, and as I mentioned above, the effects are B grade. After all, is't all about the journey? ;)
The concept of the movie drew me in. and the writing and editing was very good, but who on earth chose this cast?? The girl who played Cheryl did a good job, but the rest of the cast seemed like they flunked in acting class. I wonder if the budget only left $100 to pay the actors. The ridged overacting ruined the thrillride that this movie could have been. It's certainly no Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch.
I take my hat off to Zoe Saldana for taking on this role.
I watched this movie with an open mind, letting all of the criticism fly over my head.
I'm not sure how many actresses were offered the role, but I'm sure many would have declined, knowing that they probably would have been torn to pieces by critics. The numerous ' black face ' comments disappointed me. Knowing that Zoe was taking on a character role, her appearance had to be adjusted. No one felt the need to comment about the prosthetic nose and heavy makeup that Merryl Streep wore when she took on the role as Margaret Thatcher, but Zoe got roasted for the same.
Admittedly, I was a little disappointed that the movie skipped through her early years, focusing mainly on the last decade of Nina's life. On the other hand, it was good to see the person behind the stage presence, the human behind closed doors.
One thing I did read about before seeing the movie, was the dedication the Zoe went into preparing for the role, spending months practicing the songs, and frankly, I think she did a really good job with the vocals. Did she sound exactly like Nina Simone? Of course not, but she's not Nina... Acting wise, I think someone like Viola Davis would have given a flawless performance, and the critics would have been more approving of her appearance. Perhaps Viola was offered the role, but declined.. We'll never know.
In the end, it was a brave choice, and personally, I enjoyed her performance. Was it fantastic? No, but it was good. And that's good enough for me.
I watched this movie with an open mind, letting all of the criticism fly over my head.
I'm not sure how many actresses were offered the role, but I'm sure many would have declined, knowing that they probably would have been torn to pieces by critics. The numerous ' black face ' comments disappointed me. Knowing that Zoe was taking on a character role, her appearance had to be adjusted. No one felt the need to comment about the prosthetic nose and heavy makeup that Merryl Streep wore when she took on the role as Margaret Thatcher, but Zoe got roasted for the same.
Admittedly, I was a little disappointed that the movie skipped through her early years, focusing mainly on the last decade of Nina's life. On the other hand, it was good to see the person behind the stage presence, the human behind closed doors.
One thing I did read about before seeing the movie, was the dedication the Zoe went into preparing for the role, spending months practicing the songs, and frankly, I think she did a really good job with the vocals. Did she sound exactly like Nina Simone? Of course not, but she's not Nina... Acting wise, I think someone like Viola Davis would have given a flawless performance, and the critics would have been more approving of her appearance. Perhaps Viola was offered the role, but declined.. We'll never know.
In the end, it was a brave choice, and personally, I enjoyed her performance. Was it fantastic? No, but it was good. And that's good enough for me.