Unlike some people I didn't see anything mindblowing in the movie... I figured that much from the first minute. Guess who did the score? Hans Zimmer. How can you tell? When the fucking Inception tune is horning. What further could you do to alienate me right away? Adjust the colors so that some of the people onscreen have orange skin!?
Well, the good thing is that it isn't riding too hard on the white guilt but still, even the "nice" slave-masters are inheretly immoral. Can't say much about the adaptation as I'm not familiar with the source material but we don't really get much from Solomon's character except for the odd nod that he is a superior slave or at least entitled given his background (as wrong as this sounds)... There was the lack of weight of the 12 years as we can't keep track of time except for the nature changing and but it's still rather episodic.
The acting is one of the better parts although the movie would have benefited from a lesser known cast. Brad Pitt was totally out of place (he was the Producer w/e) and for example Danno's little song was more a bad joke than anything thanks to his general persona.
Despite some good scenes I just never really got into it so the whole affair felt longer than it should have been. This is basicly my Lincoln of 2013.

McQueen's epic is beautiful and tragic anchored by sensational performances.

Above average, extremely disappointing considering all of the hype surrounding this movie. There are moments where the directing and acting are spot on and then there are moments where it gets almost comically ridiculous. It doesn't introduce anything new and I felt like none of the characters were flushed out fully. It was very half-assed for a movie that's well over two hours long

A touching story.

Masterful use of lingering unhurriedly for an extended time on single shots/scenes. Everything was allowed to thoroughly sink in during such shots. With such focused deliberation, one's not able to quickly or easily escape so many gripping and compelling moments.

A heavy, powerful watch if not in any way an enjoyable one. Similar to Schindler's List in a way, in that it's important material that's well-acted and deeply moving, but also very tough to get through in places. That comparison isn't completely fair, of course. Though Chiwetel Ejiofor serves well in the leading role and Lupita Nyong'o is memorable (if one-note) in support, there is no Liam Neeson-level central performance in this picture and the cast very quickly falls into camps of good and evil with little middle ground. Michael Fassbender fares best as the deeply troubled alcoholic slave-owner Epps, but he's present largely to be despised and as such his character lacks a thorough inspection.

The other name actors, shoehorned in as bit roles, only serve to distract. We can slap an Amish beard on Brad Pitt and throw him onto a plantation, but it's still Brad Pitt in those suspenders and there's no getting around that.

Well shot and expertly directed, it hammers predictably on the same point from start to finish. This is meaningful, often chilling work, but not something I'm going to feel compelled to revisit in the very near future.

I’ve never seen a movie that moved me so much as this one did, There was so much different emoticons that I felt for this movie.

I had heard of this movie a long time ago, but I never gave so much thought to it. It’s one of those movies that you just can’t pause or look away from, you’ve to keep watching so you’ll how it ends. Because you genuinely care about how everything will turn out for the man in the end. :hearts:︎

I bet the book is amazing too, please give this movie a go if you haven’t, you’ll be hooked!

A truly devasting story that can be hard to watch. Great cast and fantastic acting all around. McQueen really shows his talent here. Cinematography is great really beautiful film filmmaking wise, disturbing story wise.

A powerful and brutal film. Steve McQueen must enjoy making everyone that watches his movies uncomfortable. The acting all around is fantastic, there were so many well known actors. Chiwetel Ejiofor was truly a standout. The cinematography was amazing. It really puts you up close and personal. That one whipping scene was shot beautifully even though it was showing something terrible.

As the most important law freedom from the beginning had the highest price. But only a few of us can afford it fully.

Acting was awesome! Music too
But the movie should take 12 years but we can't track it. No ageing happen in Solomon's face or shape.

A raw, impactful and educational film, about the struggles and horrendous experiences of enslaved black Americans, that's captured via great cinematography

I would not categorize this as a bad or even awful movie. It's just that, despite the seriousness of the story, on an emotional level I never connected with the character. And without that it doesn't work. I didn't know enough about the character as things happening very fast from the start of the movie. Also never felt hatred or detestation against the people who did wrong by him. It was also difficult to track the time. It did not feel like 12 years.
Unlike _Detroit_ or _Selma_ that really moved me, or made me angry, _12 Years a Slave_ just went by me.

Probably the only bad thing about the movie is I didn’t see it sooner