Fantastic Performances, everything else overrated.

Rating: 6/10 (13 December 2013)

I honestly think this film is overrated. Don't get me wrong. Fantastic acting. Definitely I think Chiwetel and Michael Fassbender are Oscar worthy. Would be surprised to not see them nominated. I even really enjoyed Paul Dano's small part in the film. Lupito was also good, but I wasn't as wowed with her as I was with the others. Plus, I think Brad Pitt was the worst of the bunch. I've liked him in other movies, but he was the weak link here and felt out of place.
I also didn't care much for Steve McQueen's directing choice. Like, he would use these really long shots of Chitwetel's face or example. Not doing anything but breathing. Some people might like that artsy stuff...but I just wanted to get on with the program already. Also the film just feels really long. Its only around 2 hours and 10 min long. But it felt like 3. And I realize that slavery was absolutely brutal but I just personally felt like the film was trying to much to make you cry and grab you by the heart. And I just didn't feel that way. And I'm not some robot. I cry a lot at movies. Last thing I didn't like, "aging" Solomon (Chiwetel). They add some grey to his hair to signify that 12 years had past. But did absolutely nothing else. He still looked the same. Plus, I don't even feel like the movie adequately showed that 12 years had gone by (except for the title, and at the end of the movie, his kids are grown up). I felt like there was no sense of time in the movie. It seemed like the events only took place over a year. None of the other characters "aged" either.
But those were my main problems with it. Otherwise, its a pretty decent flick and should be checked out at least for the performances.