very underrated, had some long parts

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2014)

This movie had a lot of information to address; the book was so filled with detail, so the choice Spike Lee made to leave out what he did (most of Malcolm's childhood, some of the hustler details, the excessive drug use, and other interactions of his early life) really made sense and helped move the movie along. In contrast, the movie could have been much shorter, not by cutting out details or facts, but by cutting some of the shots. The editing at some points slowed down the energy of the film and sometimes was almost boring. Does watching young people (and Spike Lee) dance around for 15 minutes get a point across? Do we really have to stare at Denzel Washington's face as he looks off into space and thinks for as long as we do? Not really. And the ending is very very drawn out. Once you think it is over, there is more clips from the civil rights movement (which is very important and was perfect to have in the film where it was, but could have been so much shorter and much more concise), and when that is done you think "oh wow what an awes- there's more?!?!?!" and there is a clip with a bunch of kids saying "I am Malcolm X!" really loudly, and when that goes on for what feels like 2 more hours, then Nelson Mandela is there. What? But eventually it ends and you have almost forgot what you were going to say about how much you loved it. Having said that, Lee used lighting to separate the different phases of Malcolm's life in a truly genius way. He shoots the whole first part of the film in a soft, fuzzy, Old Hollywood light, which makes it all feel very dream like and, we realize later, shows how surreal and blinded Malcolm's early life was. It is colorful and fun, like an old gangster movie, but better because it proves a point. Following that, when Malcolm is in jail, the lights and colors are exactly the opposite. It is close to black and white at that point, and everything is hard, sharp, defined, and dramatic. Later still, when Malcolm is in the Nation of Islam and growing is status, we finally see the world in a clear, unaltered way, like how Malcolm is no longer blinded by the white man. It feels like we just put on glasses after not even realizing we couldn't see and everything comes into focus. The rest of the film is shot in this manner until the very end. Overall, this movie is a work of art that need to be played for every human being who thinks they know anything about the world. It is very important and is masterfully crafted. Good Stuff. I promise.