Pretentious feel-good kumbaya movie

Rating: 1/10 (21 October 2015)

Selma wants you to think of it as a serious movie about a serious subject. In other words, it is supposed to be a masterful work of art. The result, however, leaves to be desired. Although all the hype surrounding Martin Luther King (who is, in fact, a rather important historical figure - but his elevation to the status of a secular saint is somewhat disturbing) ensured throngs would converge on movie theaters to watch this movie almost out of a sense of moral obligation, the movie itself is plagued by mediocre acting, pretentious dialogs and odd camera angles. In fact, seeing this movie reminded me of my experience watching "Lincoln": everyone having seen this movie felt obligated to say how deep and moving it was, but secretively, they were just glad to be over with it.