No surprise why it's the highest rated film on IMDb

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2011)

There are very few films that leave me in tears and make me reflect upon life in an extremely meaningful and profound way, and by God if Shawshank hasn't been the best.
Speaking as quite a young film enthusiast, I prefer more modern films in general; I can appreciate the classics in their period of release, but I think that we need to move on in order to advance and become more sophisticated in art. I see people reeling off their favourite films from decades past, past horror films, action films etc, and I think the standard of films has risen so much over the past few years that the only thing that makes some the classics seem tolerable is nostalgia. Watch 'The Exorcist' or 'Star Wars' now and although you can see why it was so popular, compared to their modern-day equivalents they don't exactly blow your mind. This may seem naive, but I detest the notion that because something was done first, it must be the best at it - we learn from the past to move forward. But watching Shawshank, I wouldn't mind if things stayed that way. There is nothing wasteful in this film at all. Every single line, expression, scene and shot has significance in the message that overrides the whole production.
I'm just gushing now and I haven't even said much about the film, but the fact that I was made to consider all this and then be compelled to write about it, is proof enough of this film's worth. No matter who you are, or where you come from or what you like, Shawshank will touch you - it will make you laugh, cry and marvel at such excellence that is nothing short of film-making perfection.
No-one reads the reviews for this film other than to confirm what they already knew - that this film is a masterpiece, and that it demands recognition, so if by a minute chance you are reading this without watching it, erase this review from your memory and watch it fresh eyes.
I thought this film was going to be a mediocre-fest that snobbish critics drool over because of the word 'Redemption' in the title. And that's the best way to watch it. Underestimate it, so that when it blows your mind you can sit back and slap yourself in the face for not already having seen it. And if you didn't feel that way after seeing, I suppose you can just go back and re-watch Michael Bay's Tranformers for the fifteenth time.