Overrated on IMDb

Rating: Null/10 (11 March 2002)

The Shawshank Redemption is a good movie. It's a very good movie. But I'd say it would be a stretch to call it a "great movie" or "the best movie ever made." It's a prison drama that illustrates the value of hope. With hope, you can continue living, and be free. Without hope, you will always be a prisoner. Even former prisoners in this movie cannot truly be free if their hope has been taken away.
The movie illustrates its main idea very well, and it is visually stunning, with a great score. But there are a few flaws. Aside from Red and Andy, character development is at a bare minimum. The warden and several of the guards never amount to more than cardboard-cutout, pure-evil villains. The film is also weak in a literary sense. It's short on symbolism. Yes, there is some, such as Brooks' pet crow, but most ideas and themes are presented in a plain, literal way.
It's a movie that will make you feel good. And I think the "feel-good" aspect is why Shawshank is rated so high on IMDb. I would recommend it as an uplifting movie, but not as one of the great films of all time.