over-hyped, but stirring & lovely tale nonetheless

Rating: 8/10 (7 March 2015)

No spoilers here but I vaguely allude to certain events/themes.
Currently Shawshank is IMDb's highest-rated film. I can understand the argument for this as it's hard to fathom anyone not liking it, meaning there won't be many 1-star reviews bringing the average down. Perhaps the lack of female characters might jar with some, or the use of familiar tropes like prison rape, nasty warden, brutal officers, the protagonist being wrongly imprisoned and Morgan Freeman being his best friend.
Shawshank is 20 years old now so maybe deserves some leeway in using these tropes, especially when considering how effectively they're used. You really feel with Andy, and can't help but like Red. The acting from the entire cast is excellent, and there are individual moments of classic drama that stay with you for a long time (Brooks...) and also beautiful pathos (the round of cold beers).
If you haven't seen it yet but plan to, then I wouldn't expect the Greatest Movie Ever, but go in with no expectations and you'll really enjoy it.