Everything rings false

Rating: 1/10 (13 May 2012)

Why this film is so highly rated is beyond me. First of all, where is the redemption? The characters do nothing that can be construed as redeeming (except for the one played by Gil Bellows). They simply survive.
Someone who also doesn't like the film compares it to a fairy tale because it's unrealistic. This is an insult to fairy tales. Fairy tales are beautiful and deep, with complex motives transmitted throughout the centuries, the traditional good-bad dichotomy and a clear moral conclusion. The Shawshank Redemption is dull, with some basic and carefully explained symbolism (because apparently we're too stupid to get it otherwise) and, contrary to traditional notions of morality, the hero's sidekicks are some nice criminals. Of course, prison staff are cast as the bad guys and their boss is portrayed as a hypocrite speaking of the Bible yet acting in an un-Christian manner. Can you say anti-Christian bigotry?