A Very Good Film That Does Little Special

Rating: 8/10 (28 August 2018)

This Is an interesting example of the crossroads between art and entertainment. I love this film, not only because it is good, but also because of it's insane ability to get the masses interested in film as an art form. It's a simple story, well told with predictable beats, but its amazing pacing, gorgeous cinematography, compelling and likable characters that are brought to life by magnetic actors at the top of their respective games, and witty writing add up to something more lovable than your average pedestrian fare.
However this film in the end is still quite paint by numbers for it's genre, and it's lack of any sort of intent to inch a toe outside the box in either the narrative or visual departments drag it down for anyone who is seriously interested in the art of film making. In the end, The Shawshank Redemption is a great movie to just watch for the sake of watching. It is satisfying feel good entertainment, and it some ways it even rises above that label, but in others it left me wanting more.
I would recommend this film for almost anyone, but most especially for those who have little experience with film conventions who would like a crash course in how to do just about all of them right. If you are someone who is looking only for the most high brow and intellectual brain ticklers then this might be a bore, but then again if you are one of those types you probably don't need me to tell you that.