Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about black female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race.

Summary
Three brilliant African-American women working at NASA -- Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) -- serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell) into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The cinematography is beautiful and beyond amazing.
 * 2) Excellent acting, especially from Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janele Monáe.
 * 3) It stays true to the actual events the film was based on and how the characters were portrayed in real-life.
 * 4) Likable and relatable characters.
 * 5) Well-done character and story-development.
 * 6) A very impressive and accurate 1960s setting.
 * 7) Katherine Johnson is a very intelligent and vivacious main character.
 * 8) A very strong message about equality, whether you are African-American, a woman or both.
 * 9) It manages to also properly tackle segregation and racism in a film centered around rocket science.

Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 93% based on 262 reviews, with an average score of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "In heartwarming, crowd-pleasing fashion, Hidden Figures celebrates overlooked—and crucial—contributions from a pivotal moment in American history." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".