Selma (2014)

Selma is a 2014 historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb. It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by baptist minister and activist Martin Luthor King Jr.

Summary
A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It properly and accurately depicts the violent racism, police brutality and segregation that African-Americans had to suffer through the 1950s-1960s.
 * 2) Excellent acting, especially from David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. (who is very identical to the real King) and Tom Wilkinson as President Johnson.
 * 3) Some very powerful and well-executed scenes, especially the scenes where MLK is giving a monologue or the scenes where The Civil Rights movement march/protest together.
 * 4) There are also some tragic, heartbreaking moments, like the scene where a group of young black girls die in a church bombing and the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson.
 * 5) Manages to remain completely accurate to all the events that went down in real-life during the segregation-era.
 * 6) Sends a nice message that one should fight hard for what is right, no matter how many obstacles they face.
 * 7) Awesome soundtrack composed by Jason Moran.
 * 8) A very satisfying ending as segregation is finally abolished in the Southern U.S. states.
 * 9) David Oyelowo was a great casting choice to play Dr. King.
 * 10) Wonderful cinematography and camera angles, especially when it came to the “March to Montgomery” scene.

Reception
Selma received critical acclaim, with particular praise given to DuVernay's direction and Oyelowo's performance, though it was met with some criticism for its historical inaccuracies, largely centered on the perceived vilification of Johnson and the omission of several prominent Jewish civil rights leaders. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 311 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Fueled by a gripping performance from David Oyelowo, Selma draws inspiration and dramatic power from the life and death of Martin Luther King, Jr. – but doesn't ignore how far we remain from the ideals his work embodied." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 80 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.