The Color Purple

Loved it! The acting, singing, dancing, music, cinematography- all of it was amazing even though the portrayal of tough characters and subjects. Glad I watched it.

A film of quality, this.

'The Color Purple' is a blast, what is a noteworthy thing for me to say given I'm not a lover of musicals; though, to be fair, I'm way more into them in recent years since doing reviews... have learnt to appreciate 'em! This has good music alongside an extremely deep narrative, one that hits the feels directly. I've never seen or read any version of this story previously, but this is a great introduction to it.

The performances are stellar. Danielle Brooks is outstanding, a real emotive showing from her throughout - top notch! I also seriously enjoyed (despite the character, who is iffily 'redeemed') Colman Domingo in this 2023 picture. He and Brooks are actors I've loved in television ('Orange Is the New Black and 'Fear the Walking Dead', the latter isn't the best show but Domingo is class in it), so it's extremely pleasing to see them star on the big screen.

It's somewhat of a crime it has taken me this long in my review to mention Fantasia, who is brilliant - Phylicia Pearl Mpasi is too, btw. Taraji P. Henson, obviously, impresses as well, while Halle Bailey spearheads the rest. Nice to see David Alan Grier also, as well as (like Domingo) another TWD alum in Corey Hawkins (whatever happened to Heath?!).

Not a musical fan at all but really enjoyed this and actually realized why some scenes happened in the other version. I did miss the "Mary what" and "the dead has a risen" parts.

Much more geniune and resonant than Spielberg’s version, this film while not without flaws still soars where it needs to. All the cast kill it, but God, Danielle Brooks is a star. Charismatic, heartbreaking, endlessly entertaining. She steals every scene, and this better net her at least nominations and a ton more roles. She’s been killing it since she made Orange is the New Black watchable. Barrino, Henson, Domingo, they all shine too. The choreography is so lively and earnest, and the colors all pop, so it’s as much a treat for the eyes as the ears. The songs hit where they need to and when everything works in tune, it really pulls the heartstrings.

Where it falters is the relationship between Celie and Shug. Certainly an improvement over the original, it still feels a bit overly cautious in places. Still afraid to show overt sexuality, and oddly afraid to show any edges. It sands out the relationship, removing the conflict and break up fight that made Celie, and I’m Here, even more powerful. It removes a layer of depth and specificity to the show stealing number, and it’s a shame.

That aside, it’s still a powerful, rousing, and emotional film worth the watch. It pulled a good amount of tears from me, and stirred the soul.

I've heard people comparing this to the book, the original adaptation, and the stage musical, but pay them no mind. As someone who hasn't consumed any of them, this movie is fantastic. Every performance is phenomenal; I was so emotionally invested in these characters. Plus, the music was great (which it should be, since musicals live or die on their music). It's not an easy watch for a lot of the runtime; it delves into some heavy stuff, but the drama and tension are really good, and the character journeys are interesting.

It's a solid movie, and absolutely worth the watch.

This was the final movie of 2023 for me, and a great way to close it out. I have not watched the original or the Broadway play, so I cannot compare it to those. I did not know what to expect going in, but I found the beginning and ending of the movie to be suffused with pathos. The middle kind of drags a bit and could have been shorter, and outside of 1-2 songs, I did not care much for the music. But the production and costume designs were lavish, and the acting was heartfelt. The themes are strong, which makes sense for something with so many adaptations already. It’s not necessarily one of the best movies of the year, but it’s in the second batch.

It takes quite a bit for a film-versioned musical to make me suspend disbelief long enough to appreciate people bursting into song and dancing en masse. This one did it, over and over. The Director’s technique was novel and fresh, the actors were sublime, the choreography was nothing short of perfection, the music was captivating, and these all came together to tell a necessary story that, like its predecessor, breaks, heals, and weeps with both hope and sorrow.

I enjoyed the songs so very much. I found very nice performances. I liked the movie. I knew the story but I enjoyed this version.

Beautiful story about female empowerment and friendship. Wonderful cast.

I'm not so sure about the musical-form, though, and I know it's a stage musical that got turned into a movie here. The songs work well, but it took me some time to get into it. But the ending was powerful, and I'll admit I shed quite a few tears.