Antebellum

Lionsgate | Release Date (Streaming): September 18, 2020

5.2	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 73 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

mbeckfordOct 15, 2020

"Antebellum" is a tough movie to watch AND review. It's depiction of slavery is brutal, but the twist that brings it into genre territory is badly timed and ultimately disappointing.

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

All this user's reviews

johnmath95Sep 18, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not sure who asked for a remake of The Village with a slave plantation instead of a village, but alas, here we are.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

JLuis_001Sep 27, 2020

It's a terrible shame to see they wasted the depth of their subject matter trying to create a shocking and yet completely empty experience.

A missed opportunity that thinks its saying something meaningful, while being unable to realize thatIt's a terrible shame to see they wasted the depth of their subject matter trying to create a shocking and yet completely empty experience.

A missed opportunity that thinks its saying something meaningful, while being unable to realize that it lost itself because of the way it presented the story.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

All this user's reviews

StevieGJDSep 19, 2020

This is a hard movie to review. I want to like it because I agree with the film's intentions and goals. I know there really are people who want to do what the antagonist characters are doing, feel the way they do and surely don't think theyThis is a hard movie to review. I want to like it because I agree with the film's intentions and goals. I know there really are people who want to do what the antagonist characters are doing, feel the way they do and surely don't think they are racists. I'm sure a good number of them posted 0 reviews for this movie here. I also really like Janelle Monae as an actress; she has a great screen presence and tries really hard here. But she cannot overcome this material. The movie wants to be like "Get Out", which was great, and a little M. Night Shyamalan with the major plot twist. The former was a wonderful film and Shyamalan can make entertaining movies with interesting twists (but can also make dreadful films with lame twists). But this script just is not there. Any specific comments would be far too revealing of plot. Many of the characters are simplified and without depth. A friend of the main character, who only appears in the second part of the film, is tonally apart from this entire film and seems like a stereotype from a bad Black Rom Com. Unlike many people who do not like this film, I believe that evil like this is real and it exists and is being fanned in our current political climate. But the evil here is kind of like slavery torture porn. It is so unpleasant to watch and so completely without any legitimate motive, other than hate, it is simply vile. Unlike others, I can understand why the message and point of this movie might be enough for some people to like it, especially given our current political and cultural morass. But it is pretty poor film making. And even good intentions can end of with a bad product.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

tropicAcesSep 18, 2020

The score and production design are both great, but direction and writing fall flat. They had ideas they wanted to do, but the execution is either muddled or pandering. World of difference between concept and execution.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

SkyemasterOct 25, 2020

I really liked the idea but I feel like they screwed up the reveal. How much better would the twist be if it came in final 15 minutes of movie. We waste 35 minutes in middle of movie getting character development on people who don’t evenI really liked the idea but I feel like they screwed up the reveal. How much better would the twist be if it came in final 15 minutes of movie. We waste 35 minutes in middle of movie getting character development on people who don’t even matter to the real story. The writing is pretty meh for some stretches. The micro aggressions that we are all pretty much aware of at this point are too exaggerated it makes me wonder if the writer has ever experienced one or just read about it on theroot… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

Stream2BigScreeSep 19, 2020

Trip Fontaine: Good weekend, Streamers! We're quickly moving into that time of year where genre movies dominate new releases. This weekend the movie billed as a horror/thriller, Antebellum, was released on various video-on-demand platformsTrip Fontaine: Good weekend, Streamers! We're quickly moving into that time of year where genre movies dominate new releases. This weekend the movie billed as a horror/thriller, Antebellum, was released on various video-on-demand platforms for our viewing pleasure. With an entertaining trailer and an intriguing, time-bending premise, Antebellum would seem to be a sure bet for an intense movie experience. Does it live up to its promise?

S2S: Here, here Trip! I've been sitting on pins and needles waiting for this to be released. It cost us $19.99 on video-on-demand and it better be worth it. Let's see what was occurring or existing before a particular war, especially the American Civil War. Take it away.

Trip: It is kind of difficult to describe the plot without getting spoiler-y, but I'll make an attempt. Janelle Monae plays dual roles as a slave called Eden, who has tried to escape the brutal plantation where she's held captive, and as a successful author, named Veronica Henley, who leaves home for a conference in New Orleans and strange things start to occur. There is an indication that these two women have a connection and the film takes its time building to that reveal. In fact, the implication is clear in the beginning as the movie starts with a quote from William Faulkner: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." Eerie, but what does that really mean?

S2S: I'll take it one step further, Trip. This is a film as its title proclaims. It's an examination of antebellum in America or the time after the American Civil War. We are viewing the experiences of Eden while feeling the effects of Veronica. I mean to say it shows the modern-day effects of lingering Civil War relics and experiences that haunt the Black community in America currently.

Trip: Thanks for adding that, S2S. The filmmakers, Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, have some good ideas about that. The premise of the movie is very intriguing and has a lot of promise. In fact, the theme of how the past impacts the present and how America is still reckoning with slavery remains relevant, but the film both tries too hard and is not clever enough for what it's trying to say. Even though Antebellum isn't a long movie and it's not necessarily boring, it takes too long to get to the point. On the plus side, the cinematography is very good throughout and some of the images depicted are very memorable.

S2S: I wholeheartedly agree. This movie suffers from what I call potential. The filmmakers started to express ideas and images that have so much potential. The idea is almost thought out, the execution is almost there, and yet the end product just isn't properly finished. There's so much potential that is left in this idea and left on the table. Either they didn't want to push the envelope too much or the movie company said, "whoa, I don't think we want to go in that direction". That's exactly the sentiment I had after watching the movie. But I'm just glad they stuck with Janelle because she truly is a star with potential.

Trip: You're right, S2S. Janelle Monae is good as the anchor for this story. I can't say much about the rest of the ensemble because they don't have much to do. Gabourey Sidibe plays an annoying friend, who is vulgar and annoying; and Jena Malone is perfectly cast as a cartoonishly sinister racist.

S2S: Timeout! there were other actors in this movie?! You could've fooled me. Janelle Monae pops off the screen and takes over the movie. Everyone else was just a distraction. I'm not saying she was amazing but like I said there is so much potential. Unlike the movie, I think Janelle is fully on her way to realizing that potential. Each role she takes continues to get better and better. I look forward to her roles in the future. Quiet as its kept, Jena Malone kept this movie interesting but wasn't used enough.

Trip: Ultimately, Antebellum disappointed me. It is a fine movie, but it does not live up to its promise. The film was marketed as a horror/thriller and it is not that. It may be a thriller, I guess, but it is definitely not a horror movie. It may be compared to the horror/comedy/thriller of Get Out, which was actually all of the things that it was promoted to be. False advertising makes this just a handful of popcorn watch at best.

S2S: I couldn't agree more Trip. I felt lied to with the trailer. I was promised a thrilling psychological thriller and I got a movie that every Black person in the South has feared their whole life already. The movie could've been more and they promised us more. I had an evening with Antebellum but I could've saved myself $19.99. I'll snack on this handful of popcorn for now but I look forward to better releases in the future. Until next time Streamers!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews