Rich Wagaba
It is officially certified fresh on RT, with 90% of reviews being favorable (after 80+ reviews), which is the second highest RT score for ANY live action film currently in wide release, even higher than “Sully” (82%). On top of that, it received the rare and much coveted “A+” cinemascore from audiences on opening weekend. This second one is more telling as it is an indicator of how close the film was to the audience’s positive expectations ((based on trailers and subject matter), because most people who turn up on opening weekend for non-genre films like this tend to have a preconception of the film’s premise and perceived quality.
When you combine those two, the incredibly high critic score and audience score, it translates to the fact that Mira Nair and her cast and crew have made a truly crowd-pleasing film. Whether or not that translates to big box office is debatable (don’t expect it to break out like “The Help” or “The Blind Side” which benefited -strictly in terms of marketability- from having the “relatable white savior”, which QoK bravely resisted), but it’s clear that those who have actually gone out to see the film have absolutely loved it.
If you’ve seen the trailer or read Phiona Mutesi’s amazing story and it appealed to you in any way but you’re still hesitant, rest assured, they’ve made a truly moving and rewarding film in “Queen of Katwe”.
(Ignore the IMDb rating as the world’s foremost movie info site also has THE most insidious problem with its rating system which tends to be unfavorable to minority-focused or fem-centric films… even BEFORE the movies have been released! It’s ugly.)
