Free movie review on movie 42

The movie 42 is about the heartwarming life story of Jackie Robinson, a baseball legend who made history when he signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The movie shows the challenges that Robinson faced, particularly the racial discrimination he experienced among his fellow baseball players, his team’s opponents, the umpires and even baseball fans. The major theme of the movie is about racial discrimination and how it was eventually conquered by Robinson. The setting of the movie is between 1945 to 1947 in Brooklyn.
The protagonist in the story is Jackie Robinson as portrayed by Chadwick Boseman. He faced psychological and physical obstacles mainly because of his color. Furthermore, he also suffered verbal abuse from various people including that coming from Philadelphia Phillies manager who was taunting him while he was playing. One major impediment that he had to face is when his teammates signed a petition refusing to play with him because he is Black. The dramatic scene where Robinson is showed hitting his bat on the wall clearly illustrates his frustration over the discrimination he is experiencing.
The movie is worth seeing because it is very inspirational. One could not help but feel emotional while watching the movie. One felt sorry watching Robinson as he is being booed by the fans and when he is called the N-word. But more than that, one felt sad seeing Robinson wanting to fight back but could not do so. One could not help but admire Robinson for having so much self-control despite the pain that he was going through. The movie is an accurate film because most of the scenes in the movie are based on facts.
One likes the baseball scenes because they are very realistic. The movie is able to recreate the old ball parks of the late 1940s like the Ebbets Field and the Crosley field.
An important factor which contributes to the beauty of the movie is the remarkable performances of its main actors specifically Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford who played the part of Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers President and General Manager. Ford’s acting style in this movie is a far cry from his usual roles as an actor more popularly revered as an action star. Both actors have very convincing portrayals of their characters.
The lighting of the movie is appropriate almost always showing the sunny environment of America during the summer. Mark Isham’s musical scoring is perfect for the theme of the movie. One likes the combination of the violins, French horns and trumpets that served as an effective musical backdrop in the baseball games. The mixture of hip hop and rap music, 40s music and jazz adds more value to the film. There is a part in the movie where the American national anthem was played till the end as if to emphasize the contradiction of America being the land of the free while right there at the baseball field is an explicit example of a curtailment of one’s rights because of race. The sound effects especially of the bat hitting the ball sounds so realistic that one would feel that he is in the stadium watching the game.
One would recommend this movie to young aspiring athletes to serve as an inspiration for them. However, some of the language used in the movie and some profanities may not be appropriate for very young audiences. Overall, one thinks that the movie not only has theatrical value but it also has a lesson to convey to its audience. Life was never easy for Robinson as depicted in the movie. But the challenges which he encountered did not discourage him to become the kind of athlete he wants to be. This movie by Director Brian Helgeland is indeed a biopic which stands out among other true-to-life stories of famous sportsmen.