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A respectful, handsomely mounted historical drama anchored by Cynthia Erivo’s strong performance, but it often plays like a conventional prestige biopic rather than a fully alive portrait of Harriet Tubman. The film has stirring moments, yet uneven pacing and a cautious script keep it from matching the power of its… Read more
Where to watch: Buy
Fri · 2h 5m
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe
The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
Kasi Lemmons
Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe
A respectful, handsomely mounted historical drama anchored by Cynthia Erivo’s strong performance, but it often plays like a conventional prestige biopic rather than a fully alive portrait of Harriet Tubman. The film has stirring moments, yet uneven pacing and a cautious script keep it from matching the power of its subject.
Harriet Tubman’s story is so extraordinary that any film about her begins with an enormous advantage. Harriet benefits from that built-in force, and Cynthia Erivo gives the role real gravity, intelligence, and emotional steadiness. When the movie leans into Tubman’s resolve, faith, and tactical brilliance, it can be genuinely stirring.
The problem is that the film too often settles for familiar biopic rhythms. Scenes move efficiently but not always memorably, and some of the most fascinating material feels compressed or underexplored. The result is competent and often polished, but rarely as urgent or surprising as the life it portrays.
Still, there’s enough craft here to make it worthwhile for viewers drawn to historical drama, especially those who value strong central performances and a clear, inspirational narrative. It’s a solid film about a towering figure, even if it never quite becomes a great one.
MaryAnn 🌵 (4★) · 1702 likes
PUT HARRIET TUBMAN ON THE $20 BILL YOU COWARDS!
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (3★) · 1250 likes
This kind of annoyed me because Harriet Tubman has SUCH an amazing and interesting story and it’s crazy that there hasn’t already been a movie about her. But she deserved a better movie than this one honestly. Cynthia Erivo did a really great job and Janelle Monae stood out too (as she always does). And the cinematography was absolutely gorgeous. But it just wasn’t enough to make this work for me. The script was just really lacking power. It was… more
maria (2.5★) · 624 likes
really great until the movie gets in the way
matt lynch (2.5★) · 313 likes
Some interesting threads get tugged a little here, about stark differences of class and gender and education among slaves and black abolitionists alike, but not hard enough to overcome what's mostly some very generic biopic stuff. And personally I would have loved a lot more of Tubman's Union Army career.
júlia (3.5★) · 296 likes
cynthia erivo is just too good for this world
A far more harrowing and formally assured slavery-era drama, with a stronger sense of historical weight and moral urgency.
For viewers who want prestige historical storytelling with political stakes and a focus on American transformation.
Shares the energy of women-led resistance and historical action, but with more momentum and cinematic force.
An essential Civil War-era drama about Black military history, sacrifice, and the fight for freedom.
A courtroom-and-history epic that tackles slavery, resistance, and the legal machinery of oppression.
A more crowd-pleasing inspirational historical drama centered on Black women whose contributions were long overlooked.
Not thematically identical, but it may appeal to viewers who liked the mission-driven, survival-oriented structure.
For audiences interested in Black history, biography, and the limits of mainstream dramatization.
A dignified historical romance-drama that shares the polished, accessible prestige-film approach.
A period drama about race, class, and a woman navigating power structures in a historical setting.
A more intense and visceral slave-rebellion story, with a stronger emphasis on uprising and resistance.
Title overlap aside, it’s not a thematic match; avoid if you’re only looking for serious historical drama.
slavery, escape and liberation, abolitionism, faith and prophecy, resistance, women’s history, American history, biographical drama
historical drama, biopic, slavery, abolition, women-led, faith, period piece, civil rights history, inspirational, 19th century