Antebellum (2020) User Reviews (748)

No Doubt This Is A Divisive Film And You Can Easily See That In The Reviews

[Foutainoflife · 7/10 · 19 September 2020]

Ok. So there are a lot of people taking issue with this due to the current politial environment in the US, some are taking issue with it because they feel it is a "The Village" remake and some are taking issue with it because they see it more as a thriller than horror. I guess you will decide how you like it based on your position concerning these issues.

In terms of our political environment, things are not good. I am a Southerner. I've heard the arguments for both the destruction of heritage and the continued insult of the treatment of African Americans. It is a sensitive topic for which, I have no ideas on how to appease everyone. So, in choosing to watch this, I decided to lay personal opinions to the side so that I could watch what was being presented without prejudice.

As for this being a "The Village" remake. Yeah, I'm not on board with this at all. In "The Village," the circumstances of the village founders are far different. They raise children who are unaware of the world beyond the boundaries of the village of their birth. They are naive and brainwashed. This film is different and not really comparable in my opinion.

As to whether it is horror or not, well if this happened to me, I would be horrified. Kidnappings, torture, murder and the dehumanization of others is monstrous. To imply that these are merely "suspensful" or "thrilling" topics alone shows a removal from the realization that, while watching it in a film, it is meant to portray something happening in real time to real people and will steal from the horror of it. Although it lacks the blood, guts and gore of hardcore horror, this is a psychological horror film if you are open minded enough to experience it. It is chilling.

I review films as I see them and while I'm sure that with such a divisive film I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this, it will have no bearing on my opinion. I say if you are interested in seeing this, don't let the negative reviews deter you. Watch it and come to your own conclusion. It is a well made film and I thought the acting was good. Subject matter is sensitive, political and divisive but overall I thought the story was rather unique.

Check it out and make up your own mind as to whether you like it.

DON'T WATCH THE TRAILERS

[FeastMode · 7/10 · 21 July 2021]

It never ceases to baffle me how often trailers spoil a movie. For antebellum, i went in blind, and it took me on a ride i won't forget. I watched the trailer after. It spoiled the entire movie. I can't believe it. And on top of that, it was completely misleading. I'm so glad i don't watch trailers any more. It would have robbed me of a great experience.

This movie is well-directed with great cinematography and some beautiful shots. It hooked me immediately and never let go. I was invested in the story and the characters. It had me at the edge of my seat numerous times. I had a great time overall (1 viewing, 7/18/2021)

SPOILERS

i didn't know what the movie was about when i turned it on. I only saw the poster and that horror was listed as a genre. I legitimately thought it was a straight up horror flick like something with ghosts or demons.

It started out in the civil war era. I had no reason to believe it would ever move from that era. I was definitely into it, but at one point i started thinking, "i like movies that are different or unique, and this premise doesn't seem like it can go anywhere out of the ordinary"

right then, we switch to present day... WHAAAAAAAAA. Interesting. We follow the same actress playing a different character. So now i assume it's like different versions of the same person at different points in time. Color me intrigued.

Only problem is, where can it really go from here. Can the stories conclude in a satisfying way? Or are we going to get random unrelated parallel stories a la cloud atlas, a movie i HATED.

Right then we switch back to "olden times," but we still hear the cell phone ring, and the general answers it.......

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. The past is the present and the present is the past. The ENTIRE context of everything we watched has been changed. It went from "it's so sad that black ppl had to suffer through slavery" to "omg, they're kidnapping present day black ppl and turning them into slaves."

and most importantly, there is a fully satisfying conclusion that ties in both stories. Bravo. I love that this is basically a super hardcore civil war reenactment. Also, why are civil war reenactments allowed? Even if you ignore the racism aspect of it (which you can't), you're still celebrating the deaths of hundreds of thousands of americans by their own hands. Smh.

Why Didn't The Writer and Production

[jasminepixie · 5/10 · 19 September 2020]

Why didn't the writer and production team spend more time developing this story? This movie had the potential to be very interesting .One that would of been a must see, but it falls short. At first I was intrigued as well as excited,but as the movie shifted to the last part I started to get a sense of where it was heading. It just was not as clever as I had thought it would be. It is missing so much of the story and creative elements that you are left wanting. The ending twist is revealed so quickly, it makes the twist stupid. If it would of been presented in a different way it may have changed my impressions. I will say it is visually appealing but that doesn't make up for the substance it lacks. I will tell you truly the last thoughts and feeling I had when the ending credits started was "What it is over, where is the rest?" Followed by a feeling of thorough disappointment. So in short the movie starts of interesting and ends with you feeling disenchanted and let down.

Movie really make you think

[cortneywiggins42 · 7/10 · 26 September 2020]

I really enjoyed this movie, Forget the negative reviews, watch it yourself....

Trailers Were Misleading

[view_and_review · 4/10 · 28 December 2020]

I'd like to sue for false advertisement. The trailers for this movie truly misled me. I was under the impression this was going to be a horror movie with supernatural occurrences. In the trailer the scenes jumped from present day to antebellum era, then there was a scene of a plane suddenly appearing in the sky above a slave plantation as if they were in a parallel universe where slavery lasted past the industrial age. There was a flash scene of a woman bending over backwards like she was an evil spirit. The whole of it painted a very eerie picture with otherworldly undertones.

The movie wasn't nearly as mystical or creepy. Basically, a group of butt-hurt southerners created a fake plantation in the middle of nowhere where they'd kidnapped Black people and forced them to live as slaves. This premise has so many flaws, but we'll overlook those for now.

The movie begins on this plantation with no indication that it's anything other than an antebellum plantation in the South. After awhile you get the sense that something is not quite right. The manner in which the "slaves" are speaking is very anachronistic. Their diction is too good and even some of their vocabulary doesn't belong. One "slave" even uses the term "cracker," which completely didn't belong. That same Black man stared down the overseer when he spoke to him, which would never happen during slavery times unless the slave had a death wish.

I simply thought that the writer of the script was clueless about slavery which just upset me. I didn't recognize those anachronisms as intentional clues because they were subtle and they weren't highlighted like important clues normally are. When the main character, Veronica (Janelle Monae), woke up in a modern-day bed in her home it only further confused me. It wasn't shown as a flashback, it was shown as though Veronica just woke up from a bad dream in which she was a slave.

The movie continued on with some exposition where we got to know what Veronica was all about. The exposition carried on too long to the point I thought we were completely done with the slavery scenes and we were just going to watch Veronica be with her friends. The present day scenes were so boring and irrelevant I was ready to quit the movie. Precious movie time was being eaten up and I had yet to see anything remotely scary or even eerie.

The movie wraps up with Veronica back on the plantation making her getaway. That's when we find out the "big reveal," the plantation is a modern day replica in the backwoods of Louisiana. Veronica had to fight her way to freedom which included burning two men alive. It was supposed to be a liberating scene, but all I could think of was, "Don't waste your time burning them, just get out of there."

On her way out of the nightmare she was in she passed by a statue of Robert E. Lee. The statue standing there so regal and reverential at the edge of the fake plantation was clear in its meaning. It was to illustrate that monuments of confederates are only memorializing the atrocities of the South. I understood the point of this movie, but boy did they take a long yawn inducing route to it.

Antebellum, a picture stifled by a 1000 words

[glennmeerten06 · 7/10 · 15 September 2020]

Antebellum tells the remarkable story of Eden, a slave on a plantation somewhere in America. It also chronicles events in the life of a successful modern-day author called Veronica. As the film progresses, the connection between these two storylines becomes clear, and that's about all I can say about the plot.

THE POSITIVES

One of the biggest strengths of the flick, is a masterful hand behind the camera. Gorgeous cinematography, guided by thoughtful direction, bring as much emotional impact to the film as the stellar performances do. The structural editing on display here, is a showcase of the profound understanding the filmmakers have of the narrative. The film is filled to the brim with subtle visual setups that have satisfying pay-offs at the end. The opening scene is one of the most gripping collection of images, I've seen all year. It was an absolute treat to discover that the final sequence reaches the same impactfull heights but with a very different connotation. I can't stress enough how the technical aspects of Antebellum are Oscarworthy. cinematography, lighting, production design and costume design are in a league of their own. They all work together to truly make the performances shine.

THE NEGATIVES

Unfortunately, the film undoes a lot of the greatness within itself, as the flick goes along. The underlying message is anything but underlying. It rather weighs down heavily on the audience and is often times spelled out to the letter. All of the striking, brutal imagery, is somehow negated by heavy-handed pandering to an agenda, I don't even disagree with. An almost comedic over the top female villain who is in sharp contrast with some bold, grounded performances by other antagonists, offers nothing more than frustration. I truly want to love this film more than it allows me to.

THE VERDICT

Antebellum is composed out of a collection of striking images that showcase craftsmanship in front and behind the camera. Its brutal, grounded and thoughtful imagery is undermined however, by a painfully, spelled out message that comes across as pandering more often than not.

Im black so i guess im "SUPPOSED TO" like this movie but i can't! I CANT lol

[dninc-65140 · 2/10 · 29 September 2020]

Movie was borderline boring, predictable, i enjoyed the Trailers but so i should give credit to the people who marketed this movie more than the Producers and writers.. they did they thing pushing this garbage.. If you have ABSOLUTELY nothing else to watch on TV this might be something to have on playing in the background while your doing something else..

Janelle did the best she could with her role in this movie, that's the only take away.

Haters gonna hate

[carlamperez-09041 · 9/10 · 10 February 2021]

Idk why everyone is hating on this so hard? I'd never seen the trailer, just randomly saw it on Hulu and decided to give it a watch. Didn't know what to expect and had never watched the trailer... but it kept me puzzled and kept me guessing all throughout which are all the things I can appreciate in a film. I'd categorize it as more of a psychological thriller than say "horror" but once that twist hit and I realized this was happening NOW?! that blew my mind and I definitely became horrified- with the idea of being in those shoes. Like WHAT?! scurry. Anyway, yall are all haters and this was a decent movie. Goodbye~

Trailer misleads!!

[roankluijtmans · 6/10 · 5 September 2020]

When I saw the trailer of this movie, I thought it was going to be a weird horror movie that is fun to watch. But when I watched the movie, it was so much different. There isn't any horror in it. Its not a bad movie but it's not what I expected. They're were literally people walking out of the cinema because they expected something different.

Its a fine movie to watch. But not cinema worthy. There's no horror in it. Its not a scary movie just violent in the way slavery.

Woof, that was hard work...

[roganoffeski · 4/10 · 4 October 2020]

It's been a long while since I've looked at my phone halfway through a movie to see how much longer it has left, but that's how disappointing this was.

Like many, I got sucked in by the "by the producers of Get Out & Us" - this is nowhere near the same quality. There is no humor, no suspense, and the acting is poor. I can't think of a single performer that impressed me - even Monae let me down this time.

The first 1/2 hour was strong but then it completely degenerated. The twist was interesting and probably the only thing of note that I took away from the viewing. And as important as the 'message' of the film was, it couldn't have been any more hamfisted in its delivery. Such a waste.

Brilliant and Cleverly Made

[ameshamcelveen · 9/10 · 18 September 2020]

This is certainly a must see movie! I wouldn't necessarily classify it as horror, but more so as a thriller. I'm not sure why Rotten Tomatoes and many other movie review platforms gave this movie such a low rating, because it definitely wasn't deserved. I assume some folks aren't too keen of seeing portrayals of slavery or being reminded of how African Americans were treated back in the 1800s. To each his own, however, the "slavery" portrayal in this movie shouldn't take away from the overall brilliance and creativity of this film.This is a very well made movie with a captivating twist of an ending. Watch and see for yourselves!

A solid 6, but could have been more...

[indiana1981 · 6/10 · 11 September 2022]

My girlfriend has prevented me from rating this movie as 7/10 lol. But I really liked this film. I thought the idea was original and I did not see the twist coming at all.

But I think a few things could have been done better. For example, when the lead characters tried to escape, they made some douchy movies.

A lot of people complained about the middle of the film, but it's necessary to tie the movie together. However, perhaps the character development could have been stronger here.

I do like the focus around race and the confederate era. I guess some people don't like revisiting this time in history. But given the state of American politics, it's a timely move and I do wonder how many psychos would love to see plantations exist again in todays world.

I also thought Janelle Monae did a fine job acting, as did the rest of the cast.

Lastly, this is classified horror, but it is not on the level of The Conjuring or Herediatry. I think that label is misleading and it is definitely really a thriller.

Overall it's an original film, entertaining, a slow burn and deserves a 6.5 at least, (not the current 5.7 rating!).

Music video clip directors turn their first cinema film into a messy unoriginal film.

[movieman6-413-929510 · 4/10 · 5 September 2020]

Antebellum is a new horror thriller directed, written and produced in part by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renze. This is only their first real cinema film that they have directed together. For this they have made more short films, especially music video clips.

The film is about the successful writer Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe). She is confronted with her success by the world. She must fight the dark past and escape it before it's too late.

The fact that this is the first cinema film that Gerard Bush and Christopher Renze have made is reflected in the film. The film seems to start with a clear beginning, but the plot twists that emerge later in the film only get messier and unclear. The story of the movie is somewhat like an adapted, copied version of the story of the movie Get Out. The few minor horror aspects of the movie seem to have been copied from the movie The Shining. The movie poster of this movie is even copied from the movie poster of The Silence of the Lambs.

Despite the fact that the film does not have an original story, they try to incorporate a good message that responds to the current events of Black Lives Matter. This message would have come across better with a clearer script. For a better film that responds to the same current events, you better look back at Get Out. Instead of a scary horror film, the film also comes across as a fierce thriller with a history about the racism of slavery and how racism is still a problem in the world today.

Due to the messy script, most of the cast do not deliver any special acting and they have all acted better in other films thanks to clearer scripts of these other films.

Mind Blown

[eihnwsyaa · 7/10 · 20 September 2020]

I like the concept of this movie. I know that some people would say this is not a horror. I don't want to spoil the film so I'm not going to say much. However being a black woman myself, I would say hell yeah this is a horror to me. Definitely worth watching, be open minded.

To long for so less of a story

[okpako-adenowo · 5/10 · 13 September 2020]

If this movie would take 30 minutes It would be the same

This film had a clear message!

[danielthompsonfp · 6/10 · 29 January 2021]

This film had a clear message, and I believe it's mediocre rating is solely because many people weren't ready to see it. Great plot twist, kept me interested, great acting, exceptional cinematography.. it's not necessarily a "must see", but it's definitely not as terrible as the majority of reviews make it out to be.

The trailer is much more enjoyable than the actual film.

[thomasclinn · 1/10 · 26 September 2020]

Please please don't waste your time. You'll thank me later.

Surprising, thrilling and twisted

[rjmhulst · 8/10 · 11 September 2020]

Antebellum may not be a horror movie like the trailer suggests, however: it is all about the horrors its main characters go through. Antebellum is an interesting ride throughout, with much contrast, a strong ambience and great acting.

Is this movie "political"?

[seandoel · 7/10 · 19 September 2020]

I'm perplexed that some reviewers on here have labelled the movie "political". As far as I'm aware there remains no political parties that deny the abhorrence of slavery nor racial oppression. This movie does not villanize white people, it villanizes villains. Moreover, the motives of the villains are undeclared and ambiguous - although there are hints at racial motivations but these are left for the viewers interpretation. To classify the movie as political suggests the producers had a political statement to make or political motivation. One can only presume that is to say they are suggesting racism still exists. This of course is not up for debate, its fact, it DOES. This is not political. There is a reason as to why the 'slave owners' are white and the 'slaves' are black. *The answer is left as an exercise for the reader.* As a white man I am no more ashamed of the white villains in this movie as I am to white bond villains. I am not them.

One reviewer asked a question about the movie and questioned its continuity in doing so, so I thought I'd explain:

The reason Veronica doesn't have branding in the shower scene is simply because she hasn't been branded yet. After she wakes from the initial slavery scenes she hasn't dreamed that at all, it's a con, and it works. There are two time lines and they jump between them but the slavery scenes all succeed the "normal" scenes.

They also ask about why do they burn the cotton. Well why not burn the cotton? What else are they to do with it? They aren't really running a plantation to profit from cotton, it's not for sale.

Great in idea, not execution

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 9 October 2020]

Antebellum is a movie that would have been much better if I'd never seen the trailer and if the big reveal didn't happen until much later in the movie. As it stands, it's still interesting, but it would have really knocked me out if I had no idea what I was in store for. So that's why I'm giving you the opportunity to look away now, because you deserve to see this with no expectations.

Eden (Janelle Monáe) is a slave who has tried to escape before and bears the brand of her owner, Him (Eric Lange). When another girl named Julia (Kiersey Clemons) hangs herself - killing both herself and her unborn child - after the treatment she endures and Eden is again assaulted by Him, she falls asleep.

Seriously, spoilers.





Eden is really Veronica Henley, a sociologist promoting her new book along with her friends - it's nice to see Gabourey Sidibe in this - when she's targeted by Elizabeth (Jena Malone) and her husband Jasper (Jack Hutton), drugged and taken to the plantation, which exists underknown to the rest of the modern world.

Now that she is part of the past - or at least a re-enactment of it - Eden/Veronica must escape or die.

Writers, directors and producers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz have mostly worked in shorts before this, but the film has some moment of real slow motion beauty that was filmed using the actual lenses from Gone with the Wind.

Basically, consider this a woke The Village, except that movie had the sense to wait until - again - the close before the twist. That said, I wasn't bored by this, but the times we meet Veronica, she seems much less likable than Eden.

Regardless, any time that women of color can be the lead in any movie - much less a horror film - is a reason to celebrate. Check it out for yourself - it's yet another movie where a woman done wrong sets a house on fire and walks away in slow motion - and let me know what you think.

Watch this!

[steven-carron · 8/10 · 10 September 2020]

This is my first review on IMDB. I saw the movie yesterday and found it very good. The negative comments are in no justice to this film. Sure it's not a horrormovie and the adds around this film are misleading.

Antebellum is an original movie, has a great performance of the lead actress, an unpredictable script and an important message. Don't expect to see a gripping horrorflick, but a gripping good film

Good movie.

[Cindy-Marie-125 · 7/10 · 3 June 2021]

Don't get why people say this is a bad movie.

Can't they stand the confrontation with racism being real ?

Stupid Movie

[rtbradford · 3/10 · 20 September 2020]

OK, I thought this was supposed to be based on Octavia Butler's novel Kindred and that's how it was marketed, but that's not what it was. It was basically the most implausible mass kidnapping movie ever made. And even as that, it failed. First, it was internally inconsistent. The main character is branded in "the past" and then wakes up in her own bed in "the present" and the brand's gone. Makes sense if it was a dream or she actually was time traveling, but makes no sense if she was just kidnapped. And if she was kidnapped, why would she think it was a dream? Why wouldn't she remember being serially raped? And why on earth would so many modern day people just accept being enslaved when they were being held only a few miles from civilization? The whole premise doesn't work. I like Janelle Monae, but this movie is just plain awful.

Completely blown away!

[Gordon-11 · 13 September 2020]

Initially I thought the film didn't make sense at all. When it finally did, I was completely blown away by how clever it is. This is a captivating and very effective film.

Wonderful plot that has a possibility.

[kenzibit · 7/10 · 20 September 2020]

1 hour and 8 minutes later I still didn't have a clue about the movie but when I did, the second half of it was awesome. This is something that can happen in these modern times and gives me some chills when I even think about it. Great acting and plot and kinda bad movie to watch these days considering the recent happenings.