Hidden Figures – Film Review

Hidden Figures is a great film to add to the grown collection of films involving America’s Space Exploration. It showcases real achievements that should be shown to youth and all Americans that anyone can do anything if they work their way onto being first to set examples for others. Being First is hard, it is a groundbreaking thing to do. These woman I feel are great role models in that they aren’t trying to be someone who they aren’t. They are real people who want to move forward in society and contribute by overcoming such huge obstacles and prejudice.

My only negatives with the film are that there are times where it felt too cheerful and was pushing for more happy moments to make it feel lighter overall. Some of the prejudice problems that the 60’s had for segregation in Virginia were well definied but, I felt they could have done more with it beyond showing people protest in one scene and the bathroom issue. Though the point of the film is small strides which were great to see be accomplished.

Every time we get a chance to get ahead they move the finish line. Every time.

Taraji P Henson carries the film well as the most developed character out of the three leads. She has a very strong arc that showcases how brave the real person she was playing was during that hard time. Taraji gets to have a great speech towards the middle that really showcased what is so great about Katherine G. Johnson. She did what she loved for a living and focused on the goal of helping NASA & America be first in sending a man into Space. Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae have respectable character arcs with getting ahead in their respective real life counterpart goals. The tension between (Octavia Spencer) Dorothy Vaughan and Kirsten Dunst’s character was so palpable. Speaking of speeches — Janelle Monae gets a more powerful speech with Mary Jackson’s wish to further her education. What she says to the Judge to decide her fate on attending courses for becoming an engineer was very memorable.

Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Glen Powell do a respectable job in their roles. Kevin Costner shines the most as being a colorblind boss to go where the best talented person is in the room. Glen Powell’s portrayal of John Glenn was memorable. John Glenn was also very progressive in believing in the person than a piece of technology, and the person he believed in with accurate data was a Black female mathematician. Jim Parsons showed that he didn’t have as much range outside of being Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory.” But he is a welcomed on screen presence.

Overall this is a great film to showcase people who have been vastly overlooked in history. I hope that more diverse people are found throughout history and are showcased on screen to show that it isn’t only white people who contributed to how America is today.

9/10