#Queen of katwe reviews series
“Queen of Katwe” aims to have a similar effect on its audience, grinning through a series of circumstances for a genial portrait of developing courage.
In one key scene, Katende calms down his nervous troops on the road by telling them the lively story of a lion. The movie’s bright colors and breezy tone operate on the same wavelength - they’re pretty and endearing, but otherwise don’t leave much of an impression.
Nyong’o, saddled with the shrill role of Phiona’s concerned mother, does her best with clichéd material. Oyelowo, meanwhile, does a terrific job of keeping his disciples energized about the various tournaments while trying to control the culture shock they face when traveling around. Newcomer Nalwanga wonderfully embodies the conflict between her local responsibilities and the lofty aspirations that Katende has for her. “Queen of Katwe” includes a handful of training sequences in which the rural kids use their street smarts to figure out the chess board, but it’s only truly compelling when focused on the dynamic shared by young Phiona and her enterprising coach. Eventually, the whole group travels to a series of tournaments, struggling at first to deal with the foreign environment before using it to their advantage. So begins a series of training sessions, in which not only Mutesi but many of her eager peers take kindly to the game, while Harriet watches dubiously from the sidelines. A smart chess player, he argues, can transcend class barriers with intellectual strength alone. But Katende, a college-educated transplant from the big city who coaches soccer for the local adolescents, sees an opportunity to train their minds.
#Queen of katwe reviews manual
She’s a single mother overseeing her family’s work ethic by expecting them to invest their time in manual labor. In the grimy shantytown, Harriet runs a tight ship for good reason. Nair puts so much effort into galvanizing the movie’s central figures that the slightest hints of conflict register as little more than an inconvenience. No amount of strong performances and good vibes can hide the sense that we’re just watching a paint-by-numbers routine. So why does “Queen of Katwe,” written by William Wheeler from journalist Tim Crothers’ book, feel so unsatisfying? The Disney-produced story simply lacks any genuine sense of urgency.