With Mudbound, a tale of two families in good(terrible) ol' Mississippi in the 1940s and the daily struggles for the men and women getting by in the most rural elements imaginable, I wanted to like it more, even love it. The period feel and authenticity Rees and her team have makes an impression and it's all surely lived in to where you feel the pain and literal dirt for white and blacks (so, in other words, a brief mention of 'A Tale of Two Cities' has textual resonance).

But the first half is rough going with way overdone narration, with too much that gives more information and dictating character beats than near necessary, robbing moments of poetry and grace. It almost gives the impression of a tougher/rougher shot yet far less eloquent version of The Southerner by Renoir. Not bad but not... Cinematic enough. It feels too literal a translation of a book (and it is an adaptation of one, unread by me).

Yet, once Hedlund and Mitchell, who don't get too developed before they go off to war and only get some in the scenes when they're in battle (all done in brutal and brief bites), come home from the war, the drama all around gets intensified. The narration gives way to emotional scenes between characters - or just conversations showing an understanding that wouldn't have happened if not ironically for the horrors of war- and all the acting by everyone goes to 100 (Jonathan Banks shows a much... "Poppy" kind of side to his talents).

It may be more of a history lesson than anything else, but the intimacy Rees has with her performers gets the material to its peak too. If you aren't sure of where it's going, or want Rees to stick to the farm scenes and not cut back to the war, just wait and the patience will pay off.

There are alot of positive things to write about Mudbound. First of all the acting, that was by far the best part of this movie. It's what made this movie entertaining to watch, because in my eyes the duration of the movie was too long, but the good acting made up for that. The story itself is easy to follow, easy in the way it's not complicated, not in the way of hearing and seeing racist abuse. Because that's what's the movie about, awful racist southern people against a normal family that tries to survive in their own way. It's a message that depending on where you live, on how you were raised, you treat people differently. A movie with not a new story, but worth watching.

Saw 'Mudbound' due to being intrigued by the subject matter and the cast, being someone who is trying to see as many 2017 films as possible (particularly those that garnered Oscar nominations, in to me actually one of the better Oscar years in recent years) and who wanted to see if it lived up to the hype.

While not one of the best films of the year 'Mudbound' was still very impressive indeed, with a lot of emotional power and with so much deserving of being lauded highly, also really admired how it handled its brave themes. It is though an uneven film too which is a shame, and does suffer from its ambition getting the better of it so that at times it becomes over-ambitious.

Starting with 'Mudbound's' faults, it does get off to a somewhat erratically paced (both rushed and draggy) and meandering start where it can get confusing as to which direction it's going to go and where it's heading.

Also was distracted by the multiple-character voice-over, which tended to ramble and over-explain and could have done with being used less, particularly in parts where it wasn't really needed.

The script too is not without its rambling, repetitive and derivative parts. Overall, it is not a bad script by any stretch, but personally do question its Oscar nomination (the film's other nominees were deserved though) in an otherwise strong category where the right film ('Call Me By Your Name') won and one of not many questionable nominees this year (that last claim is not going to be a popular opinion though).

'Mudbound' however has pros that far outweigh the cons. It looks fantastic with some of the best cinematography of the year and dreamy and atmospheric landscapes and scenery. It is not often where mud is like a character of its own in a film, that is the case with 'Mudbound' and juxtaposes beautifully with the otherwise idyllic look. The music is hauntingly beautiful, and cannot get enough of "Mighty River", wonderfully performed by Mary J. Blige herself, my pick for the Oscar was between it and "Remember Me" from 'Coco', another song that resonated with me.

While the script is uneven, much of it is thought-provoking, well-meaning, affecting and sincere. Things really pick up in the story after a shaky start, especially in a sweeping second half that is truly powerful and poignant culminating in a shocking, gut-wrenching and emotionally devastating climax. Really admired how it explored and addressed the brave and sadly still relevant themes of poverty, racism and the aftermath of war and executing it in a way that was confident and just as ballsy and relevant. Have little to fault the direction either.

Other than the production values the other star is the superb acting, with Carey Mulligan giving her best performance since perhaps 'An Education' and was not expecting a performance as powerful and moving as the one Mary J. Blige gave. The film completely re-assessed my opinion of Garrett Hedlund, who was awful in 'Pan' but was absolutely brilliant here. Jason Mitchell is suitably controlled and can't fault Jonathan Banks and Jason Clarke either.

In conclusion, uneven and over-ambitious but very moving, superbly made and acted and brave. 7/10 Bethany Cox