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- Prime Video
- May 13, 2021
- Prime Video
- May 13, 2021
Summary Cora (Thuso Mbedu) and Caesar (Aaron Pierre) escape from a plantation and learn the Underground Railroad is an actual physical underground railway line. But a bounty hunter named Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton) is determined to bring Cora back in this Barry Jenkins adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel of the same name.
- Prime Video
- May 13, 2021
- Prime Video
- May 13, 2021
Summary Cora (Thuso Mbedu) and Caesar (Aaron Pierre) escape from a plantation and learn the Underground Railroad is an actual physical underground railway line. But a bounty hunter named Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton) is determined to bring Cora back in this Barry Jenkins adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel of the same name.
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 37 Critic Reviews
92
97% Positive
36 Reviews
36 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 37 Critic Reviews
92
97% Positive
36 Reviews
36 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
The Underground Railroad treads the line of fictional entertainment and historical reenactment expertly, without ever feeling forceful. It is, in short, yet another masterpiece from Barry Jenkins.
Anything but limited. It’s profoundly expansive and exploratory.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 92 User Ratings
7.6
76% Positive
70 Ratings
70 Ratings
2% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
22% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 92 User Ratings
7.6
76% Positive
70 Ratings
70 Ratings
2% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
22% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
this ambitious isolating adaptation of a lauded colin whitehead novel is astounding television. i was reluctant to watch it only because it is exhausting having to always see this side of american history which was indeed a violent part of world history, but seeing it regurgitated as a form of trauma porn with no point beyond black suffering but this show is different .it combines realism with mystism to form a heady narrative about healing, about pain and generational wounds. its a testament to barry jenkins excellence when telling black stories. the cinematography is breathtaking with any frame being worthy of a desktop default wallpaper. it is not gratuitous allowing it's environments to leads it's tone. all of this is delivered through career defining performances across the board especially from the ageless south african ,thuso mbedu who captivates in her nuanced brokenness or rabe eerie portrayal of the station agent. the antagonist ridgeway is rendered so effectively by joel edgertons forceful performance of the haunted slavecatcher. even his sidekick homer, an enigma ,is compellingly portrayed by chase ,a very young child actor. the casting for this series is just one of it's strengths. it does bare a weakness which is in it's pacing an episode count. i do feel it can feel overstuffed and given it's subject mate hat oversaturation becomes oppressive and nearly unenjoyable. nonetheless i give it a 10 cause it challenges the viewer with a familiar setting under an extravagant adventure. definitely must watch.
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SEASON 1
A flat out masterpiece. Every shot is gorgeous even when it's ripping your heart out. The score is incredible. The sound design is perfect. The performances are emensely powerful. Barry Jenkins is operating on a whole other level of visual storytelling here. This series is an emotional sledgehammer that tore me to shreds and put me back together over and over from beginning to end. It's a total and complete triumph.
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SEASON 1
The Underground Railroad made me feel things about my own life and personal pain very deeply, while never letting me forget that while I could relate to aspects of this story, it is not my own. ... The show’s achievement is making every episode feel so full as to allow you to watch an individual installment, walk away for a while feeling like you’ve got a complete story, then return when you’re ready for another story featuring some of the same characters.
The series succeeds in anchoring its narrative to the full context of racism throughout centuries. It compels us to reflect both on what happened and where those events have led us – how they continue to shape us and the world we live in.
Underground Railroad is not a perfect adaptation despite how meticulously crafted it is in certain areas. ... Regardless of its imperfections, Jenkins’ vision is still executed in a thoughtful, incisive way that will hopefully serve as a blueprint for more shows and films like it in the future.
The Underground Railroad is an imperfect take on a painful, sprawling subject. But its emotional highs and lows are stronger than anything you are likely to find on TV this year, just as those images are more gorgeous and nightmarish. Don’t look away.
Awful...A sci-fi fantasy vision of slavery and race relations, the TV version of The Underground Railroad is an incoherent mess of artistic pretension, full of scenes that are not under-lit but un-lit, nonsensical soliloquys with neither symbolic nor literal value (why would a slave recite lines from Gulliver's Travels to a young woman just beaten nearly to death by the plantation owner?) and surreal flashbacks that only further trash what is a very tentative narrative.
This is an absolutely phenomenal show that gets everything right. The casting and characters are perfect - most notably Homer, Ridgeway, and Mabel.
This whole show is a work of art. The cinematography and imagery are beautiful.
Never playing it safe, every gamble seems to pay off. I have never seen a show like this and urge everyone to watch it. This is the show TV has been waiting for for so long.
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SEASON 1
Not nearly as flawless as "critics" would have you believe. Maybe read the book instead.
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SEASON 1
