Ali
Performance: This has a very strong cast and it does not disappoint. The casting choices were also perfect. No white extras that were supposed to be Africans, no iconic people in Muhammad's life that were changed too drastically just for entertainment, just great casting that accurately represented the real life equivalents. For example, the lead, Will Smith, perfectly captured Muhammad's confident and cocky nature. Will Smith also seemed to try and mold his body into Muhammad's shape too. Yes, Smith was already very fit but he didn't have the same shape and he's been known to change his diet and workout routine to fit his roles before. 8/10
Lighting: I didn't notice very many good uses of lighting to signify people's state of mind or foreshadow. Like when Muhammad discovered Malcolm X's death, his whole face was covered in light. It may be a bit cliche, but it would've been better if it was shot a bit darker, maybe with some rain. Or when Malcolm was talking to Muhammad about how he feels like he might snap and he's bottling up all these negative emotions, his face was also quite lit up. On the upside, I never found myself questioning what was happening due to darkness. 4/10
Sound: This was perhaps the best part of the movie. During the boxing matches especially when it changed angles to an over the shoulder or first person perspective, it sounded like a real fight. The heavy breathing, grunting, sounds of effort, impacts of the gloves, squeak of the boots. As somebody who does martial arts, one of which is boxing, it felt very real and reminiscent. And the sound track was very fitting to each scene. It set the mood and saved most scenes from the sometimes out of place lighting. 10/10
Mise-en-scene: The costumes fit their purpose very nicely. Considering this was a biography set a very long time ago, of course everything on screen is important. Somebody simply driving a modern car would stick out like a sore thumb. However, I didn't spot any mistakes. I was constantly aware that I was in the 1960's-70's. And as the movie went on and we moved further and further into Ali's life, the styles and technology changed as well, which I was quite impressed with. However I didn't see anything that created too much hidden meaning. 8/10
Cinematography: The angles during the fights were brilliant. Especially the close ups that I mentioned earlier that enhanced the sound. The over the shoulder and first person perspective really put us into the chaos of the fight. We experienced, first-hand, the disorderly fashion of a fight from one of the fighter's view. And the shot of Malcolm talking to Muhammad about his inner demons with Muhammad sitting in the background. Although the lighting was wrong, it showed the main focus of the scene at that moment in time and gave a detailed expression on Malcolm's face while at the same time letting us view Muhammad's body language and reaction to what he was being told. 9/10
Lighting: I didn't notice very many good uses of lighting to signify people's state of mind or foreshadow. Like when Muhammad discovered Malcolm X's death, his whole face was covered in light. It may be a bit cliche, but it would've been better if it was shot a bit darker, maybe with some rain. Or when Malcolm was talking to Muhammad about how he feels like he might snap and he's bottling up all these negative emotions, his face was also quite lit up. On the upside, I never found myself questioning what was happening due to darkness. 4/10
Sound: This was perhaps the best part of the movie. During the boxing matches especially when it changed angles to an over the shoulder or first person perspective, it sounded like a real fight. The heavy breathing, grunting, sounds of effort, impacts of the gloves, squeak of the boots. As somebody who does martial arts, one of which is boxing, it felt very real and reminiscent. And the sound track was very fitting to each scene. It set the mood and saved most scenes from the sometimes out of place lighting. 10/10
Mise-en-scene: The costumes fit their purpose very nicely. Considering this was a biography set a very long time ago, of course everything on screen is important. Somebody simply driving a modern car would stick out like a sore thumb. However, I didn't spot any mistakes. I was constantly aware that I was in the 1960's-70's. And as the movie went on and we moved further and further into Ali's life, the styles and technology changed as well, which I was quite impressed with. However I didn't see anything that created too much hidden meaning. 8/10
Cinematography: The angles during the fights were brilliant. Especially the close ups that I mentioned earlier that enhanced the sound. The over the shoulder and first person perspective really put us into the chaos of the fight. We experienced, first-hand, the disorderly fashion of a fight from one of the fighter's view. And the shot of Malcolm talking to Muhammad about his inner demons with Muhammad sitting in the background. Although the lighting was wrong, it showed the main focus of the scene at that moment in time and gave a detailed expression on Malcolm's face while at the same time letting us view Muhammad's body language and reaction to what he was being told. 9/10
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