I honestly find movie critics annoying. They kill it for everyone who wants to watch a movie. Sometimes their criticism is unjust and borders along the lines of hate. They focus too much on the small details and miss out the big picture. What is even more annoying are these people who suddenly feel they are movie experts and have the authority to pass off movies as weak. Some are just Ugandans who find it very fashionable to hate. It is almost criminal for some of them to find good in anything. They will sit on the fence and laugh hard at someone’s effort. There is always so much hate brewing in people’s souls, it is painful. When criticism is well-thought, I can understand. It is good for growth, but hate is what takes us back.
So anyway the long- awaited Queen of Katwe premiered in Uganda last weekend to the excitement of many movie lovers. Turn up was great, from what I was told and everyone was excited to see Lupita Nyongo’o. I did not go for the premiere and haven’t watched the movie yet. Being the first international Hollywood premiere, I understand the expectations were high. But knowing my Ugandans, you are guaranteed one glitch or two. People expected a Hollywood experience and could have missed it. Honestly, I could not give two hoots.
Someone even complained about the movie having too much Ugandaness. Mbu the actors sound too Ugandan. Why should this be a problem honestly? The movie is telling a Ugandan story that could touch many souls around the world. It should be more Ugandan than can possibly be imagined. There is nothing good told about Uganda, just read the news. These so-called movie critics miss this. I honestly do not care if some camera angles were not caught right. I am a sucker for good powerful stories. It does not matter if the movie is not good enough to win Oscars. At least, the world will have taken note. Now some other chap felt this whole hype about the movie is a political move by the Academy to get back in the good books of the African Americans after reportedly ignoring a lot of work done by black people.
Guess what? Some of us do not care about the politics. We want a movie we can resonate with, something to make us proud of Uganda. We want to hold onto something more than our passports when we travel. Our pride for our country. Whether Hollywood is using Queen of Katwe as bait for their mishaps last year, some of us do not care. A big kudos to Mina Nair for being bold enough to tell Phiona Mutesi’s story to the world. It is inspirational and will change lives, I can guarantee you that. So you ‘fake’ movie critics can go hang for all we care.
