This Gradebook is for the Oliver Stoen directed biopic Snowden.
The Gradebook is the ratings of newly released films by the contributors and fans of We Live Film and We Live Entertainment. If you are interested in participating, join the We Live Entertainment Fan Chat Page on Facebook and look for the weekly Gradebook post for the week’s latest releases.
Ashley Menzel gives Snowden a 9.5/10
The film itself is so beautifully done with attention paid to every detail of the film. It is a true piece of art, coupled with a compelling story, forcing us to question what we know as treason, espionage or even patriotism. Snowden is a must see film for every American, whether or not you believe Edward Snowden to be a hero or a traitor, the film will surely make you question your beliefs.
Austin Putnam gives Snowden a 6.5/10
An interesting political thriller biopic with one glaring flaw. Joseph Gordon Levitt gives a stellar performance as Edward Snowden. Shailene Woodley also crushes it as Snowden’s girlfriend Lindsey. In the acting department everyone gives a solid performance. No sour note. The cinematography is sleek and stylish. And the film does a great job bringing up the question of loyalty to the U.S. Whether that’s the people or the government. Unfortunately the glaring flaw that holds this film back from being great is the pacing. It’s all over the place. It really teeters from being interesting to boring constantly. For a film that’s over 2 hours and 15 minutes they could’ve cut out at least 15-20 minutes. Nonetheless I was slightly more interested in Snowden than bored. It’s interesting enough to keep interest.
Zachary Marsh gives Snowden a 6/10
There’s a fine line between dramatizing reality for a film and going overboard on dramatization. Snowden was over-dramatized, to the point where it took me out of it more than once. The romantic subplot, which has a lot of prominence in the movie, feels forced and unnecessary at times, which is a shame since Gordon-Levitt and Woodley have great chemistry together. It also feels rather off at times with overall tones and motivations being skewed and changed at a moment’s notice. Overall there are good elements to Snowden, but it doesn’t change that a lot of it didn’t take many risks or fully grasp me as an audience member to care about what I’m watching. I haven’t seen Citizenfour yet, but I have heard Snowden himself speak, and I do believe that there’s a great scripted narrative that could come from his story. This isn’t it, in my eyes.
Nick Casletto gives Snowden a 7.5/10
A well put together biopic with a standout performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Oliver Stone has a clear message he is trying to convey and while it would of been nice to see a more divided take on the controversial whistleblower, it was a accurate representation of the events that took place. The film may be slow for some but the performances from all around were engaging and stood out from your typical studio film. The film has a rather unexpected and ambition ending which I loved and gave the story as a whole a more realistic portrayal. Not the best Oliver Stone movie, but certainly not the worst.
Bryan Sudfield gives Snowden a 7.5/10
This is a techinically well-done film for the most part. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is phenomenal as Edward Snowden. He’s able to capture his traits so damn well. The rest of the actors shine, as they generally do in a film from director Oliver Stone. He has an interesting message through the eyes of the film and it’s going to be hit-or-miss with certain people. The thing that was unable to make the film great was the editing. It balances from boring to interesting quite a bit and that’s an issue. But nonetheless, I enjoyed Snowden as I think it’s Stone’s best film in years.
