Roots (2016) User Reviews

Beautiful & Terrible Film

[stacymattthomas · 9/10 · 5 June 2016]

First, I admit I don't remember seeing the first Roots. I may have when I was young but I don't remember it and I've never read the book so I came into the story with no presuppositions. Even though this is a work of fiction (that Mr Haley apparently plagiarized) it is a work of fiction based in historical fact. Like many incredible works of literature or film the thread of the story may be fiction but it's set in a very real period in history.

All that to say, I'm astonished by some of the reviews on this board. It seems some want a polished up version of history, a Gone With the Wind version that is still ugly if you look close enough at the nuances of the story. The truth is, humans were stolen from their homes and the only world they had ever known or seen and then their traffickers sold them like they were livestock or furniture or maybe even less. They had no rights and every single thing - especially their dignity - was stripped from them. They were dropped into a world they didn't understand or recognize, without even the fortune of common language. This isn't some made up perspective to suit the politics of Black Lives Matter or anything else, it is fact.

If a movie were set in the early 1940's in Germany and the story was about a Jewish family who were actually treated decently by their "Christian" jailers while they were living in a concentration camp, that showed some good sides to the camp as well, everyone would RIGHTFULLY be appalled. But here? No, it seems some want to polish up this ugly stain of American history and call it decoration rather than what it was - horrific.

Okay, so now that I got that off my chest... I found myself crying through many parts of this miniseries and gripped by the injustices at every step. I wanted some happy endings too but only because I was drawn in and rooting for the main characters, but I also realize that happy endings rarely happened during this era for Africans and African Americans and as they rarely had control over their own lives they must have had to deal with the emptiness of unfinished stories, unanswered questions, the sickness of not knowing what happened to their loved ones when they were stolen or violated or sold off. As the viewer I felt that pain and I empathized with the main characters. The apathy and sometimes hatred coming from the slave owners and traders and the way one sin would lead to another and to another so even those with some sense of decency were quick to treat black people as less than and not equal to as soon as they felt threatened or to feel better about their standing in society. This Roots was more The Kitchen House than Gone with the Wind, as viewers we benefit from that fact.

The production and settings were gorgeous and the actors were as well. I thought this was a beautiful telling of a most terrible time.

tremendous acting in ambitious undertaking

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 3 June 2016]

Based on Alex Haley's 'Roots', this chronicles Alex's heritage from the Mandinka warrior Kunta Kinte who was born in 1750 Juffure, west Africa. The Mandinka kept slaves but the English brought gold and guns. Greed and revenge sends Kunta on a slave ship to America. Despite a slave revolt on the ship, he is sold in 1767 Annapolis. He and his descendants struggle under slavery all the way to Chicken George. George is the son of Tom Lea who raped his mother. He trained chicken to fight for his gambling master Tom. The mini-series ends with George who fights in the Civil War and his family being freed after the war.

The acting is tremendous. The production is terrific considering it's a TV show. There are plenty of big names and familiar faces. The new faces don't seem out of place. Malachi Kirby and Regé-Jean Page play the young leads in their respective time periods. They really shine. There is no weak acting from the main actors. The story does feel compressed from time to time as it skips through various time periods. It's an ambitious undertaking and it mostly pulls it off.

Comparable to any theatrical feature!

[MovieHoliks · 8/10 · 6 June 2016]

I started watching the new History Channel orig. mini-series over the weekend, and it is AMAZING! Obviously, if you've seen the ground-breaking series from the 1970's, you can't help but make comparisons, but this stands on it's own- comparable to any theatrical feature I'd say. The lead actor as Kunta Kinte is spot-on, as is Forrest Whitaker, I believe playing the same character Lou Gossett played in the original show. I'm on episode 2 I think out of 4 altogether, and each episode is it's own feature film. Can't wait to see more! Definitely check this out if you haven't already...

So Moving (And Accurate)

[killbarbie-18671 · 10/10 · 3 June 2016]

The Roots reboot (it's not a remake) was such an amazing piece of television that, despite several users' reviews, was (sadly) historically accurate. Decades of additional research has gone into slavery since the original Roots which allows for a more historically accurate depiction of slavery, although that means it's not necessarily as true to Alex Haley's book (a fair trade-off, if you ask me). Regardless, it is a compelling piece of storytelling based on the facts of the US's shameful past.

That said, some of the negative reviews on here are stunning in their idiocy. My two favorite being the one who asks why there's no depiction of the "good Christian slave owner" and the one who claims there are historical inaccuracies and claims the fact that he "lives with a black woman" as proof that he is an expert on the subject. Basically, what I'm saying is that you should take that 7.whatever overall rating with a grain of salt. Pretty sure the rating for this miniseries should be nearer a 9 overall.

Review of Roots

[nofearcoalition · 1 June 2016]

I absolutely love this version of Roots. Its unfortunate that some reviewers of this program refuse to understand the basic fact that there are no good or bad kidnappers - only bad. The act of kidnapping does not allow for some to claim a moral high ground because you provide "small kindnesses." This version of ROOTS is similar to the stories my grandparents told me. Africans were not grateful for small favors - they wanted their freedom. What is undeniable is that all white people profited from this filthy trade in human beings - even the abolitionist. Some abolitionist were honest enough to admit this simple truth.

I wish this version of ROOTS appeared on basic channels so that more people, particularly non- cable watchers could have learned about the resistance of Africans to kidnapping and oppression. Bravo to the producers of this version of Roots!

Love the re-make!

[toriottun · 10/10 · 31 May 2016]

Such a delight! Both my young daughters we're able to follow and stay interested; now they both have lots of questions about American history... Very nicely re-made. Hopefully now they will be interested in watching the original (although not in HD), or they will ask to actually read the book.

Oldest daughter is currently in APUSH and concerned about the lack of quality information regarding this period of time. My youngest tends to be in denial about this era, as she can't quite understand cruelty amongst people, in general. This was a great way to introduce her to this country's past (and maybe explain how it relates to the present).

Sad but historically factual!

[minmuf · 10/10 · 2 June 2016]

Both my husband and I have watched the 1st 3 installments to this miniseries. We both had seen the 1977 version, and although some changes have been made...the story still haunts us. I have always felt a deep emotion to any stories of slavery and till this day I still cannot understand why the color of our skin can cause such emotion in people.My heart has been heavy these past few days as the hardships this family endured is beyond bravery, beyond restraint, beyond compassion.... It is a reminder of not only what happened in North America, but what happens all over the world ....people thinking they own another human being...

I will never ever forget this miniseries, it stayed with me from 1977 and this version will stay with me till I die....Perhaps I will be still around to see equality, passion and love for all human beings, no matter the color of their skin.

The acting of the whole new cast is beyond words....so believable.

xx

A great show about America's sad and dark history

[aman_knowledge · 10/10 · 31 May 2016]

This show is absolutely brilliant. It really shows America's sad and dark history with slavery. The beginning sort of reminded me of the Amistad movie starring Djimon Hounsou and Anthony Hopkins, the gore violence and details really showed how people back then lived like mere products simply because of their skin color. I especially liked how it shows the lives of these slaves back in their homeland from where they were kidnapped from; the lives they once had but were ripped apart from at no warning. It's a part in history no one likes remembering, a part in history we'd all rather forget than remember. Movies and shows like these are very violent and filled with so much gore details, but it is a remembrance of the hard reality people once faced, lived, and died in.

review on roots

[ewanlechat · 6/10 · 7 June 2018]

Hello my name is Ewan Lechat i'm 16 years old and i'm student in high school namde chevrollier

I this film is awesome because the scenes is fine for example the scene on the boat where the slaves dance and sing and the rebellions against the master. I also find thas his movie was too short and did not have time to explain the story well. There are scenes taht are too long and that does not serve for the story as the scene where there is the kunta kinte praying before sleeping the scenes where the slaves sing are fabulous because it shows their origin,and is also lively.

Great reboot of a great classic

[afijamesy2k · 10/10 · 30 May 2016]

Back in 1977 alex haley and the cast changed the face of television and the world by introducing the miniseries roots featuring great acting and great storytelling, now it's been rebooted and it's great once again, it's a story about slavery and true honesty, Laurence fishbourne, forest whitaker and the rest of them including newcomer Malachi Kirby are all standouts in this one, brilliant characterization, brilliant teleplay and everything else was magnificent, you know television these days have become terrible that we need a reboot of a classic and this is a classic right, this reboot of roots is definitely the years best TV and perhaps the year's most controversial and I Give it my highest rating A+

Colorful

[twelve-house-books · 7/10 · 15 May 2019]

Why was Chicken George sold into slavery to a handful of British aristocrats who clearly were not allowed to own slaves by established British law? I enjoyed the film until this came about, and then I did not enjoy the film at all.

One of the most inspiring stories ever

[the_remixer08 · 10/10 · 2 June 2016]

Anyone that does not care for remakes will automatically give this a thumbs down, but I can guarantee you, they went into this remake for the wrong reasons with the wrong ideas. This remake was meant to touch on subjects that could not be told or shown in the original because of those times, and I do believe they did a tremendous job. Every actor in this series told each story quite well, and I most certainly loved how they encouraged you to take these DNA tests during advertisement to find out who you are. There are so many "not another slave movie" fanatics now, that if they had watched this movie, I believe they would be very ashamed that they would have said it. The movie/story was not made to get you angry as tough as it was to watch, but it was meant to inspire, to teach us not to complain, and to be better. Our ancestors had a very tough time, but through it all still managed to love one another and stick together, even when they had to be separated, but here we are "not wanting to be reminded". A+ for the production. The screenplay was on point, and I will be adding the movie to my collection, and encourage younger people not to be ashamed and always find strength from any situation you face

Good but too short

[buddy_holly_music · 7/10 · 8 June 2016]

The original was a very powerful and moving series, so I expected this one to be similar. The new version was powerful, the actors both male and female, young and old were excellent. The scenery and photography were spot on. That's the good, now the not so good.

The gore content was more than needed, yes we needed to know about the cruelty and harshness of the times but did we really need to see it in such graphical detail.

As for each character, no sooner are they born but they die/removed from the story line. This was especially true of Kizzy, her story was just an afterthought it was so brief. In the original series you got to know and love each character, in this new series you just don't get the time.

I know Roots is about Alex Hayley and his ancestry but this new series comes across as though the other families via marriages are totally irrelevant. I think I'm right in saying only one non-Kinte gets a mention. Whereas in the original series the whole Haley ancestors are just ordinary men and women fighting to be free. This new series paints them all as near super-heroes, with Chicken-George being the one with most powers.

This is a good series and worth watching but seriously too brief and suffers for that.

Roots 2016 - I expected better

[pattana217 · 2/10 · 6 June 2016]

I watched the original in my 20s, and I remember how shocking and great the impact was. I don't think this new version can compare to the original Roots. The acting was not good. It felt rushed, and so many important details were left out, as if to get it produced and on the screen as quickly as possible. There were only four episodes. I didn't feel that we got to know and "feel" the characters enough to care about them. The only actor that did an excellent job of portraying some emotion was Forest Whitaker, who is an astounding actor. I was eagerly anticipating this new version, but was very disappointed in it. I expected so much better from the History Channel.

A Hollywood Version of the South

[dahlswede · 3 June 2016]

I watched both the older Roots and this newer version and am not sure exactly how I feel about the remake yet. The acting seemed generally very good in both versions, although the new Roots contains some disturbing graphic scenes of brutality and cruelty (whipping, branding, mutilation, dueling, cock fighting, torture-hanging, rapes, bludgeoning). There was violence shown in the first Roots also, but not at all to this extent. It really doesn't seem like a good thing to show young children in that respect.

The new version of Roots also depicts a lot of racism, which was significant to the plot, of course, but the current version wallows in it. It didn't leave me with any sense of inclusion, just divisiveness. The new version may be a more accurate depiction of some aspects of life in the South in the sense that dueling was not really discussed much in the earlier Roots version. The new version evidently seeks to emphasize class distinctions that developed between rich planters and less affluent farmers in the Jacksonian Era more than the previous version. It really did not depict Protestant Scots-Irish settlers in a very good light at all. Native Americans got badly stereotyped also.

The script, not the acting, left the sense of some characters appearing one-dimensional, sort of walking expressions of racism or modern post- "burn-my-bra" era feminist politics. The sub-plot of a planter's wife and her supposedly deaf-mute driver collaborating as Northern spies sent by the Pinkertons to derail Confederate war efforts really seemed contrived for instance. The woman's husband was absurdly one- dimensional, even by Hollywood's really lax standards for portraying stereotyped White Southern bigots.

I guess I preferred the original version of Roots because it focused on a family's inspiring struggle for equality and recognition in a more three-dimensional way across the span of several generations, and did not shy away from addressing racism in the modern era.

Wonderful and horrible at the same time

[KongKristin · 10/10 · 6 June 2016]

I've never seen Roots. I have little knowledge about the slave era, since I am born in the 90s in Norway. I know the basics.

This show had me in all kinds of knots. It was horrible, and by that I mean the plot, and made even worse by the fact that this is a true story. I cried so much. This show had my full attention from the first minute until the last, and that RARELY happens.

The acting is great. I'm crushing on Kunta Kinte now.

This is a amazing show, it will show a new generation (my generation) how it was like before. How bad it can be when we don't respect each other.

Roots truly was wonderful and horrible at the same time. I really recommend it.

What a moving and amazing movie!

[sachalmrc · 9/10 · 7 June 2018]

Hi, my name is Sacha, I'm 16 years old, I'm a french guy from Angers. I like watching History movies. Before I watch Roots, I though it was boring movie, without epic or moving scenes. The movie is about Kunta Kinte, the main character, who is captured by an african rival clan, and gave to British; we follow his history from Africa to The United States where he is sold.

During the movie, Malacky Kirby and Forest Whitaker are awesome, their acting is very interesting and moving, they managed to transmit strong emotions, by their faces, how they speak. Ht emovie was realized Will Packer and Marc Toberoff in 2016. In general, I find the movie is well realized, but there are a little of low scene, a little boring.There are period where it's a little low. In return, the soundtrack is just amazing! The traditional songs are awesome, they are moving, they beautify the scenes. For me Roots is a wonderful, fabulous, moving and beautiful movie, but also with some slow scenes and a little boring. The African culture is incredibly well done. Finally I recommend this movie, I hope you'll like it.

Amazing just purely amazing

[palockwood · 10/10 · 6 March 2017]

This has just aired on the BBC in the UK and I've watched all four episodes over the last couple of evenings where I purely found it by chance.

I remember the original series way back many years ago and loved it then. This adaption is purely amazing. You are placed right in the scene of the families who were the slaves. It is never nice to imagine what happened but this is such an eye opener as to how life would have been and I'm sure that the worst was never covered.

If you are someone who likes these types of historical programs with possibly a fictional side then this will be perfect for you.

With it all finished it just makes you realise how lucky we are in this world today were we worry about such petty things like what to cook for tea or the TV is playing up. Such simple things we take for granted .

Amazing serie

[bilalkahlaoui · 9/10 · 7 June 2018]

My name is Bilal and I am 15 years old. Last week I watched the first episode of « Roots » a série realised by « History ». I thought this série would be like other documentary about slavery but I was wrong. This episode gave me a lot of emotions. To begin the way whose it filmed make it very realistic. We have the feeling to be in place of the main character who be catch and torture. In addition there are beatifull soundtracks and they play an essential job in the storyline. On the other hand I find some scene could be too violent for sensitive people. Otherwise I think there are not many places in film I was disappointed. To finish I am impatient to watch next episodes and I recommend you this amazing série if you want to know more about the conditions of the slave trade.

Not Terrible, but The Original Is Still Better

[catesa · 6/10 · 19 October 2017]

I want to start by saying, if you're a white person who dislikes this version of Roots because "there's no good white people," or "the Africans are too advanced," you're either a moron or a douchebag. There were no nice slaveowners, and West Africans were doing pretty well until the slave trade came along. Grow up.

When I heard back in 2013 that The History Channel was going to remake "Roots", my skin crawled. It seemed kind of blasphemous to do a remake of one of the most important cultural moments of the 20th century, not even 40 years after it aired. But I know some of the history in the original is certainly flawed, and it's important to re-tell this story. So sure! Let's give it a whirl!

I think this new version only outshines the original in a couple instances: The updates to Juffure and the portrayal of Mandinkan culture/clothes/housing is really cool to see. The inclusion of the internal West African slave trade is also really important. We know now that having Kunta and co. running around in loincloths in the woods and white men strolling through the jungle randomly kidnapping people didn't really happen. On the other hand, the original tale Alex Haley heard was that Kunta was out chopping wood to make a drum when he was taken - kinda weird that this was entirely omitted, but I suppose I can let that go if it means seeing a more accurate Juffure.

I also appreciated the removal of all those goofy sympathetic white characters. Anyone who knows the story behind the original miniseries knows those characters were created because ABC thought white people wouldn't tune in if there weren't some nice white guys sprinkled in to make them feel better. I think it's more important to drive home the overwhelming racism, violence, and brutality that permeated every part of that society; it's difficult for us today to grasp just how bad it was.

Aside from these two updates, I don't really think the new version improves on the original, nor is it accurate to the times. No doubt there were dignified, proud, sly slaves who could find ways around or out of the system (as Kunta's descendants do in the original), but let's be honest: Kunta killing his overseer and not immediately having his head cut off is ridiculous. Any kind of violent resistance to a white person would have been met with totally gratuitous cruelty on the part of the slave-owners. For most slaves there was little to no relief from the constant terror, violence, and depression that loomed day in and day out over the plantation. That's really what makes the history of slavery so heartbreaking. There wasn't much of a way out. Kizzy holding a knife to Tom Lea's throat, Chicken George just shooting Murray's son and walking off into the sunset is ridiculous, and it downplays the total brutality of the system. 99.9% of slaves never would've dared something like that. Most understood that there really were no opportunities for them to settle the score unless they were prepared for certain death.

To make a long story short, the new series is definitely more accurate when it comes to the Africa scenes and the middle passage. Once Kunta's in America, the original miniseries was far more accurate - not in terms of violence (there was a lot that couldn't get past the censors in 1977), but in terms of the slaves' attitudes and actions. We see fiddler with his backhanded compliments, Kizzy spitting into Missy Ann's water, Tom and the family setting a trap for Evan Brent; they get away with as much as they can without the master noticing, and that was fairly typical. I also think the original is far more emotionally gripping.

Lastly, as to be expected with something put out by The History Channel (Sorry - "History"), there's a bunch of time spent on unnecessarily working in historical events that could've been spent on the characters and the inner-workings of slavery. Having Kunta join the Ethiopian Regiment, or Chicken George at Ft. Pillow was not necessary at all, and it totally took me out of the story.

I could go on, but I won't. Check it out if you're a black history buff, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original for me.

Powerful, moving and relevant

[jim-mckillop · 9/10 · 12 May 2017]

I've just watched the final episode on my Virgin catch up box. The series was powerful and moving about the struggle against unthinking racial or tribal oppression, the ease with which a dominant culture assumes it has all the true values and the ways in which those who have power and authority justify any means they have to retain their position.

I watched the original series when it was first broadcast and remember it as being good but not it having this impact on me. I don't know if that reflects the relative merits of the two series or my journey an almost thirty something who hadn't lived in the US to being almost 70 and having lived in/visited the US for about 4 years.

As someone who loves both the US and the UK for the good they can and sometimes have done, it seems all too relevant to what is happening in President Trump's America with its demonisation of the different, the stranger and the disadvantaged. Sadly it's relevant also to the UK dominated by a government in thrall to the powerful, which rewards the rich with more riches and takes from the poor and disabled, with a pitiful opposition, a country that has rejected its own best interests by stupidly deciding to sever its links with the EU.

Roots ends on a positive note. I hope that our two great countries also come through this dreadful period and move back soon to being examples of the shining city on the hill instead of showing how badly countries can get it wrong.

review

[lemaxou · 6/10 · 7 June 2018]

Hello, I'm maxime, I'm a french student in first years of high school in Chevrollier in Angers. I do this review because I have seen «The Roots»,For me is a pretty successful film franchise. Is a amazin shooting. For me what i had the biggest is most violent. This moment were kunta kite escape plantation is short for me. They actors plays really fantastic their rolent.

****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 28 June 2016]

Outstanding remake of the 1970's film based on Alex Haley's work.

This extraordinary film deals with the life of Kunta Kinte who was sold into slavery and transported to America to face a life of deprivation, dehumanization and one difficulty after another.

The film goes through the man Kinte and the various generations that came after him from a period of the late 1750s through the end of the civil war.

It is the constant desire of freedom, identification of who he is and what he stood for that keeps the generations going through such adversity.

An outstanding cast of Kinte, Kizzy, Chicken George and Forrest Whitaker, as Fiddler, tackle their roles with perfection.

Not to be missed.

Great movie

[j-44566 · 7/10 · 7 June 2018]

Hello, Firstly I personally like this movie,Roots is a great movie,there is breathtaking settings.The boat,The landscape,Houses,etc... are notable. The acting is correct from my point of view.I liked the soundtrack they are remarkable there was a lot of blood and violence i liked too.That I destet is the camera used for the movie there was a lot of grain in darks scenes.I think the storyline is a overly falt maybe a little bit lifeless,you know like an impression already seen and the point I most hate is the end... I was very dissapointed of end of the movie if you see the movie you probably see what I mean!!

Sacrilegious remake of a pivotal show in American TV history

[the_it · 1/10 · 10 April 2017]

As a black British man who is old enough to remember the seismic event of the original series 40 years ago, I can only shake my head at this boring, pointless, time wasting PC remake that has sullied the original and best version.

Roots The Original was one of the first global must-see TV events that captured the attention and imagination of the whole world simultaneously, at a time when the US was celebrating its bicentenary and race relations and civil rights were at a delicate state (a bit like today in that respect). Most of the black actors, singers, rappers and sports stars of today weren't even born when the original was screened, so the impact that the show had on culture is lost on them to be honest. Regardless of people saying they've watched it on video or DVD or heard stories their parents told them about it, the original Roots had to be experienced back in the '70s to have had any effect. Which sadly led to this pile of cheap garbage being made for the 21st century's millennials. And what a mess! From showing an 18th century African village that wouldn't look out of place in the late 1990s, with an airbrushed sense of heightened culture that didn't really exist, this was Roots for the politically correct, non offending generation. The problem is that Roots was an idea whose time was the 1970s. We've seen tales from a black perspective since then that have been superb- Glory, Amistad, 12 Years A Slave, Malcolm X, Ali, Django Unchained, Men of Honour- and films with black stars on the level of Denzil Washington, Smith, Whitaker and the fantastic Jeffrey Wright.

But this is a remake for the sake of it. And it was totally, utterly pointless, bland, banal shoulder-shrug and one raised eyebrow inducing. Most of all, IT WAS BORING! Take it back. Please! Take it back....!!!!