Time: 141 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Violence
Cast:
Fantasia Barrino as Celie Harris-Johnson
Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as young Celie
Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery
Danielle Brooks as Sofia
Colman Domingo as Albert “Mister” Johnson
Corey Hawkins as Harpo Johnson
H.E.R. as Mary “Squeak” Agnes
Halle Bailey as Nettie Harris
Ciara as older Nettie
Louis Gossett Jr. as Ol’ Mister Johnson
Jon Batiste as Grady
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Mama
Director: Blitz Bazawule

I have heard about Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple for a while, but never got around to watching it myself. In the past year, a new Color Purple adaptation was becoming something of an awards contender, so I decided to watch that one first. It definitely has some issues, but I found it to be pretty good.

I can’t comment on how The Color Purple (2023) compares to the movie from the 80s, I do know that it’s not really a remake though. It is not only based on the original book (which the Spielberg movie is also based on), but also the musical, which was itself based on the original book. It is definitely a heavy movie considering its topics, and the story is compelling enough that I wanted to see where I would go. The pacing is pretty fast considering that the whole story spans decades, though that does result in some characters and story aspects not feeling as developed as they should be. Occasionally, there are some parts which aren’t handled the best. There is particularly a redemption of a certain character towards the latter part of the story; I don’t know if it works in the previous movie, but it certainly doesn’t work here. Despite being a musical, the music aspect was definitely the least interesting part of the movie. For the first half, the musical numbers are tonally jarring; sometimes it’s how it switches between jovial and sad songs, sometimes it’s how these scenes are placed right after comparatively heavier scenes. It got better as it went along, but generally the musical numbers made me tune out of the movie.

The movie has a stellar ensemble, with Fantasia Barrino, Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks shining in their respective parts and largely carry the movie. I’d argue that the movie works because of the actors, bringing further depth to their characters through their performances. 

The direction from Blitz Bazawule isn’t anything special but works just enough. The costumes and sets are great, however, I was hoping for more from the visual style, even if the cinematography is vivid. There are some notable musical numbers; the songs themselves aren’t that memorable, and as I said before, they are tonally messy and are distracting within the story. However, they are still delivered with a lot of flair, energy and passion, and are well choreographed.

While it has its faults, especially as a musical, The Color Purple (2023) is decent and well made, carried by the stellar cast of performances.