Review: Snowden

Is Snowden the Biopic we need?

PRISM, the NSA, warrantless wiretapping; Snowden presents the backstory of the whistleblower that rocked the political world three years ago. We're all familiar with Edward Snowden, but does the movie make as big of a splash as the real Snowden himself?

Snowden showcases the life of Edward Snowden and the circumstances that lead up to his leaks. The movie is interesting enough but it is not captivating nor groundbreaking. Its star-studded cast is enough to make it watchable and the story is decent.

One of the biggest shortfalls of the movie is its runtime. Snowden runs for over two hours, and there were certainly scenes that could have been cut to shave that down, especially with regards to the romance plotline. Based on the trailers and the story the movie is based on, I also expected the movie to be more of a political thriller, which it wasn't. I felt it wasn't as shocking or compelling as I would have liked, especially taking into the account the number of monologues meant to hammer home the message. Also for a movie about the mass surveillance programs and the leaks that unveiled it, it didn't really spend as much time focusing on those key issues as I would have liked. They spent too much time on filler and not enough on the actual relevant parts of the story. Lastly, although it actually didn't bother me much, I already know Joseph Gordon Levitt's accent is sure to drive many moviegoers insane.

Snowden falls short of other movies in its field such as The Smartest Guy's in the Room or even other biopics such as Iron Lady. The movie is mediocre but the story is interesting enough to give it a pass. I would recommend giving it a watch if it happened to come on TV but I wouldn't go seeking it out.

2.5 out of 5

What would I have changed? (Spoilers)

Click here to read what I would Change

As stated above, I would focus less on the love story and cut down on some of Snowden's backstory to keep the movie more focused. The runtime definitely should've been shorter and it just lacked any real thrill.

Johnny (Senior Contributor) was born and raised in San Diego. He's been a fan of films the majority of his life. He enjoys the feeling it invokes and the power it has to take you to another place. Click Here to check out Johnny's other Articles.

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