SYNOPSICS
Burning Sands (2017) is a English movie. Gerard McMurray has directed this movie. Trevor Jackson,Tosin Cole,DeRon Horton,Alfre Woodard are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2017. Burning Sands (2017) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing.
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Burning Sands (2017) Reviews
It's alright, I guess, but I just couldn't connect to it
Burning Sands is a movie about this group of young college freshmen who want to get into this fraternity and have to go through one week of humiliation by its members. It's a nicely-shot film, but the whole thing just isn't memorable enough, especially the characters. The only one you actually kinda care about is the lead. The rest, you will barely remember. Also, I just couldn't connect to the whole story. It's horrible and very tough to watch and I know that these things happen, but I couldn't help but wonder why would anyone let others do this to them? Where is your dignity? What's the point of it? Sorry, but I just don't get it. The performances were pretty good and the whole feel and atmosphere isn't bad either. But it just lacks the emotion and the gut-punch. Aside from the events happening in these scenes, there isn't much to it. It's not memorable. In the end I just felt annoyed. It's not a bad movie and I understand the point it was trying to make, but I just couldn't connect to it.
Solid first effort
A really solid, well-shot and made film about fraternities the hazing pledges have to go through. It is easy to dismiss this as nothing new, but the film explores themes on race and history that are very well connected and relevant to practices at present time. It is a film that confronts the audience with the violence, so that you could almost feel it, which is appropriate to the content and subject matter. The lead actor does a decent job, the rest of the pledges built good chemistry together. Alfre Woodard and Steve Harris were the strongest performers.
Your College Bound Kid Needs to Watch This
Good movie..Shows what happens when your self worth is so low that you think you have to pay for others to humiliate you for a fake friendship. This is how you brainwash people and create narcissistic sheep that keep you from advancing on the job..Have your college age kids watch this.
Nothing new
Other than a strong cast of Black actors, Burning Sands brings nothing new to this over-trodden tale of hazing brutality and frat stupidity. Missing are any drivers that would make young men want to be part of such a moronic society. The acting is strong, the faces memorable and the brutality is palpable, but it just wasn't enough. The film ends with the central character making a cell phone call and mumbling something into the phone that is frustratingly unintelligible. I watched a screener of this, and replayed the final seconds several times, but couldn't make it out. What an incredible oversight.
Burning Sands is everything GOAT was hyped up to be and more. To the point that putting them in the same sentence is damn near an insult.
Characters & Storyline Every pledge we meet, from Zurich {Trevor Jackson} to Ernest (also known as Square) {DeRon Horton} are trying to get something out of pledging. Some are trying to continue a family tradition, do as their dad didn't. Many are looking for the benefits of the brotherhood far beyond the parties and the girls but those connections. Some are pre-med and want that hookup for a residency, others want to become lawyers and other types of professionals. However, to do so, they got to survive hell week and hell night. All of which is but one beat down after another. Of which there is a threat of things ending fatally. Highlights You Fully Understood The Motive By halfway through the movie, after seeing bruises and watching these young men get kicked, punched, damn near drowned, and more, you honestly are left questioning if it is all worth it? Yet, then the movie reminds you of the opportunities they are fighting for. Not the parties and girls, but the networking connections. These young men know a degree on its own won't get them where they want to be. They know even if they are smart, even if they are athletic, there is something about being part of a fraternity which gives them a certain kind of prestige no injury or failure can take away from them. For it not only certifies their perseverance but also leads to a mass acknowledgement of their manhood. Women Weren't Just Sex Objects* Women in this film, I should note, don't play huge and pivotal roles. Professor Hughes {Alfre Woodard} may come off as a potential maternal figure to Zurich, but in the end, she is just a staff member who doesn't support frat hazing. As for the women Zurich's age, they range from his girlfriend Rochan {Imani Hakim} to classmate Angel {Serayah}, as well as Toya {Nafessa Williams}. Again, none of them really play a major role, but at least they aren't just unnamed set of ass cheeks 1,2,3,4 and etc. With that said, I must note that Toya technically could be considered a sex object. However, she has the type of autonomy most girls don't have in films like this. On top of noting she likes sex, hence why she has it with multiple men, she also is intelligent without going to college. All the while being kind of ghetto. Criticism Not The Most Memorable Characters Personality is in short supply with this movie, as well as the type of character development which will help you differentiate some of the pledges as well as the brothers. Now, for the ones who actually get a decent amount of lines or one on one moments with Zurich, like Ernest, you learn who they are. However, if they aren't like Rotimi, who played Edwin, or Trevante Rhodes, who is fresh from Moonlight, they blend in so well that even if you hear the name 17 times and have subtitles to know who is talking, within 10 minutes you are left wondering: Who was that person again? On The Fence There Was No Flinch Worthy Moments or Tears Considering the torture these guys were going through, including getting beat with wire hangers and paddles, I was surprised there were no moments where you'd just flinch. Also, while I note the film had a well-developed motive for why the guys were going through all this, I must admit I was also surprised there wasn't an "I need this so I won't end up like my dad" type of moment. You know, some sort of emotional reason and not it just being about proving your manhood or the networking opportunities. Overall: Positive (Worth Seeing) While this maybe a short review, in comparison to others, it is mostly because this film seems to build off of all that GOAT should have done and what I personally wish The Quad was (or is). It features a varied sense of what it means to be Black, has an actual focus on Black figures and the students going to class, and there is a strong enough lead to keep you interested in his story, along with those he interacts with. Thus the Positive label for while Burning Sands does nothing new, it does it better than those you may find yourself comparing it to.