12 Years a Slave vs. Django Unchained

13 comments

14 comments

These two movies both show the extreme brutality of slavery. I remember when Django came out a lot of critics I really Liked kept talking about how Tarantino had brought forth an honest discussion about slavery and the real extent. Now I really like Tarantino and Django is one of my top 3 of his films and in my top 100, but I don’t blame people who were offended by the insinuation that Django was an honest look at slavery, yes it showed some horrific sights but the entire film was helped by a constant humor that only a genius like Tarantino could pull off. I find though that it is hard to truly discuss slavery if we are laughing at KKK members discussing how the best way to go kill people (which was a truly hilarious scene). 12 Years a Slave is a gut wrenching movie that I am not sure I want to watch again. It was brutal and it was played that way, it showed the issues of the common slave owner and the things people do when they have power over another. I really think that 12 years a slave if not the best movie of 2013 is defiantly the most powerful. I am pretty sure that I will watch Django many more times and probably see 12 years once or twice more if that, but I do believe 12 Years is a much more impactful film.

I mean...wow. I'll never look the same way at Django Unchained again after watching 12 Years a Slave.

12 Years a Slave is a real film, period. Django is fluff pulp and poorly written fluff pulp at that.

Yeah. Django kinda seems pretty pointless now.

I actually prefer Django... but 12 Years A Slave is amazing also.

I don't know if I'd say Django is pointless now... is Blazing Saddles pointless after Unforgiven was released? They're both different films and approaches, even if they share the subject of slavery. I think they both work, in their own ways.

I suppose that was poor wording. I meant that Tarantino calling Django a way for people to open up about slavery is kinda redundant, as it is nowhere near as powerful as Slave. Django's still quite a fun film.

12 Years makes Django look amateur

These two movies have undeniably set the bar high for all movies depicting slavery onscreen. I am on the boat with most people in saying that 12 Years a Slave is definitely the better film, but I much prefer the exuberance of Tarantino's western epic to McQueen's finely tuned masterpiece.

Changing my mind for the time being.

LOL... people confuse the meaning of Django Unchained. Racism is both films' theme but it's obvious that they're heading to different directions. Django Unchained, as a Tarantino movie, is about fun and over the top action. 12 years a slave was an adaptation of the real story of a slave. Get your facts straight. Django Unchained is the better movie. And based on how much I enjoyed, even though I loved both, Django blows 12 years out of the water.

I say this as a black guy...I'm going with "fluff pulp". 12 Years a Slave was quite good. Nobody's going to appreciate a movie like that more than a black film geek. Except for maybe someone like my mom, older black folks, ya know. And everyone from A-Z did a fantastic job (Fassbender was robbed!). But I'm not for political correctness in situations such as this, and I'm a pulp kinda guy (especially when it's *well-written* pulp), so I'll go with my gut and stick with Django. 12 Years is important, but entertainment goes a long way. There are various explanations for why one might pick the McQueen movie, one of which is the old and ever-so-retarded "it's more important". That ain't me.

12 years a Slave is undoubtedly the better film but I personally will always prefer Django for its entertainment value

Django is simply the better film in my opinion. Tarantino's style is on full display and it doesn't disappoint. I also found Django to be more powerful on an emotional level.

"12 Years a Slave" is a dull emotionally-manipulative (in that it overly-focuses on repeatedly slamming the "misery" button instead of using a mix of emotions like a film is supposed to) white guilt that hides behind "historical accuracy" and being based on a true story. "Django Unchained" is a cathartic escapist revenge satire "Southern" (western set in the South that blends Blaxploitation with the Spaghetti Western) against one of America's greatest sins that boasts Tarantino's trademark great dialogue and writing with great performances and enjoyably OTT violence. Django Unchained STOMPS 12 Years a Slave. End of story

Slight, slight lean to 12 Years....but this could change down the road.

django

this shouldn't even be a debate. One is actually a movie

keep bending over for tarantino. go take a class kids

12 Years a slave is far better movie. I feel django is a very long and boring movie i really dislike it.Moreover christopher waltz overacted in the whole movie.The only saving grace was leonardo dicaprio's performance but i feel michael fassbender played a better evil land owner...

Django is the easy winner. 12 Years is pretty good.

Django all the way!!

Here's a quote that also explains why I believe "Django Unchained" is superior, “The instinct to wall off historical atrocities to only be spoken of in reverent somber tones is totally understandable, but when we do so we run the risk of turning them into vacuum-sealed museum pieces that we view as being somehow apart of the real world shaped by their legacy. Ironically, utilizing the more shocking and brutal parts of a difficult moment in history as fodder for a visceral, over-the-top, heroic revenge saga will probably make it more real and burn it more explicitly into the minds of many audiences than a dozen more respectful versions might otherwise have done.” -Bob “Moviebob” Chipman

Both kind of suck. Django is pointless, but I'll pick it.

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12 years is a better film but Django is more entertaining.

Battle of the slaves, I love Tarantino and Jamie Foxx - but the more compelling movie goes to 12 Years.

Django. No contest.

Django is the better movie, 12 Years was wholly amazing until its rushed-out ending. Django is excellent throughout.

Django is higher on my list for pure entertainment value, but I look at 12 Years A Slave much like i do Schindler's List. They are amazing films that need to be seen by everyone, but I cant rewatch them. Just too painful to revisit.

Both are good but 12 years a slave resonated with me more

At the time I thought that 12 Years a Slave was the superior film but now that i's been more than a decade since both films were released and I think that Django Unchained is aging better.