Had Emancipation come out in any other year, it would have been greeted entirely differently. As it stands, though, Antoine Fuqua’s dramatic thriller is in serious danger of being completely overshadowed by the cloud of negativity that’s been following Will Smith around since he slapped the taste right out of Chris Rock’s mouth onstage at the Academy Awards.
People are still divided on whether or not they’re ready to embrace the former Fresh Prince as an A-list superstar once again, an argument that doesn’t really make a lick of sense when you consider there are a lot of people in Hollywood who’ve done a great deal worse, and yet still continue to find work and critical acclaim on a regular basis.
It would have helped if Emancipation was a triumphantly uplifting slice of cinematic excellence that ignited a serious awards season conversation, but that isn’t the case. In fact, the Apple TV release has debuted with Smith’s worst Rotten Tomatoes score since the infamous box office bomb Gemini Man, which ended up losing upwards of $75 million for Paramount.
To be fair, Emancipation‘s current 60 percent is miles ahead of Gemini Man‘s 27 percent, but it’s also not that far ahead of Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, with the divisive live-action Disney remake topping out at 56 percent. Unfortunately, Smith’s comeback vehicle isn’t the resurgent return to form many were hoping, praying, or perhaps even expecting, but it’s looking as though it’ll be regarded as a slightly above-average film with a powerful undercurrent. But is that enough?