It’s is very seldom that I review a movie, let alone a local one, but Heneral Luna really just stood out for me that I was compelled to write one.  It moved something in me enough to write this review soon after watching it in the cinema.

To cut to the chase, Heneral Luna is one of the best Filipino movies I’ve ever seen!  The way the story is told is just so Filipino with a mixture of humor every now and then despite the grave seriousness of the situation, yet the cinematography, scoring, and editing is really world class!  But more than the technical merits, this is really a great movie!

Synopsis (excerpt from Heneral Luna movie website):

Set during the Philippine-American war, a short-tempered Filipino general faces an enemy more formidable than the American army: his own treacherous countrymen.

In 1898, General Antonio Luna, commander of the revolutionary army, is spoiling for a fight.  The Philippines, after three hundred years as a Spanish colony, has unwillingly come under American rule.  General Luna wants to fight for freedom but members of the elite would rather strike a deal with the United States.  The infighting is fierce in the new cabinet but General Luna and his loyal men forge ahead even as his military decisions are met with resistance from soldiers who are loyal only to President Aguinaldo…

What I love about this movie is that while it depicts part of our controversial history, it also reflects current Philippine society.  Seriously—one of the scenes that depict an incident that happened about a century ago reminded me of a political scene that happened just a few months ago.  We keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again and this movie hopefully awakes all of us to break the vicious cycle, particularly in politics.

My verdict: 10/10 ❤️

To everyone that made this film possible, thank you for making a socially relevant movie that made Philippine history interesting again!  And thank you for making it a great movie that we can proudly show anywhere in the world!

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For more information and resources about this movie, visit the Heneral Luna movie website.