It stars Idris Elba, a suitably great and charismatic actor, but even he cannot save this from seeming like a history lesson, as delivered by one of those teachers who can't seem to breathe life into a subject.

It would have been more compelling had Winnie been the main focus, especially given the number of Mandela films there already have been in recent years. But you can't hate on it to too much; it brought us the remarkable Naomie Harris

What keeps [Mandela: Long Walk] anchored is a towering, Golden Globe-nominated performance from Idris Elba

Instead of being a really good chapter of Mandela's life, 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' is little more than the Nelson Mandela Spark Notes.