The film is set in the 1930s, in Maycomb, Alabama. There is a family of a widowed lawyer, Atticus Finch, and his two kids, 6-year-old Scout and 10-year-old Jem. For some unexplained reason, the children were invited to call their father by his first name.

Anyway, Scout is the main character. She greets different people, such as Mr. Cunningham and an elderly neighbor passionate about traditional respect. She and Jem also befriend this boy the same age as Scout, named Dill. Dill only comes to Maycomb in the summers, though.

The three kids see this house that belongs to their neighbor, Arthur (or “Boo”) Radley. They believe that it is haunted and that Boo Radley is dangerous.

However, the children are also interested in learning about him. They even brainstorm ideas on how they could lure him outside.

Meanwhile, Atticus is dealing with the case of a black man named Tom Robinson. There is a rumor that Tom raped this young woman, Mayella Ewell, who is only 19.

Atticus does make time for his kids as well as his housekeeper, Calpurnia. One evening, Scout notices that her dad has something that her mom had left in her will before she died. Scout learns that her and Jem’s mother died when she was 2 and Jem was 6. She asks Jem questions about her.

The summer ends and school is about to start. Scout dreads wearing a dress for the first day of school since she is a tomboy. She also gets into a fight with her classmate, Walter, at school. But Jem breaks up the fight.

Sometime later, Scout, Dill, and Jem go to the courthouse, where a crowd is gathered around Atticus. He tells the kids to go home. But Jem refuses to listen.

Then someone from the crowd tries to hurt the kids. But Atticus stops him and protects his children. Then he takes them home.

Another day comes. Scout, Jem, and Dill, sneak into the courthouse to watch the trial. A reverend allows them to observe from the balcony inside.

The trial focuses on Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell. Mayella accuses Tom of raping and harassing her.

The case goes on for a while with Mayella freaking out and Tom claiming that he did nothing wrong. But Tom is found not guilty and the trial ends.

Not long after, Atticus discovers that Tom died. He visits the Robinsons and Tom’s mother breaks down crying.

When Halloween approaches, Scout and Jem’s school does a costume show. When it ends, though, Scout is embarrassed to walk around in her ham costume. But she and Jem head home, anyway.

However, a dangerous man comes and attacks Jem. He also tries to hurt Scout.

What will happen next?

Much of this movie kept my attention. One of the reasons is because I had to read it for school in 8^th grade. Yes, a good percentage of the novel’s content was cut or changed in the film adaptation. But the basic plot remained faithful to the book.

Despite how the movie is a little over 2 hours long, the pacing was quick for the most part. However, there were exceptions of slow scenes. The biggest was the trial between Mayella and Tom.

Even though the amount of time it happened was necessary, I felt that it lagged too much. I would check how much time in the movie remained.

Another flaw is how some parts aged poorly. For example, there is use of the N-word and its original source. I did not like hearing that word, even though it was only said a couple of times.

There is also a little bit of a racist theme, where blacks are portrayed as untrustworthy or dangerous. Yet that did not ruin the watch for me.

This film has a lot of strengths, too. One of the biggest perks is the character development. Scout had a sweet relationship with her father and even a healthy relationship with Jem. Jem acted a little authoritative with Scout. But he was her older brother and needed to look out for her.

I also noticed that Atticus never lost his temper, not even in court or if his kids refused to listen to him. He remained patient and calm.

Scout was likable with her enthusiasm and curiosity. She was also relatable when she didn’t want to be seen in embarrassing outfits. Who would?

There were twists and turns, as well. But I didn’t find as many surprises in this movie compared to others I’ve seen. That might be because I’ve read the book and seen this movie before.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it. To Kill a Mockingbird is a good film with memorable characters and an interesting premise.

Note that this film is unrated. But I would recommend that viewers be at least 10 due to the themes that did not age that well.

Anyway, I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.