2 min to read
Sinners
How good is Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's newest movie?
Review I’m seriously conflicted about this movie. Half of me loves the movie because of the incredible cinematography, acting, editing, production design, and soundtrack, but the other half of me did not connect or resonate with the movie. I’ve been trying to pin point exactly what didn’t work in the movie for me, and it has to do with the vampires and the importance of the blues within the story. (There will be slight spoilers ahead, so be warned).
The movie is about how blues music connects people to the past and the future, and vampires are wanting this connection because they are the dead still stuck on the earth, not having passed through to the afterlife. This idea is discussed throughout the course of the movie, but there is only 1 scene where you see the “connection” take place (and it is an incredible oner). It is shown only from the perspective of the living, and they don’t even know anything is happening. Because of this, no matter how much the vampires were wanting or fighting for this connection, since this scene was solely from the perspective of the living, the importance of what was shown wasn’t felt and the ideas being expressed don’t feel satisfying by the end of the movie.
Yes, blues music is played throughout the movie and is the sole foundation on which Ludwig Göransson’s incredible score, but to me, playing the blues only felt important to the living, not the vampires. Because of this, everything that the vampires said regarding the blues, their desires, and their ultimate actions fell flat, and the vampires in the movie ended up feeling just like generic vampires. It also didn’t help that I found some of the vampire’s dialogue to be extremely cheesy and cliche, giving me another reason not to enjoy/appreciate the way they were being portrayed.
Overall, I was really hoping this movie would change my opinion on vampire movies. Vampires have always been extremely cliche, and most movies with them in it just feel the same. While I understand what Ryan Coogler was trying to present in the movie with the music, the characters, and the vampires, I only found enjoyment from the character work presented in the movie. Similar to Wicked, I think my opinion about this movie is going to be the outlier not matching the consensus of the masses. I can see this movie resonating and being extremely satisfying for some, so there is a great chance you could absolutely adore this movie and completely disagree with me. Despite my issues with the movie, this movie is a movie worth watching and taking a chance on, as it really solidified how well movies can be made (especially by Ryan Coogler).
There is also a mid and post credit scene, the mid credit scene being a must-watch epilogue.
Rating: 4/5
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