Directed, written, and produced by Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan
We gonna kill every last one of ya.
Disclaimer: There’s gonna be some spoilers, so if you don’t want that, now may be a good time to run far away….
In the year of our lord 2025, the year of, let’s face it, pretty dark times, I haven’t made it to the movie theater too much. The last film I saw before this was Nosferatu, and on a whim, I knew I wanted to see the latest film from Ryan Coogler. It looked good, I was a fan of his other films, and had heard decent things.
I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the end, and have this be in the running for my top film of 2025.
Let’s step back a second.
I used to be a very firm believer in theaters. I would make a point every (nearly) every week to go see them in theaters since I was able to drive in 2008. I had (still have the same) pretty decent home theater experience, but there was something about the sound, the picture quality, it’s just hard to reproduce that scale at home. Then there was COVID, and it pretty much ended movie going for me (and others) for a long time. In recent years, I have made more attempts to see movies in theaters, and this was one of the exceptions.
Guys and gals, it is worth it.
There is something really deep about the sonic soundscape of this film. There are several moments when the music is playing that or people are talking, there’s beautiful sound mixing of effects that just really immerses you in the story. Not to mention, the score is just hauntingly beautiful. I’m a huge fan of Ludwig Göransson’s soundtrack for Oppenheimer, and here he manages to please yet again.
It’s a blend of blues, with masterful singing from newcomer Miles Caton that just really bleeds into your soul, with modern fare that isn’t out of place, and even Irish ditties that just make this a unique audio experience that is sublime in theaters. The scene where Sammie is really letting loose at the Juke Joint, and you see all of the different musical “souls” from different times make an appearance, was just so well executed.
I’ll get into the story in a second, but I also have to gush about the visuals. This is a beautiful movie, with lots of scenes that are a feast to behold. The cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw has a real old-fashioned cinema feel to it. I realize this was shot on IMAX film, and it’s hard to argue the digital vs film argument when stuff that’s shot on film looks like this. There’s just a luminous quality with deep textures and hues, not to mention later on in the film when fire comes into play, that is just honestly breathtaking to behold.
The overall story was, I think, really, really good. The best thing about the film is that Ryan Coogler isn’t afraid to take his time to get where he wants to. He lingers on characters, each one being introduced properly. You aren’t rushed, you get to know who these people are. You begin to care for them. It’s all been by design, of course. Because by the end of the film, almost all of them will be dead.
I knew that things would go the way they did eventually–after all, I was aware this would be a supernatural horror film of sorts–and the prologue says as such at the opening.
There are legends of people with the gift of making music so true it conjures sprits from the past and future.
Vampires… was an interesting choice. Not really expected. And I would be remiss not to say I agree with Red Letter Media‘s review of the film…they just kind of…happen.
That is to say, the first and second acts of the movie are all about world-building. You’re learning about the characters, who Smoke and Stack (played to perfection by Michael B. Jordan) really are, and their motivations. You get the sense of just how much racial tensions are prevalent in this time period (and unfortunately, still are). Like I said, Ryan Coogler isn’t afraid to linger on these moments and give the actors time to sink their teeth into these folks; Beatrice, Cornbread, Delta Slim–you get a sense of where they are coming from and the place they have in this world.
So the third act feels a little rushed, as if we’re suddenly running up to the part where things get fucked up.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked Jack O’Connell’s Remmick. I thought he was a fascinating character, all charm and dripping with malice. It was actually heartbreaking seeing each person be turned, slowly, as Remmick’s “family” of vampires grows more and more.
Do I think Grace Chow was an idiot for allowing Remmick to formally enter Juke Joint? Yeah. I get why it happened. But suddenly it was just fucking chaos as literally, all hell broke loose. It became hard to keep track of who had gotten bit, who was dead, and maybe that was the point, to have it be frantic as it would be in real life. But I would have liked it to be a little bit longer, a little more drawn out.
This is not to say that I would knock off points for the story overall–it’s still solid. But the ending just needed a little bit more time to breathe.
I’m still a little confused about how the rules work in this–usually, it’s if you kill the person who turned you, the curse is broken. That doesn’t appear to be the case, but it does make me wonder just why all of the vampires were chilling outside as the sun was coming up. Was it because of their shared connection? The fact that the same connection allowed each “new” vampire to add to the shared consciousness was pretty cool. Stack suddenly speaking Chinese to Grace was just overall a neat and creepy way of showing just how dangerous these vampires truly were.
Smoke getting a chance to kill all of the Ku Klux Klan members at the end was also a nice touch. It reminded me of Inglourious Basterds for some reason. My wife pointed out, though, that he could have lived from that wound. Wishful thinking, though, I suppose.
Sticking around to the end credits, we learn that Stack and Mary got away, and made it all the way to 1992, where Sammie is now played by blues legend Buddy Guy. Buddy shows off his blues skills and another reason why this should be seen in theaters. I swear, the music will give you chills.
All in all, I was pleased by this film, and it already has me wanting to see more films in theaters. Next on the docket…Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning because I just am a sucker for action films.
