There are just SO many films out there! You see two to three wide releases on a weekend with a handful more in limited release. Throw out at least a dozen more on VOD or streaming and now you have an overload of content. But we only have so many hours in the day and we must be thoughtful towards what we dedicate that precious free time to. That is the point of this series of articles giving you specific reasons why you should run out to your nearest multiplex, drive to search for that limited release, drop some money in the virtual cinema, or to surf those streaming services. Here on The Wasteland Watchlist, you will find some reasons to check out the latest and greatest of films including…The Blackening (theaters June 16th)
| Directed by: Tim Story Starring: Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, Jay Pharoah |
The Cast
How did the casting director deliver 9 pitch-perfect performers for this impressive ensemble? There are so many great moments in this film, and it is certainly the cast who makes so many of them. There is a general degree of chemistry that floats through the whole cast and some of the actors click so well with each other. They can deliver the physicality that this type of slasher requires as well as the humor. But there is plenty of drama to go around too and they are asked to deliver just as well as that. There are some real standouts, but everyone does their work so well that you cannot help but enjoy each one of them.
The Humor
Is this the funniest movie of the year so far? It just might be! There are so many layers of humor that the film delivers on. The satire is coming fast as it delivers plenty of barbs at the horror genre, racial issues, and the placement of race in the horror movie genre. There are plenty of great references from modern pop culture that land most of the time. The way the film deconstructs what it means to be black is quite impressive. But it is not just the more intelligent laughs that get you. There is plenty of physical and gross-out humor thanks to the slasher genre that it is playing in. There are some great gags related to the weapons of choice of the killer. There are even some sillier moments that deliver great running gags with perfectly placed plants. This has its scary and tense moments, but the laughs deliver so well.
The Social Commentary
Black people have gotten the raw end of the stick in horror since the beginning, right? Story delivers a film where it is really their time to shine. There are some white actors in the film but in truth, this is all about the black cast. The meta-commentary is biting as the film challenges how black characters are generally treated in horror films. But there is so much about “being the blackest” that really builds about the film. There are literal arguments about who is the blackest and least black. There are subtle jokes just waiting around every corner that will make you think about racial tensions in society. This is a refreshing and hilarious take on black culture and racial tensions.
Playing with Horror Tropes
Who doesn’t love to have fun with the tropes and expectations of movies? There are certainly a few tropes that The Blackening leans into but for the most part, this script skewers so many of them. The black characters dying first is the most obvious that the film tackles (even the tagline of the film takes that head on). There are plenty of ways that the characters are “aware” that they are in a horror film and will act accordingly for the laughs. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way that will keep the audience on their toes (even if some of them are a little more predictable than others).
Tim Story
Did I expect something of this high quality coming from Tim Story? His track record as a director is more about the impact than the quality. He has black films like The Barbershop and Shaft under his belt. He even directed The Fantastic Four! But this just might be his crowning achievement. He is able to balance some quality tension and scares while making you laugh in every scene (multiple times). This film all comes together thanks to Story who injects plenty of love for horror into each moment.
