(Movie Review) Sinners - a horror flick done right, worthy of cult status
This week, I had the opportunity to watch Ryan Coogler-directed "Sinners" at GSC Gurney Plaza.
This movie was never on my "to watch list" for this year's releases. But seeing the movie's critical and financial success tempted me to give this movie a shot. And I am glad that I made the choice, as Coogler has gotten himself a fanboy for life in me with this horror flick right here.
Sinners, in my opinion, is unique, original, thought-provoking and most importantly - a masterpiece that cinephiles clamour for at a time when Hollywood is saturated with remakes and superhero flicks, making moviegoing a boring affair for them.
Never in my life have I ever seen a movie that blended elements like Black folklore, blues music, vampirism, racial solidarity, and Jim Crow racism together like Sinners. Ryan has indeed created a cult movie that will be talked about and dissected for many years or decades to come.
I am not going to talk about the film's technical beauty as I am no expert in editing, or cinematography, and I don't intend to appear pretentious by focusing on these details in my review.
To put it in a simple way that I am comfortable with, Ryan has indeed created a masterclass on how to do horror flicks the right way. As much as how I love the "Conjuring" universe, I would say that the franchise pales in comparison with this movie.
Truth to be told, movies in the aforementioned franchise, as well as other horror movies, tend to overuse jumpscare to induce scare among viewers and keep them on the edge of their seats, to the point where the tactic has become stale, and to be honest, boring to the viewers.
But in "Sinners", Coogler was able to execute the horror scenes involving the vampires with zero jumpscare - and they could still keep the viewers restless. I recalled how tense I was when I was watching through these scenes, pondering what these vampires are going to do next throughout the movie. For, that was how good this horror movie was without being formulaic.
I have also loved how the Irish vampire lord character - Remmick - was brought into this story. Remmick was such an interesting villain that left moviegoers invested in his background and lore. At the time I am writing this review, netizens are calling for a prequel movie that would explore the origins of this vampire. That, for me, shows how good this Remmick character is.
Apart from the proper execution of the horror, this movie also deserves its praise for the performance given by its cast members, where I have to give my shoutout to Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O' Connell, Miles Caton, Delroy Lindo and Hailee Steinfeld. They really gave their best for this film.
Ryan created an amazing horror flick that could pave way for a great franchise. I am eager to see a prequel that focuses on Remmick's origin and the Choctaw vampire hunters, and a sequel that focuses on how the Michael and Hailee's vampire characters lived out their supernatural lives in 1990s America and created their own commune of vampires.
However, I would be content if Ryan prefers the movie to be a standalone one. And I think many fans would be fine with his decision.
This is a must-watch movie, and I would suggest my friends around the country give it a watch at GSC while screenings are still available. You will never regret watching this masterpiece.
It is definitely a 10/10.
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