They Cloned Tyrone

They Cloned Tyrone is one of the best movies I've seen in awhile. They filled up those two hours with so much fun, comedy, drama, suspense and action! This movie Felt like a great mashup of Black Dynamite and Us.

I thought the cinematography was on point, it wasnt the typical normal settings on a camera. It looks like they put some thought to it being that it was like a sci fi horror flick, I think that the grainy hazy dark filters capture that mood.

The social commentary was hilarious and tragic at the same time, but never felt ham-fisted or overbearing. Exposed some real life issues.

I think this film was executed well and the plot never felt force. Definitely worth watching.

No one could accuse Netflix's latest high profile original offering They Cloned Tyrone of being a film short of ideas with up and coming director Juel Taylor jamming his genre mash-up with a plethora of elements worth exploring as John Boyega's drug dealer Fontaine, Jamie Foxx's sharp talking local pimp Slick Charles and Teyonah Parri's call girl Yo-Yo team up to uncover some Scooby Doo like mysteries that are affecting their fictional neighbourhood known as the Glen.

Set in a 70's feeling futuristic setting done by the way of a classic exploitation flick from yesteryear, Tyrone has swagger to spare and Taylor's energetic and colourful direction is the type of creative vibrancy that is too often lacking in Netflix's other original offerings that leave much too be desired but despite fun being had from such an out there narrative that flirts the line between drama, thriller, sci-fi, social commentary piece and oddball comedy, Tyrone lacks a certain ingredient that could've made it an instant classic.

Sprung to life by three noteworthy lead performances, with Boyega once more proving he is a lot more than a force sensitive storm trooper, Tyrone seemingly has all the usual elements one would associate with a feature film of note but there's a curious inability for Taylor to connect us in a meaningful way to our central trio and while it feels counter-intuitive to accuse a feature of having too many original ideas, Tyrone's many various components and narrative turns don't always hit the way in which you would hope for, even if it's a constantly sleek and impressively constructed film in so many ways.

One of those modern features that one suspects may have benefited from being fleshed out in a mini-series rather than a two hour feature film, Tyrone is constantly on the move and never far away from taking us down a surprisingly unexpected route and with that it will alienate a large chunk of viewers who will feel as though they are being flung from plot development to plot development with little time or pause between breaths to ponder what has come before or what is now ahead.

Problematic and under-explored narrative developments aside, Tyrone still provides a fresh and often very fun viewing experience, one that will have even the most seasoned of film fans unsure of what's coming their way next and its ability to bring its wild vision to life in such a vibrant way should be commended, making this one of those rare Netflix originals that justifies ones time spent with it.

Final Say -

A future cult classic in waiting, They Cloned Tyrone might not always work but thanks to impressive craft work and trio of energetic performances, Netflix's latest original release remains a lot of fun.

3 1/2 church sermons out of 5.

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

This Blaxploitation sci-fi comedy is clearly among the more fun, inventive films that Netflix has decided to pick up. The grainy visual texture, the funky costumes and hairdos, the energetic soundtrack, and much of the film's aesthetics are carefully designed to remind us of some of the finest entries in the Blaxploitation subgenre. The setting could be somewhere in or around 2008, as we still see picture-tube TVs, CDs being sold, mentions of Obama, and Blockchain being the future (LOL!). The absence of smartphones is also a notable aspect. Yet, even with the aesthetics already standing out and a pretty exciting (and potentially scary) sci-fi plot on the cards, it's the lead trio's performances and fun camaraderie that holds it together.

The revelations keep coming, but it's the banter between Boyega's Fontaine, Teyonah Parris' Yo-Yo, and Jamie Foxx's Slick Charles that keeps you entertained and invested in their fates. After the first hour, there were moments in the screenplay where it could've all looked and sounded artificial. However, director Juel Taylor keeps the conspiracy theories coming, complemented by wonderful production design work and sustained focus on the protagonist's journey. The finale (++the eventual antagonist reveal) is somewhat tepid when compared to the rest of the film, and it may also seem 10-15 minutes too long for the story it has to say, though I'll definitely recommend They Cloned Tyrone if you're an enjoyer of absurdist humour.

Lovers of Jordan Peele's off-centre take on Black cinema should like co-writer (with Tony Rettenmaeir) / director Juel Taylor's comic-thriller "They Cloned Tyrone". Hard-ass drug dealer John Boyega, flamboyant pimp Jamie Foxx & sassy ho Teyonah Parris (terrific) discover a sinister plot (led by Kiefer Sutherland... or is it?) to experiment on & control all the folk in their run-down 'hood... and they fight back against it. Initially darkly stylish it soon becomes too silly, before deeper undertones emerge. Taylor's ambition can't be faulted, but he may have bitten off a little more than the average audience can chew on here. He is however, clearly one to watch out for.

Fontaine (John Boyega) is a drug pusher working out of the black neighborhood known as The Glen. During his rounds of collecting money, he faces pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx) who tells Fontaine he was killed last night with his story corroborated by soon to be retired prostitute Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris). As Fontaine searches for answers with Charles and Yo-Yo reluctantly in tow, the three unearth a vast conspiracy with Fontaine's inexplicable reappearance only the tip of the iceberg.

They Cloned Tyrone is the newest film from Netflix and sees the streamer reteam with star Jamie Foxx having previously collaborated with him on Day Shift and Project Power. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Juel Taylor whose script co-written by Tony Rettenmainer was featured on the 2019 Black List of best unproduced screenplays and was acquired by Netflix for their streaming service. The movie has received critical acclaim and rightfully so because They Cloned Tyrone is an engaging sit featuring an unexpected mash-up of unique elements that collect together into a mostly satisfying whole.

What makes the film so engaging from the outset is definitely our three leads played by John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris who are so good dramatically and comedically in the first 20 minutes that they could've served as full characters for a straight drama if the movie were so inclined. Once we get the shift into high concept with Fontaine getting shot, the movie creates a fantastic hook with a really unique mystery that I can't go into full detail without spoiling. The filmmakers have cited films like They Live and Groundhog Day as influences upon the film and you can definitely see that from the mixture of social satire and genre thrills that does match the approach of They Live while also containing similar character dives like Groundhog Day. We also have a bit of a Cabin in the Woods type scenario with They Cloned Tyrone very much being a deconstruction of blaxsploitation in the same way that film was to horror films. The movie delivers some really exciting and thrilling moments, but I did feel like the film maybe began to stall a little in the third act where it felt like it lost momentum as well as that balance of humor and social satire. While the third act is still very enjoyable especially in regards to the climax, I did feel like the movie maybe revealed a major cameo a little sooner than it should've and made the momentum slightly less smooth.

They Cloned Tyrone is a fantastic debut film for Juel Taylor and with a clever script and a likable set of characters played by strong performances this is definitely one to see. I did feel like the film might've peaked a little too early with the third act losing the sharpness we saw earlier in the runtime, but this is still a movie that deserves your time and attention.