`They Clone Tyrone` Film Review

by: Phoenix McCall

Logline

After mysteriously coming back to life, the local drug dealer realizes he is a part of a government cloning experiment. After learning it is deeper than just cloning, with the help of a pimp and his bottom girl he attempts to dismantle the system.

More Than Mutants

Strengths

The strongest element of the film is the direction. The director did an amazing job at using aspects of black culture to push the storyline along. A lot of times we see movies made through a black lens but this movie took it a step further by making black culture, poverty, and the hood the main plot point of the film. While black films will subtly make commentary on the problems that face our community, this movie made it obvious touching on the elements of our culture we become dependent on, and the government’s role in destroying the black community. From mind altering substances in fried chicken and perms to the idea of an absent mother replaced with a tape recorder maintaining the facade of the government experiment. It is honest about the tropes within the black community and clear with the community without being judgemental of black people because it is clear we are the victims.

A Family Haunting

Weaknesses

One weakness was the camera variation between shots. While the movie is a good combination of indie and blockbuster, they could have used a variety of shots to make the film much more dynamic. With the contents of the movie being very action packed, but also cerebral, a variety of shots could take the movie from good to great. They stay in a simple range of shots such as wide shots to establish the scene, simple tracking to capture movements, and headshots for conversations. I believe that with the complex storyline and artistic lighting they could have utilized more variation in the shots to further enhance storytelling.

Goal

I believe the main goal of the film was to make a piece of art that commentates on the black community, but in a humorous way. You can tell from the various elements of the film that black culture is an integral part of the movie. From the main characters professions, a drug dealer, pimp and a hoe, to the recurring conflict the goal of the film was to question our everyday lives. In the movie they put drugs in all our favorite products grape juice for the church, fried chicken and hair perms. All suggesting the main conflict maybe black culture as a whole

93%

Rating

Overall I enjoyed the film, while I would not consider myself a conspiracy theorist, I enjoy stories that act as an expose in society. I grew up in South Central LA where you can clearly see the aspects of black plight. My dad always told me, “there’s a church and a liquor store on every block for a reason, they’re both ways for people to escape.” So to see this theme actually demonstrated in a movie was not only shocking but astounding, especially when you see the reason why they say this phenomenon occurs. While the film was not perfect I give it a strong 8/10 for the substance, the acting and the allusion to blaxploitation era films, while maintaining a modern timeline.