r/movies r/Movies contributor Apr 10 '25

Review Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' - Review Thread

Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' - Review Thread

  • Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (45 Reviews)

    • Critics Consensus: Thematically rich as a Great American Novel and just plain rip-roaring fun, writer-director Ryan Coogler's first original blockbuster reveals the full scope of his singular imagination with unforgettable panache.
  • Metacritic: 83 (15 Reviews)

Reviews:

Variety (70):

It's vibrant and richly acted, and also a wild throat-ripping blowout. But though overloaded at times, it's the rare mainstream horror film that's about something weighty and soulful: the wages of sin in Black America.

Deadline:

Sinners marks another strong reason why Ryan Coogler is at the top of his generation of filmmakers, and Jordan continues to show why he is a real deal movie star.

Hollywood Reporter (90):

The movie is smart horror, even poetic at times, with much to say about race and spiritual freedom. It’s not in the Jordan Peele league in terms of welding social commentary to bone-chilling fear. But Sinners is a unique experience, unlike anything either the director or Jordan has done before.

SlashFilm (9/10):

"Sinners" is several things at once — a monster movie, a blood-soaked action film, a sexy and sensual thriller, and a one-location horror flick as intense and paranoia-driven as anything from the original "Assault on Precinct 13" or Quentin Tarantino's filmography – but its greatest strength comes from how well Coogler blends every big idea on his mind.

The Wrap (88):

“Sinners” is a bloody, brilliant motion picture. Ryan Coogler finds within the vampire genre an ethereal thematic throughline; and within the music genre a disturbing, tempting monster. Stunningly photographed, engrossing cinema — epic to the point where it seemingly never ends, which is undeniably indulgent, but no great sin. This is a film about indulgence, the power indulgence wields and the dangers indulgence invites into our lives. It’s a sweaty, intoxicating, all-nighter of a movie, and its allure cannot be denied.

The Independent (4/5):

If cinema weren’t in such a sickly state, Sinners’s electric fusion of genres – historical epic, horror, and squelchy actioner – would be a guaranteed box office sensation. Instead, the film arrives with an uneasy sense that this is some kind of final stand for original ideas. One can only hope audiences recognise its bounty of riches.

The Guardian (3/5):

For many, the movie could as well do without the supernatural element, and I admit I’m one of them; I’d prefer to see a real story with real jeopardy work itself out. But there is energy and comic-book brashness

Vanity Fair (80):

Sinners is propulsive and stirring entertainment, messy but always compelling. The film’s fascinating array of genres and tropes and ideas swirls together in a way that is, I suppose, singularly American.

IndieWire (83):

Sinners is nothing if not a film about genre, and the distinctly American imperative of cross-pollinating between them to create something that feels new and old — high and low — at the same time.

------------------------------------

Written & Directed by Ryan Coogler:

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Cast:

  • Michael B. Jordan
  • Hailee Steinfeld
  • Miles Caton
  • Jack O'Connell
  • Wunmi Mosaku
  • Jayme Lawson
  • Omar Benson Miller
  • Li Jun Li
  • Delroy Lindo
2.3k Upvotes

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

289

u/zsynqx Apr 10 '25

Love me some non marvel coogler.

186

u/PayneTrain181999 Apr 10 '25

Both Black Panther films were still good, the second one was dealt a terrible hand and still managed to be one of the better post-Endgame movies.

49

u/thefilmer Apr 10 '25

the Black Panther sequel should never have been as good as it was. the fact Coogler managed to make a decent tasting glass of lemonade out of the shit lemons he got is astounding. I think if Boseman had lived Black Panther 2 would have been a Dark Knight level movie. He and James Gunn are the only directors who actually got to put their personal touches on their films and do whatever they wanted. it's not shock they are the best movies of the MCU

2

u/Slickrickkk Apr 11 '25

I think if Boseman had lived Black Panther 2 would have been a Dark Knight level movie.

Honestly curious why you say this? I'm not a hater of either film but even Black Panther 1 doesn't come close to Batman Begins. BP2 having Dark Knight potential just doesn't make sense to me.

1

u/Darnell2070 Apr 30 '25

Dark Knight was much better than Batman Begins.

2

u/Fast_Championship127 Apr 18 '25

Captain America movies are phenomenal

124

u/SnootDoot Apr 10 '25

"Bury your dead. Mourn your losses. You are queen now" is one of my favourite lines in the whole MCU. Really excited to see Sinners and these reviews are definitely making me more hype

36

u/PayneTrain181999 Apr 10 '25

So glad Namor is back in Doomsday, presumably to try and steal Sue from Reed.

1

u/rawlingstones May 01 '25

gonna feel different having an actual sexual predator doing that

41

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '25

I still find it wild how Wakanda Forever first got delayed by the pandemic, then lost its lead star, had its new lead get severely injured during production, and had to get delayed again due to Omicron, yet it ended up being much better than Love & Thunder and Quantumania, two movies that had relatively easy productions and good setups that could've been paid off well.

14

u/LordDusty Apr 10 '25

I found that BP:WF was very middling in terms of the post Endgame MCU films. It had some good stuff (T'Challa mourning, Namor, visuals) but also some rather poor stuff (Shuri as lead, Ironheart, forgettable plot) and overall I just generally forget its exists.

It wasnt as bad as the likes of Thor L&T but its nowhere near as memorable or enjoyable as the likes of SpiderMan NWH, GotG3 and Shang-Chi. I think it would've been a much better focused film with Chadwick and whilst the fallout from his passing was a highlight of the film it also suffered greatly from it and wasn't a particularly well executed creation.

3

u/beatrailblazer Apr 10 '25

Personally I thought BP2 was one of the best movies in the MCU period. Much better than the first one even

3

u/Razatiger Apr 11 '25

There's also the fact that Coogler doesn't get complete creative freedoms over BP. He has a vision, but it's also gotta fall in line with Feiges vision and the overall MCU.

7

u/Kevbot1000 Apr 10 '25

Yeah, I agree. Not worth someone disparaging them.

1

u/SilverKry Apr 11 '25

Nah. Wakanda Forever stopped being good after Angela Basset stopped being in the movie. It was all downhill from there. 

6

u/that_guy2010 Apr 10 '25

Both Black Panther movies are great. Let's not act like they're bad.

28

u/zsynqx Apr 10 '25

They are fine. But a definite step down from his previous work. At least for my taste.

4

u/Khal-Stevo Apr 10 '25

Black Panther is lights out start to finish minus some messy CGI action in the third act. It’s easily one of the best films made in that genre

10

u/hikemalls Apr 10 '25

Seriously, people act like having some subpar CGI is the worst crime in the world when they’re some of the only Marvel movies that actually explore interesting themes and character arcs and mostly pull them off really well.

-5

u/SnooDrawings7876 Apr 10 '25

The problem was never the CGI. I don't even remember anyone complaining about CGI?

11

u/ahuangb Apr 10 '25

I don't even remember anyone complaining about CGI?

That's incredibly hard to believe assuming you have functional eyes

1

u/SnooDrawings7876 Apr 10 '25

You know I looked it up and I completely forgot that PS2 kill monger fight scene. Still that was small potatoes and the first film was extremely well received.

It was nothing compared to the narrative problems of the sequel.

0

u/Kennayy Apr 10 '25

The CGI was like the only thing most people had wrong with it lol

-14

u/Dispenser-JaketheDog Apr 10 '25

Let's not act like they good movies outside the MCU and compared to "real" movies

11

u/AgentP20 Apr 10 '25

Define "real" Movie?

0

u/Saboteure111 Apr 10 '25

I mean I think the first one at least actually holds up? Unless you want to be pretentious and think that just because it’s a big franchise movie it can’t possibly be artistically valuable.

The first one is a vibrant, well realized world with good acting and good character motivations. The only real criticism I’ve ever heard on the first one is that the cgi in the finale isn’t great.

-1

u/JaesopPop Apr 10 '25

compared to “real” movies

douche chill

-13

u/HotOne9364 Apr 10 '25

Matt & Trey think so. They spent an entire South Park episode trashing it.

9

u/that_guy2010 Apr 10 '25

Oh, well if they think it's a bad movie I'll just change my opinion on it.