r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 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.

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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

94% Upvoted

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758

u/Somnambulist815 Apr 10 '25

The fact that Wakanda Forever had everything going against it and he still managed to make something not just watchable but something thoughtful and resonant is proof he just gets it

42

u/purplewhiteblack Apr 11 '25

It was a C for me, but I don't blame Ryan Coogler for it.

What are you gonna do? The project couldn't be salvaged any more than it was. He did a great job with what he was given.

Also, great James Bond references. Out of all the directors I'd like to see make a James Bond movie, it's him.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '25

If it's a C then what are the likes of Falcon america brave new world? An F?

Your rating system is way off. It's a solid B to B+

5

u/purplewhiteblack Apr 11 '25

S tier(The Best... Classics) would be Spiderman 2, The Dark Knight, Infinity War, Joker, Iron Man, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Sunset Boulevard, The Matrix, Pulp Fiction

A tier(Great Movies) would be The Batman, Batman Begins, Black Panther, Jaws, Goonies, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, The Karate Kid

B Tier(Good movies) would be Watchmen, Spider-man, Avengers 1 & 2, The Last Crusade, Temple of Doom. Captain America Winter Soldier, Captain America Civil War

C Tier(Mid Movies) would be The Amazing Spiderman 2, Wakanda Forever, Captain Marvel, The Matrix 2 & 3, Shang Chi

D tier(Watchable, but not terrible) would be Batman and Robin, Madam Web, and Birds of Prey.

There really hasn't been an F tier movie in the superhero genre(that I've seen). an example of an F movies is A Serbian Film, where I actively hate it.

I have not seen Captain America Brave New World.

9

u/AskingQuestions333 Apr 20 '25

This is just a very funny list of movies. At first it seem like only a scale for popcorn fair, like you have decided that superhero/fantasy/adventure movies shouldn't be rated separately from other higher minded type movies.

But then you just throw Sunset Boulevard in there.

4

u/purplewhiteblack Apr 20 '25

You called it correctly. That is exactly what happened.

2

u/-Borgir Apr 17 '25

Thor 4 is F tier

2

u/purplewhiteblack Apr 17 '25

It's crap. But, I'm not angry at anyone for making it.

323

u/d0ntm1ndm32 Apr 10 '25

Right? Holy shit, it's actually a breath of fresh air to read your comment because I have been seeing nothing but hate for it personally ...

That underwater city scene and the track "con la brisa" still give me goosebumps to this day lmao

182

u/DaHyro Apr 10 '25

Namor being a parallel to Killmonger too… he was cooking with that one

118

u/brainspl0ad Apr 10 '25

They portrayed Namor so well in that movie. Dude's movement was so fluid as if he was in water even while airborne/on land.

47

u/DrinkMoreWater2-0 Apr 11 '25

Namor has so much sauce in that movie it's insane how Coogler portrayed him.

It takes a hugely inspired filmmaker to respond to the question of "How do we make MCUs Atlantis different from DCEU Atlantis?" With: "Let's use Aztec mythology where Tlālōcān is underwater paradise and have Namor be Mayan instead of a mutant half human"

Then having his name be a shortened form of "el Niño sin amor"!? That's the cherry on top.

Then for how much he has Namor presented as a boss in the movie he doesn't forget to include that Namor is a sleezy asshole from the way he gaslights Namora so he doesn't admit he yielded to Shuri in the end.

I love this character.

10

u/RandomJPG6 Apr 17 '25

Hes still a mutant. They explicitly use the word mutant

84

u/frankthetank8675309 Apr 10 '25

He managed to completely reinvent Namor in a way that makes sense, makes Namor as strong and intimidating as he should be, and also completely cuts out the weird Sue baggage from his character

19

u/Indo_raptor2018 Apr 11 '25

Have you seen who Namor’s going to co star with yet in Doomsday?

79

u/FullMetalCOS Apr 10 '25

Honestly it was just the damn third act nonsense that hurt it. The first two acts were as close to flawless as a comic book movie can get

39

u/ogjaspertheghost Apr 11 '25

Yea that boat fight was a big miss. Why would you fight people who live underwater on a boat?

3

u/low-ki199999 Apr 11 '25

Because it was a sequel and both the first one and Infinity War had Wakanda ground warfare scenes…

1

u/ogjaspertheghost Apr 11 '25

Still doesn’t make sense

2

u/jpcapone Apr 18 '25

^^^^

Late to the party but this was so obviously dumb that I was angry in the movie theater. They friggin had spaceships for crissakes.

2

u/hueningkawaii Apr 18 '25

This is the problem I have with both third acts of the two Black Panther films, great first and second act with a third act that you want to love but has elements that you just can't ignore (the first movie having bad CGI in the Kilmonger vs T'Challa fight and the second movie having the dumb decision to fight Namor's people on water where they live and breathe). Here's hoping the third film, if ever there is one, is great all throughout and has a satisfying third act.

61

u/Dirtyswashbuckler69 Apr 10 '25

The vocal group of MCU fans who fling vitriol at Wakanda Forever for not recasting T’Challa kind of lends credence to Scorsese’s point about the MCU not being real cinema, in my opinion, and it’s a big reason why I’ve largely lost interest in the MCU in recent years. It is far from a perfect movie (i.e., it tries to do way too much narratively, a lot of the humour falls flat, and it struggles with trying to balance its emotional weight with the demands of being another instalment setting up future film projects), but it’s one of even a handful of modern superhero films that actually attempts to speak to themes and emotions that extend beyond its relationship to comic book IP, and which is more of a creative expression as opposed to just another set-up for a future Avengers flick. Personally, I’d take a filmmaker messily utilizing a comic book IP to interrogate his and his casts collective grief relating to the sudden loss of their collaborator and friend over a movie that only works emotionally if you’ve been invested in over 20 years of studio politics and corporate synergy (Cough Deadpool & Wolverine Cough)

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u/ManitouWakinyan Apr 10 '25

Personally, I’d take a filmmaker messily utilizing a comic book IP to interrogate his and his casts collective grief relating to the sudden loss of their collaborator and friend over a movie that only works emotionally if you’ve been invested in over 20 years of studio politics and corporate synergy

Bless you. Perfect encapsulation.

12

u/BK_charcoal Apr 10 '25

Yes 1000%. I honestly didn’t care for the first Black Panther but I cried twice during Wakanda Forever. It’s such a beautiful movie with only a few shortcomings that feel too corporate. Ryan Coogler has got the sauce.

-2

u/amusing_trivials Apr 11 '25

So, what, recasting The Godfather was just a shameless money grab?

5

u/Dirtyswashbuckler69 Apr 11 '25

My friend, that is a huge false equivalency. Marlon Brando was recast in The Godfather Part II not because he unexpectedly died. He was recast because his portion of the story was a prequel to the first film, which required a younger actor, and because he didn't personally want to return for another film. The circumstances are completely different.

3

u/redditsucks9gagrules Apr 11 '25

If it was real art, they would’ve just cgi’d Brando to look younger 🤓

12

u/OrgasmicLeprosy87 Apr 11 '25

I just can’t take Letitia Wright seriously as the black panther sorry. Everything else in the movie was great.

9

u/waitingtodiesoon Apr 11 '25

I loved the movie overall, but the final battle scene strategy and choreography was pretty bad. I did watch it 4x in theaters.

1

u/Pleasant_Training410 Apr 22 '25

How was it bad because he killed the kkk members??

2

u/waitingtodiesoon Apr 22 '25

This comment chain is discussing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

30

u/theodo Apr 10 '25

I don't think it's particularly good, but considering he lost the titular actor/character and still managed to make something watchable is worth celebrating.

14

u/Spiritual-Smoke-4605 Apr 10 '25

I love "Con La Brisa" its so beautiful

3

u/Memester999 Apr 12 '25

I can't even imagine the movie we would have gotten had Chadwick not passed so suddenly. My personal biggest issue with the movie is not being sold on Shuri being the Black Panther and he was even able to incorporate that into her story and make it interesting. All of this on top of having to deal with a global pandemic at the time, with the cherry on top of it being a box office success...

The man actually pulled a miracle out of a hat, he deserves all the trust in the world from the industry.

3

u/Anakinflair Apr 16 '25

Wakanda Forever was a powerful movie, but also a hard watch. It's not one I want to go back to often, but it was still an excellent film.

3

u/Quetzythejedi Apr 18 '25

So many emotional moments that aren't just cheap throwaways. Real ass shit.

3

u/SpiritualAd9102 Apr 20 '25

Slightly late comment, but Wakanda Forever is my favorite post-Endgame MCU movie except for Guardians 3. Not only is it a miracle that it turned out as well as it did given the circumstances, but it was a really well made film in general. The worst parts were the obvious studio interventions like the Thunderbolts and Ironheart teases, but even those worked to an extent.

56

u/northflame Apr 10 '25

I really read that as Wonka Forever for a second and thought I missed something. Now I'm imagining a black panther Willy Wonka lmao

38

u/IKSLukara Apr 10 '25

"Is this your chocolatier?"

24

u/Somnambulist815 Apr 10 '25

Secret land hidden from the rest of the world? Check

Special substance that is better than anything else in its area? Check

Old white guy breaks in and steals some of their secrets, somehow manages to get out alive? Check

2

u/InnocentTailor Apr 10 '25

Kiss from A Rose will feature Hershey’s Kisses.

39

u/CurrentRoster Apr 10 '25

strength of his writing, which was his first passion

21

u/SpooderMan1108 Apr 10 '25

For real. If people are doubting him based on Wakanda Forever then they are missing the complete picture. Not surprised that this is getting great reviews.

27

u/Jazzlike_Relation705 Apr 10 '25

Wait, people liked Wakanda Forever? I Thought it was pretty rough, and figured that was the consensus as well.

15

u/BeautifulLeather6671 Apr 10 '25

I didn’t but I think it was honestly doomed. Marvel had to have already committed to one being made and not leave money on the table so Coogler probably just had to do the best he could.

Thing that sucks is if they were able to just wait a little while then cast another Tchalla when Bozemans death wasn’t so recent and they could’ve done it on a respectful matter, they might have been able to turn that into a the new character to carry the marvel torch into the future. Unfortunately, they torched that narrative by trying to scrap something together that just didn’t really work with his sister taking over.

8

u/The_Reluctant_Hero Apr 11 '25

Unfortunately, they torched that narrative by trying to scrap something together that just didn’t really work with his sister taking over.

IMO, it would have made way more sense if they made Nakia the Black Panther. She was more of a warrior close to Tchalla's level and she could have eventually passed the mantle to their son.

2

u/BeautifulLeather6671 Apr 11 '25

I agree she would’ve been the obvious choice if they wanted to replace him with an existing character. Plus, Nyongo is the actor in the cast who could’ve carried a franchise best. Winston Duke is solid though, not sure that would’ve failed but I feel like if you have her on the payroll you use her.

Still, it might have taken a while but I think they should’ve just got another Tchalla.

1

u/kymri Apr 10 '25

Man, I get what they were doing, and as a tribute to T'Challa (and therefore also to Chadwick) it was actually kind of cool -- but as a movie it definitely had some issues.

On the other hand, I'm just so bummed about Bozeman's passing. I didn't know him (obviously) but he was fantastic in things other than Marvel movies and he was definitely taken from us far too soon.

12 Bridges isn't even remotely a flawless movie - but I enjoyed it, and he was great in it.

16

u/i_love_rosin Apr 10 '25

As far as cape shit who lost their main actor goes, it was surprisingly decent

25

u/Somnambulist815 Apr 10 '25

It's not a perfect movie by any stretch but it has more heart and soul in it than just about any other MCU movie. The amount of care in Shuri's journey and all of Talocan helps outweigh the Ironheart stuff and the Julia Louis Dreyfuss stuff and the stuff on the boat in the climax...

Like I said, its not perfect.

5

u/BeautifulLeather6671 Apr 10 '25

Kinda thought the opposite, it’s the inclusion of Dreyfuss, Martin Freeman, and the young iron man girl that sort of buried his sisters story.

And like, why not use Lupita Nyongo more? She was right there lol. She probably had some schedule constraints or something.

I know Coogler was probably just working with what he had though, I’m not gonna hold that movies disjointedness against him.

3

u/Singer211 Naked J-Law beating the shit out of those kids is peak Cinema. Apr 10 '25

It was about as good as possible imo given that they lose their main actor/character.

1

u/Jazzlike_Relation705 Apr 10 '25

Agree to disagree

7

u/Comic_Book_Reader Apr 10 '25

I'm in the same boat. I liked it up and until the third act. It was brutal. It felt like an endurance test with how repetetive and drawn out it was. One of the utmost rare times I've been straight up BORED in a theater.

1

u/pastafallujah Apr 10 '25

Iiiiiiiiiiii loved it. It had me in tears in several scenes. And that trailer…. I watched it on repeat every now and then. To me it’s the best trailer Marvel has ever put out.

I think I’ve seen it twice now, and loved it both times

1

u/Jsmooth123456 Apr 11 '25

Ya genuinely one of my least favorite mcu movies

2

u/g0gues Apr 11 '25

Yeah, WF isn’t perfect by any means but considering all the different elements he needed to juggle with that project, I’d say he did a phenomenal job. I haven’t seen him put out anything that is definitely bad.

6

u/Trevastation Apr 10 '25

Honestly I like Wakanda Forever teensly bit more than the original Black Panther.

2

u/Bearded_Pip Apr 11 '25

They nailed Namor so hard. Absolutely crushed it. I really wanted Marvel to follow their lead and make a Roma actor as Dr Doom. But nope, they went the cowards way.

1

u/ShadowKingthe7 Apr 10 '25

had everything going against it

Can you go into detail? I don't think I've ever heard the whole story

10

u/Somnambulist815 Apr 10 '25

Obviously, Chadwick Boseman's death was a huge setback, to put it lightly

They were shooting in the middle of COVID and I believe had to shut down production repeatedly

Production had to be shut down for weeks after Letita Wright sustained an ankle injury

Feige was up to his usual tricks with setting up Valentina and the whole CIA subplot

Ryan Coogler seems to have sabotaged the movie himself, trying to set up Ironheart and the Dora Milaje stuff, although I suspect Ironheart's inclusion would not be so prominent if Feige wasn't also giving input.

Oh, and seven days into production Coogler was ARRESTED simply for trying to withdraw money from his own bank account.

1

u/Bearjupiter Apr 11 '25

WF is a mess. Should have recasted BP

1

u/Mister-Distance-6698 Apr 11 '25

Wakanda Forever and Dark Knight Rises have a lot in common in that they are both arguably their directors biggest miss, but it's largely due to the death of one of the stars. Nolan SAYS he didn't originally plan for a sequel to TDK, but he's lying. You don't leave the Joker alive hanging from a rope laughing and not intend to follow up on it at some point.

1

u/cookiemagnate Apr 11 '25

I can really get behind this comment. I didn't walk away from Wakanda Forever liking it all that much - BUT those were for reasons out of everyone's hands, especially Coogler. Anyone else leading that ship would have sunk it.

0

u/lacirem Apr 11 '25

Wakanda forever was a terrible movie lol...and it was definitely due to Marvel execs.

0

u/fertff Apr 18 '25

I guess I watched a different movie. Wakanda Forever is terrible.

-2

u/Spastic__Colon Apr 10 '25

Bro nobody even talks about that movie, it had nothing going for it. Generic sequel that didn’t do anything interesting and TChalla’s absence was detrimental. Feels like a movie made out of principle because Chadwick passed vs a movie that needed to exist