They Cloned Tyrone

I just read a review about people who give this film anything but a 1 either being family members etc etc. Quite the tirade.

With a third of their review concentrating on a child slurping a drink. That's their review.

This one is mine.

Look. This is quite a different output than your usual.

It is very much influenced by blaxploitation (and at the end that is the point) films and the modern revisionism of someone like Jordan Peale.

A completely off the wall plot that mixes multiple genres into one.

John Boyega is such a good actor. He really, really is.

With multiple roles, he manages them well.

Jamie Foxx adds silliness and humour to proceedings.

This isn't an Oscar winner. Nor is it garbage. It is just different.

I was engaged throughout the film.

To give you in a nutshell what to expect think Groundhog Day meets Invasion of the body snatchers, meets Nancy Drew meets Shaft meets Get Out meets Boyz n The Hood.

It's just a crazy mix which on the whole, IMHO, works.

And as to the title....it'll all make sense by the end.

And it lends itself to a sequel (which likely it will get).

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)

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.

They Cloned Tyrone is great, a blaxploitation throwback with a sci-fi twist that's a fun crowd pleaser but that doesn't stop it from pulling its punches. It's rightfully angry and finds inventive new ways to explore similar ideas to the ones present in Get Out and Sorry to Bother You.

John Boyega gets a role of surprising emotional heft, fully committed to the part(s) in a way that makes the more ridiculous reveals work without a second thought. Jamie Foxx is comedy gold here and Teyonah Parris brings both humour and humanity. Parris and Foxx have a extremely entertaining chaotic rapport that's a nice foil to Boyega's more serious presence.

Juel Taylor arrives with a fully formed directorial debut, a film with of past and present with authentic film grain and cigarette burns contrasted by vibrant neon. The music by Desmond Murray and Pierre Charles is also good at combining old and new with a score that feels ripped from the 70s with an added sci-fi edge.