Colin0001

Nearly devoid of dialogue, it takes a very confident filmmaker to follow through on such a project. This is filmmaking as it was done in the beginning. It was all visual. Back when movies had no sound at all, and a pianist played something appropriate to keep the mood in the theatre, this was all there was - a feast for the eyes. And Genndy Tartakovsky has mastered mood, and very importantly, pacing. Many movies flop, because the mood cannot be portrayed as the writer or the director wants it, or the pacing is off, but this excels. It reminds me of some of the Hitchcock films, where less was more. I don't like how the story ended, as it seemed cruel. But maybe that again is a portrayal of that era. Looking forward to Season 2. This is on par with The Mandalorian. Yes, it's that good. But if ingenuity counted, then it's even better.

This film was a disappointment. It seemed rushed and lacked authenticity. Some actors spoke their lines as if reading them in rehearsal, where was the effort? Some actors shouldn't have been in the film at all. It seemed like the accountants sat in on the decision making process and had their way. A black actor and an Asian actor were installed, and at least one of them gave the poorest acting performance I've seen in years. It smacked of tekenism. The film tries too hard to be cool, by being sweary. That didn't work at all. But the general action was good, and some set pieces were funny. But overall, it was poor. Next time, when the accountants sit in on creative meetings, lie to them, then have the real meeting in a pub or coffee shop. It's got to be better than what we've seen here.

I'm black, and of an age where I was hugely into superhero and comic book culture from back in the day. And now seeing these stories brought to the screen, makes me more happy than you can know. With the high production values of Black Panther, and Luke Cage before it (I preferred Luke Cage actually), I was hoping for more of the same with Black Lightning. Instead, I tried to be loyal because at least I am represented as a black person on screen. But I didn't like the characters. Some were just jarring. The acting often seemed wooden.

It aims for grittiness, but it doesn't come across as gritty. It comes across as some very disinterested actors earning a quick buck, in something that they don't truly believe in.