Blood & Sinners

It feels like The Sinners was directed by two different Cooglers-one responsible for the first half, and another for the second. If I had to rate them separately: the first half is a solid 8, the second a disappointing 4.

The film starts off brilliantly. Set in the Deep South during the 1930s, it plunges us into a world of chain gangs, overt racism, and raw human struggle-all wrapped in the soul of music. The characters are distinctive and memorable, the performances are top-notch, and the world-building is rich and atmospheric. It's a western, a drama, and a musical all at once, and somehow it works. For a while.

Then comes the second half.

This is where things fall apart. The pivot to horror-specifically vampires-feels abrupt and half-hearted. There's barely a story holding it together, and the horror/action sequences barely last 10-15 minutes. They lack any real suspense or memorable set pieces. The execution feels rushed and undercooked, especially after such a powerful setup.

The final 5-7 minutes attempt a bold anti-Klan message, and it's likely this moment of violence and symbolism that won over many critics. But for me, it was too little, too late.

What's most frustrating is the wasted potential. This could've been a truly unique vampire film-rooted in history, rich in theme, driven by character and song. Instead, it leaves you wondering what could've been if the second half had lived up to the promise of the first.

Don't buy into the hype. Sinners is a slightly above average film that has been blown massively out of proportion. Its current rating of an 8.1/10 is absurdly high. It's not THAT good.

I'll start with the positives. First of all, I thought the acting was absolutely amazing. It was a really fantastic performance from the entire cast. I also thought the music was great; l'm not typically much of a blues guy, but l enjoyed what I heard.

As for the negatives, the biggest problem I had is that the film accomplished nothing. It finished and I was just like.....ok? What am I to make of this? It's categorized as Drama and Supernatural Horror, and while it is technically both of those, I wasn't impressed in either area. Suspense--a major part of both of those genres--was basically nonexistent. The 'normal' part of the plot (the stuff without the supernatural junk) was actually solid. It had a nice little twist in it, which the ending went back on. I just wish there was more of that.

Overall, it wasn't a bad movie, but it's not one I'd recommend. The best way to sum it up is this: it's a dime a dozen horror flick that's made watchable by a really good cast and great cinematography.

Final score of 6/10.

I challenge you all claiming it to be a masterpiece to give me another example of a masterpiece movie you are comparing it with.

Are you all really that shallow and bored you will give any movie that title.

As a drama movie I will give it a 7.

As a horror not more than a 6.

There are maybe 2-3 jump scares. And the story is half decent. It. Could have been used to build a great movie. But there is none of that. Maybe the blues fans will enjoy a song or two but that's it. Too many characters introduced, very little development on each front. Sets are decent.

Don't listen to all bought reviews online.

I saw the ratings for this film and I watched really looking forward to watching it. Even the people who work the counters in the cinema assured us of how good it was.

The first half of the film have the makings of an 8/10 film, and it seems like it's going to go that way, especially with such a good cast. But as with most films these days, it takes a turn and gets quite daft in the second half. Somewhat like Dusk til Dawn, but not half as good...But that's just my opinion.

Go watch it, but at least give it an honest review. It's not an 8/10 movie as iMDB has it scored. I scored it a 6, which I think is fair.

For years I've been emphasizing the importance of music in movies; how an amazing musical score can significantly elevate a movie. It shouldn't just be background dressing. It should be brought to the forefront. It should drive the story. It should be a character in itself. It should give you goosebumps in the big moments. Sinners is one of the best examples of this.

Aside from the music, I could tell I was watching high-quality filmmaking within five minutes. The directing, camerawork, editing, and sound design are pristine. The entire cast does a great job, but Michael B. Jordan shines. He is a superstar.

Sinners is also surprisingly funny, without taking away from the seriousness. And the horror elements are... satisfying. This movie goes hard.

Advice: Certain scenes have an expanded aspect ratio that will only be shown in IMAX. If you can't go to an IMAX, any premium screen will do (Dolby Cinema, UltraScreen, EMX, etc). This movie benefits more than most from the larger screen and louder speakers.

Also, I missed A LOT of the dialogue, you may want to ask for a closed caption device.

(1 viewing, opening night IMAX 4/17/2025)