Trevor Jackson breathes new life into a character from a previous era of blaxploitation films. Check out TheOriginalChatman™’s SPOILER-FREE review below.
In the film’s reboot of Superfly, Trevor Jackson (Burning Sands, Grown-ish) plays Youngblood Priest, a long-time drug dealer desperately looking to get out the life and bring his loved ones with him. In the film’s opening scene, his demeanor is calm, smooth, and calculated. His attitude turns up a notch when he calmly threatens a colleague for money he owes Priest.
The rest of the film follows Priest and his best friend/partner Eddie (Straight Outta Compton‘s Jason Mitchell) as they attempt to make a clean get-away from their lavish life of hustling—if only it were that easy. They run into jealous rivals wanting to wipe them off the map, dirty cops, and more.
Without the original film’s gritty look and feel (side note: I’ve never experienced the first film, so I’m just making assumptions here!), the glitz and glamour immediately attracts audiences. Furthermore, not much different from superhero films, Superfly offers fantastic hand-to-hand fight sequences mixed with the typical gunfight here and there.
In my opinion, Priest is a good person wishing to turn his life around despite his life’s circumstances. The ultimate connection I’m trying to make here is that Priest illustrates the narrative of a urban legend/anti-hero climbing his way to the top and refusing to be a product of his environment—something much more realistic than heroes and villains battling it out. How much realer can it get than that?
Additionally, crime-dramas typically reach a point of vulnerability when characters express thoughts and feelings reflecting real life dilemmas. At one point in the movie, a scene highlights the societal effects of police brutality in its rawest form, which allows for a true depiction the other characters put on full display.
With the exception of a few predictable plot lines, Director X’s modern take on Superfly is the blockbuster event of the summer you don’t wanna miss! Hit up the comment section and give me your feedback on the film!
The Original Chatman 