The Good

A true blaxploitation film for the 21st Century.

The Bad

It's only 84 minutes!Black Dynamite (starring Michael Jai White in the starring role) is a hilarious look back at the blaxploitation films of the early 1970s. Black Dynamite he uber black male. Tough, cool and irresistible to the ladies, he is a former CIA agent who is bent on revenge when his brother gets killed. His search for the killers takes him all over town and no matter how crazy the circumstances nothing ever seems to knock him off his game. Fighting drug dealers, his friends and anybody else who gets in his way, Black Dynamite eventually uncovers a larger plot that leads him all the way to the White House where he makes the man and of all men, Richard Nixon, pay the price.

This is one of those movies that works all the way around. There are no false notes. No points where it seems like they should have cut the scenes sooner, and no points where it feels like Black Dynamite isn't doing anything but celebrating the genre from whence it came in.

Features

Making of Featurette

While this making of feaurette doesn't do anything that is that amazing it is worth watching. My main reason for saying that is because the characterizations in this movie are so right on. I had to see how these actors were in real life because everything about this movie felt so authentic. This featurette doesn't really break any new ground but if you want to know more about the team behind Black Dynamite than this is the place to start.

Commentary Track

The Comic-Con Experience

Anybody who knows anything about Comic-Con should be aware of just how perfect this movie is to be at that event. While I personally find the San Diego Comic-Con to be about as much fun as a vasectomy (Oh don't get upset fanboys! All that glad-handing, back slapping, and image conscious star BS gets old very quickly), I think that it's great if helps a movie like Black Dynamite reach more people. As this is a genre movie of the highest order it more than deserves its place at the table, and it's nice to see that that this film got the treatment it needed.

Deleted and Alternate Scenes

Video

1.85:1 - Anamorphic Widescreen. This movie doesn't just look like a blaxploitation film from the the 1970s, it is a blaxploitation movie. The costume and set designers on this film deserve an award. I could try and list out who was in charge of all that but those teams are so big that if anybody from Black Dynamite is reading this review, please, stand up, take a bow and know that MovieWeb salutes you!

Audio

Dolby Digital. Language - English 5.1 Dolby Digital. Subtitles in English, English SDH and French. The audio on this release is also really good. Filled with all the rump shaking sort of music that these films call for, this movie even nails the sound design in the vocal category! It is amazing that this movie came out and grossed less than $300,000!!! That is a travesty. I know that the marketplace is crowded but when a movie like this doesn't even get close to the public radar that is beyond sad. Hopefully, it does well enough on DVD so that a sequel can be made.

Package

Black Dynamite is shown on this front cover brandishing a gun. Other characters from this film are also displayed but none of them are the size of Black Dynamite. The back features more images from this movie, a description of what it's about, a Special Features listing, a cast list and technical specs.

Final Word

If you missed Black Dynamite when it played in the theaters you have got to screen it on DVD. In fact, this movie is so ripe to be replayed, rewatched and reenjoyed, I would recommend that you purchase it for your collection.