The American Society of Magical Negroes

 

The American Society of Magical Negroes is a fantasy that pulls on racial tensions in the United States.

Written and directed by Kobi Libii, the film struggles with writing realistic dialogue. This is Libii's first time directing and second time writing. Perhaps the film was written during the writer strike and so they asked if anyone wasn't a part of the guild and willing to write something. There is about a half hour of exposition. The starving artist trope was overdone, and the direction had some obvious technical issues. The close-ups weren't utilized as intended and the CGI wasn't up to expectations for a movie involving magic.

I liked Justice Smith when he was in the Pokemon live-action movie. Now that he's been playing the same character since then it's become tiresome. He's typecast as a beta and scared young man who lacks confidence, just look at the Dungeons & Dragons movie. 

David Alan Grier hasn't been in a good movie since the 90s with McHale's Navy. Here he plays the emotionless guide for Justice Smith to understand the world of magical servitude towards white people. He also speaks in riddles for no reason.

The film takes risks with its subject material and was a chore to watch. After twenty minutes in I was already looking at my clock. It's a lot of dialogue but nothing really to say except the monologue at the end. That being said the film is comically bad at most parts. It even has basic problems like cinematography. Result: F