Parody movies tend to get a bad rap. Today, when people think of parody movies, they think of clunkers like Scary Movie 4 and 5, Epic Movie, A Haunted House, Disaster Movie, Date Movie, etc. These types of parodies miss the point of what a parody should be, they just reference a well-known movie, throw in a celebrity cameo, and make some potty jokes. It is sad, especially when these spoof movies used to be a powerhouse in quality cinema. Back in the day when we got classics like Young Frankenstein, Airplane, Blazing Saddles, and the Naked Gun movies. When the writers of these movies knew it was not enough to just reference the movies they are making fun of.
Black Dynamite perfectly spoofs these movies. It spoofs them so well, that one could be forgiven for thinking that it is just another Blaxploitation movie from the 70’s. But it does not get by just hitting the same notes as those old movies. It is genuinely hilarious. It has some surface level humor that everyone can laugh at, but it also has some very smart subtle humor. The type of humor that is rare not only in parodies but in modern comedies in general.
It is the type of movie you can see multiple times, and find new jokes every time. One hilarious thing the movie does is it intentionally makes mistakes. There are points where you can see the boom mic comes into view. Actors change for characters mid-scene. There are logical errors in the plot. All types of things that would usually be considered mistakes. But here, they aren’t mistakes. The Creators of the movie purposely made these choices, because the classic blaxploitation movies had those mistakes.
If you want an idea of just how much fun this movie is, just watch this scene from the movie, where Black Dynamite fights Richard Nixon with nunchucks.
The writers and director managed to craft a movie, that would normally fit into the so bad it is good category, but here, it is just good, because all the “bad” parts are on purpose. When a character just blurts out exposition, it isn’t because the writers were too lazy to find a better way to tell the story. The acting is great, in that it is bad. Acting bad on purpose is a skill.
It does not hurt that the movie has what may be one of the funniest lines I have ever seen in film. Just watch this clip, and you will know the line when it comes up.
Black Dynamite is a laugh riot. It is everything a spoof movie should be, and more. If the clips in this review seem like something that interests you, definitely check the movie out.
8/10
