There are moments in cinema where organically, people garner much-needed collective excitement for a movie. In recent memory, off the top of my head, Barbie & Oppenheimer (or Barbenheimer) had the world in a tizzy, that was sprung up organically. Get Out was a moment. Black Panther was a moment. Superbad was a moment. The initial reaction to Ryan Coogler & Michael B. Jordan’s latest collaboration, Sinners, was met with intrigue, but leading up to its release over Easter Weekend in 2025, the excitement built as more information was put out, and Coogler’s intention of honouring not only his family, but the essence of Blackness, at the Southern root of it all. What you think you may know about the plot of the film, and of course I won’t spoil anything, it’s much more than you’ll realize when you watch the film.

A lot of filmmakers like to use the term ‘love letter’ when they describe their film endeavours, when most of them are simply poorly worded emails in comparison. The strength of a well throughout handwritten note always lies in the intentionality of the messaging. The who, and why are the key components that charge the ‘what’ that’s being expressed. Aaliyah famously sung that she wrote 4 Page Letter and sealed it with a kiss; Ryan Coogler wrote a 2 hour long film that was sealed with tenderness and an imprint on the spirit that will carry on in ways that I didn’t imagine I would be feeling when I watched the film (at the time of this writing) 5 hours ago. Another term floated around often is ‘magnum opus’, which translates to “A large and important work of art, music, or literature, especially one regarded as the most important work of an artist or writer. This is not hyperbole to say that this is a magnum opus for not only Coogler, but for Michael B. Jordan as well. Yes, we’ve seen him portray Adonis Creed & Killmonger, but this was his best role since he played Wallace on The Wire, and to me, this is his Will Smith Independence Day moment. If he wasn’t looked at as a star before, he’s launched himself into a different plane, especially when you look at the daunting and technical challenge of playing a twin to this magnitude (I know Tom Hardy did it in Legend, but this is different).

The technical ambition that Ryan Coogler took on, warrants spending the extra money to watch this in IMAX, out of sheer respect for the craft.

It has everything that you, I, and the masses have been wanting out of a film. Originality, excitement, and a representation of Blackness that doesn’t feel trivial, tokenized, or white-washed to placate to White audiences. This is a Black ass movie, and just like how people have had many questions about Coogler, and his accent, on the flipside, what makes him so beloved is how he doesn’t code-switch and he doesn’t apologize for who he is. This movie does the same, and it’s beautiful to experience it. To speak with other Black people after the film, and breaking down scenes and the overall theme of the movie, it really reminded me of the first time I watched Get Out or Black Panther, but for Coogler (much like Jordan Peele) to get Black folks out to watch a horror film willingly, is a tale as old as time about how we show up for our own. We always have, and always will. Others will too, because the power of word of mouth that this film has been carrying, it’s been getting its respect, and will do so for months to come.

The chemistry of the casting, the authentic storytelling, the music, the tension, the beauty, and the agony that are all intertwined in this film; it’s why people love the movies. It’s why I love being a storyteller with the opportunity to create more stories, and it’s why I implore you to take yourself and multiple people with you, to watch Sinners. You’ll learn something new. You’ll leave the theatre with new appreciation, and quite frankly, it might become your new fixated personality for a couple of weeks. This is another cultural moment that we should all take advantage of, and report back when you do. This is my opinion, this is my review,

That’s My Word & It STiXX