Lite Beer is Abar's Kryptonite.
Today's film is a movie I actually own, thanks to a long-time friend and fellow member of the site. Thanks for the crap, buddy.
He had a simple goal when he picked out my gifts: to find a film that I had never heard of and/or seen. Well, you found one- kudos.
This film is often-billed as 'The First Black Science-Fiction Film.' By often billed, mind you, I mean that I saw it listed like that on two posters I found online.
The film is very-dated, taking place in the '70s and being all about black people not getting along with white people. That went out with the decade, right Rodney King?
Ironic forgetfulness of past atrocities aside, this movie has a weird, sci-fi twist, but it plays it close to its figurative hand for a long time.
It eventually reveals what it has been building up to...and it's very weird.
To find out how weird it truly is, you'll have to, say it with me, read on...
Trouble arises when a black family- with a black doctor in the Pre-Cosby Era- moves into a white neighborhood.
Start protesting, honkeys!
A pair of honkeys from the Mayor's office are sent to pay the family to go away. Surprisingly, this doesn't work.
Although, I should note that the Father only rejects the offer because it would be 'too much of a hassle.'
Dig those sideburns!
When things turn even more sour, Abar and his group show up to de-honkey the yard.
Immediately following this, they lecture him for leaving the ghetto.
Nice, guys.
Abar's lectures about the white men in power, the ineffectual black man and the rich, black men who abandon their comrades makes up most of the first hour.
We get it- you're militant!
Have a point or move on!
In an odd, out-of-place scene, the son has a dream about a cowboy- Abar- saving some settlers- his family- from some evil cow-poke- the white people.
Thanks...for that.
I guess?
In a complete tonal shift, the hero's son is killed not ten minutes later by a guy in a car.
That's...jarring.
People with Bi-Polar Disorder don't shift so rapidly between emotions!
About an hour in, the father explains what he's been working on- a serum to make Black People invincible.
No, really.
He gives it to Abar, but regrets it moments later when he thinks that he'll go mad with power.
Too late for that, dumb ass!
After a bunch of random scenes involving the Police being corrupt and bikers driving around. Abar and the Doctor talk.
Abar makes him feel better and explains that he's doing things to help the community.
For example...
He mind-controls a mugger and makes him return a purse.
He makes a rich Preacher drive a carriage.
He makes some racist people think that they're eating worms.
He avenges the son's death by making a time-bomb (which he didn't see) appear in the killer's car (whom he didn't see).
Lastly, he makes some wind scare the racist neighbors.
Lastly, he makes some wind scare the racist neighbors.
With that, one of them turns nice- and reveals that she is actually Black...and has sickle-cell anemia (seriously!!!)- and all is well.
The WTF End.
Who cut these two stories together?!?
Seriously, this is like two different movies put together, but somehow having the same Cast.
Yes, that does sound weird. That's what you get here though.
Fifty-plus minutes of generic Actors acting racist, acting stupid or just lecturing the audience.
Once the plot actually goes somewhere, it becomes a story about Abar forcing people to change to fit his world view.
While I agree with many things that he said, the way he does things is ludicrous.
You want to get your fellow blacks to go to College? That's a noble goal.
How do you do it? By mind-controlling them to do it, of course!
The same guy who drones on and on about how the white man is trying to control the black man proceeds to, well, control the black man.
Getting the mugger to return the purse or getting the vandals to clean up the wall is a less-creepy way to use the powers, granted.
There are many questions associated with this as well.
What is the range of powers? He can apparently summon wind, control minds, alter reality and make people see illusions. All he's lacking is the infamous 'Seagal Sense' and he's basically God.
Oddly, the movie just kind of ends with him that way.
Are their repercussions?
Does he change society?
Do white people just freak out and nuke the planet?
These and other questions...will never be answered.
The bottom line: boring first half, freaking weird second half. Take us away, ill-advised close-up (used 2,003 times) ...
Next up, a week of films that highlight the man, the myth, the legend- Lorenzo Lamas! First up, Lamas is a Russian...yeah, this will be bad. Stay tuned...
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