Time: 119 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Offensive language, sexual themes
Cast:
John Boyega as Fontaine
Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo
Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles
Kiefer Sutherland as Nixon
David Alan Grier as The Preacher
Director: Juel Taylor

I had been hearing about They Cloned Tyrone for some time. I had no idea what it was about, but I saw plenty of people recommending it so I got around to checking it out, and I’m really glad that I did.

They Cloned Tyrone blends plenty of genres and elements together, and can be best described as a sci-fi conspiracy thriller comedy. It is very self-aware, and doesn’t shy away from the fact that its clearly influenced by other movies. It is entertaining and enthralling throughout and is some of the most fun I had watching a movie this year. It is very well paced and the plot was taking twists and turns that I was interested to see where it would go. I think its worth going into this movie fairly blind for the surprises. A lot of it isn’t all that original, but it feels fresh here nonetheless. The script is very witty, with snappy dialogue and hilarious comedy. Its also a satire and there are some relevant social commentary and themes about the mistreatment of black communities. In some ways, the movie reminded me a lot about Sorry to Bother You, with the sci-fi thriller elements, mixed with the comedy and social commentary. As for issues, it does admittedly feel a little weaker towards the third act, after much of the reveals are done and it becomes somewhat conventional. Still, even that section is quite enjoyable.

The movie benefits from the great cast, mainly with the trio of lead actors in John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx. They have a great dynamic with snappy banter, and they handle the comedy and drama very well. This movie wouldn’t work nearly as well without these three actors, and its particularly one of the best performances that I’ve seen from Boyega. Other actors including Kiefer Sutherland play their parts well too.

This movie actually comes from a first time director, Juel Taylor, and he does some really good work here. The style is immediately noticeable, definitely harkening back to old 70s blaxploitation aesthetics with film grain and occasional black dots at the top right hand corner of the screen. Other elements like the solid production design, funky costumes and energetic soundtrack are on point.

They Cloned Tyrone is a highly entertaining sci-fi comedy satire, stylishly directed, and with a great cast. Its really one of the most overlooked movies of the year, no doubt because it released on Netflix around the time of Oppenheimer and Barbie. I highly recommend checking it out.