Film Review: “Black is King”

By: Keaton Marcus

Beyonce's third visual album, following 2013's Beyonce and 2016's Lemonade, has finally arrived on Disney+, now streaming for free with a subscription. The 85-minute film by Queen Bey herself is a companion piece of sorts to 2019's The Gift, the handcrafted, all-star soundtrack to the photorealistic remake of The Lion King. Black is King marks one of the most visually elaborate, stunning films I've ever seen, and it's not even a movie. Well, technically, you can consider it a musical, but the real definition of this thing is a visual album with a soul and story inside of it. This is a total celebration of black people, and it serves as a compelling Pan-African collage with an empowering message at its core. The album references the basic plot of The Lion King many times, although in its second half is when it truly begins to take off, carving its path of storytelling.

Black is King was made over one full year with a small army of collaborators with Beyonce. From high-profile African and American musicians, top fashion designers, and video directors, and even members of her immediate family, including her daughter Blue Ivy, who has a prominent supporting role…this was a passion project. While it may seem like a bit much to hire so many, it certainly payed off in the end. These talented folks have made an epic dedication to African ancestry accompanied by beautiful imagery and touching, if chaotic storytelling. Black pride is something we all need right now, it’s never become more relevant with the many people of color that have to face a biased court, cops and an inhuman amount of racism. But this isn’t just about black empowerment, one of the film’s core messages is explaining that we’re all under one sky, we all live on the same planet, no matter what color, gender or creed. It unites humanity under one piece of entertainment without being overly preachy or self-important.

The musical draws great inspiration from a multitude of traditional and contemporary African subcultures, blending new, old, and ancient traditions together, ultimately creating a celebration of all three. From Nigerian afro-fusion to dancehall to the tribal body, and hair-painting practices of the Himba people. To enhance the stunning cinematography, Beyonce shot this in some excellent filming locations, including western and South Africa, giving proof that she films on location. In addition to that, several languages which include Zulu and Xhosa are featured in the film’s monologues and interludes. When Black is King was announced last year, Beyonce drew criticism for potentially promoting African stereotypes, but wow did she prove them wrong.

This doesn’t in any way, shape, or form promote stereotypes of the African people, it respects their heritage. Much like Lemonade took inspiration from the Gullah culture of Georgia and South Carolina, Black is King feels like its representing Africa as more of an ideal, both paying respects to the continent’s very real inhabitants and cultures while providing a North Star of sorts to the many Black people to come. “Our ancestors guide us through our own reflections - light refracted”, Bey says in a voiceover before giving out this warning: “To live without reflection for so long might make you wonder: do you truly exist?” That’s one bold question to ask alright, but she’s right. Well, how can Beyonce herself be wrong? The warning gives a bit of a wake-up call to the “main character” of this storyline.

This “lead” of sorts is obviously a reference to Simba of The Lion King. Both the child and Simba start out living in royalty before getting swept away by an antagonist..but this time it’s a snake-wearing villain, not Scar. He grows up to be a young man with little to no direction in his life, and he needs to come back home and take the proverbial crown. But that only lasts for the first 50 minutes or so, the last half-an-hour is completely different. The whole Simba-like arc of the movie finishes with a satisfying close before Beyonce shows the perspective of black men, women, and the challenges they have to face as they grow up, and how “being a king” can be achieved through something as simple as engaging with others.

While this last portion is awfully messy, and has little connection with the earlier bits, it’s important to see. It includes various interviews and audio snippets on these types of everyday pressures to become the greatest. There’s not a song in the entire soundtrack that I have an issue with, to be honest…a few have less meaning than others, but my absolute favorite would have to be the My Power sequence. This series of dances focuses more on the female side of black people, and sends an affectionate celebration of strength, and not allowing anyone to get in your head. My other two stand-outs of the soundtrack would be Spirit, which is taken directly from 2019’s The Lion King, a beautiful song in my opinion..and finally, Brown Skinned Girl, which serves as a universal premise for brown skinned girls everywhere, and features cameos from Kelly Rowland, Lupita Nyong’o and Naomi Campbell. It is an emotional and visually stunning tribute to the gender.

The weaker music in the film usually comes from songs that focus too much on visual appeal than actual meaning. These include Nile, which has a gorgeous white-grey color palette, but it’s not quite the party-starter that fans were expecting. There’s a surrealistic effect with the visual splendor, but all this song provides is style, with a lack of substance. The other would be Scar, which is another visually stunning, moody, atmospheric tone-setter with a Thriller-esque feel to it. I didn’t dislike it per-say, but in terms of memorable things in this film, this is another passing moment that isn’t worth watching. But otherwise, I quite enjoyed this empowering and exciting soundtrack, which mostly succeeds at blending stylish, vibrant color with true meaning. The entire film itself is a success, with few flaws and nitpicks, and it tried its best to be entertaining all the way through. Beyonce, you’re my savior.

The final opinion is: Though not everything works out, Black is King is a memorable celebration of African heritage that blends excellent color-palette’s with dazzling cinematography, filming locations, and a touching message at its core. In other words, Bey’s dropped a masterpiece…$PLURGE IT

"Black is King" is a Stylish and Beautiful Tribute to African Heritage

Film Review: “Black is King”

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