By Quinn Marcus

Black Is King

(2020)

Age: 10+

90/100: Sweet

Black Is King was directed and written by Beyoncé Knowles and two others. It is a visual album by Beyoncé inspired by The Lion King. I have a confession to make. I barely have listened to Beyoncé’s music until now. In fact, the only times I have listened to her music was when one of her songs would occasionally pop up on the radio. Well, Black Is King sure made me listen to her wisdom and energetic songs. This is the album we need right now.

So, what were my flaws? I only have one, I wasn’t a fan of a few of the songs. Or at least, I didn’t think they were as good as my favs from the album like “Spirit” and “Brown Skinned Girl”. But, it’s clear that the team that brought her album to thrilling life were committed and knew what they were doing. Which brings me to my stand out positives. 1. The cinematography, costume and set designs are gorgeous. I have not seen such color infused with expertly made sets and costumes. It was truly electrifying to see these aspects combined with the epic dance numbers. The time and effort that must have gone into making each detail perfect in practically every way was just spellbinding to watch. 2. The choreography… holy sh-t. The dancers in this were outstanding, it feels like each person in it got their own time to shine. Each song had a unique, energized dance number backed up by the powerful voice of Beyoncé and the other incredible singers. 3. What about the inspiration from The Lion King. To be honest, I quite enjoyed the speeches and themes used from The Lion King. In a way, it gave the album more of a story. At times, I thought it didn’t exactly correspond with the song playing, but overall, I thought what Beyoncé did with it was cool. 4. How relevant/timely is it? Given the current situation, if you’re going to watch anything, it’s this. In the year of 2020, of all of the movies that have come out, this is at the top of my recommendation list.

Overall, Beyoncé has sure done the job of crafting a stylish, unique, well-made, relevant visual album that will please fans of her own music and newcomers to it like me.

This film is perfect for older kids and adults. There are some darker themes and creepy imagery probably keeping it out of reach of younger children. However, the profound messages that this film has to offer are too important to pass by. If you have Disney+ or are able to get it, get your parents over to your tv and get watching. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.