The amount of hype behind Ryan Coogler’s new film, Sinners, has been insane. It is the only horror movie to receive an A CinemaScore and currently has a 98 percent on RottenTomatoes. This kind of hype can be scary because it elevates expectations. My expectations were high, and thankfully, they were met because Sinners is the best movie of the year so far.
The Plot
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their Mississippi hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
The threat here is vampires, but that threat only touches the surface of what makes this movie so special. Sinners somehow manages a perfect tone throughout its entire runtime and gives us an ambitious and meaningful film that is full of bite.
This is Coogler’s best script. The movie does a fantastic job of introducing us to a bunch of characters, and all of them feel properly developed. We understand who they are and what they are about, and it helps us care when the threat comes into the picture. The vampires don’t come into the movie until about the 45-minute mark. Honestly, the movie does such a good job of developing its characters that I forgot what kind of movie I was watching.
Sinners has a lot of messages throughout, but a big one is holding on to your culture. Vampires turning people into more vampires can be seen as assimilation to an extent, and Coogler deals with these issues in the Jim Crow era South while delivering an edge-of-your-seat horror film.
This is truly a masterclass in storytelling. It has been a while since a horror movie could reach out and fill an audience with humor, love, scares, and such emotion. It takes tropes and formulas and shakes them up to create a truly original, compelling narrative.
The Music and Cinematography
My God, the music in this is a character of its own. The score here is captivating and luscious throughout. It carries certain scenes and elevates the movie as a whole. This movie is not a musical, but it does have plenty of performances.
The blues are powerful in this movie, and at first, having people sing throughout your horror movie doesn’t sound like a great idea, but it works on every level here. The music connects the characters on a spiritual level and evokes a sense of culture. We are led to believe that music can transcend life and death and reach different generations from our past, present, and future. The movie finds a way to blend blues with modern music as well.
Every performance is shot so well. There were times I had to hold my breath because I couldn’t believe how good this movie looked while giving off so much emotion. The camera work is stellar beyond belief, showing off the beautiful costumes and setting. There is one sequence that is filled with such good music, amazing representation of cultures, and some of the best direction I have seen in a while, that I will remember it for a long time.
The Acting
Sinners is filled with fantastic performances, but I wanted to highlight a few here. Michael B. Jordan is great in dual roles as twin brothers Smoke and Stack. His character is flawed, but it is also filled with such love and grace that you can’t help but root for these brothers.
The other actor I wanted to highlight was Miles Caton as Preacher Boy Sammie. He is a newcomer and this is his first feature film, but you cannot take your eyes off him. This guy is going to be a star. He plays music wonderfully, sings beautifully, and is truly the heart of this film.
The cast as a whole is terrific, including Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Omar Miller, Wunmi Mosaku, and Delroy Lindo. The Oscars have a new category they are introducing in 2026, with Best Casting. It would be surprising if this movie isn’t nominated.
Overall
Sinners isn’t only the best movie of the year so far, but it’s also one of the better horror movies in a while. The movie is so much more, though, filled with historical culture, beautiful music, and memorable characters. The movie does everything right and leaves the audience feeling fulfilled. From its performances, to the camerawork, to the excellent script, it’s simply wonderful to see everything come together. The movie is scary, funny, sexy, and hopeful. This is the type of movie that reminds me why I love movies to begin with, and that is truly the best compliment that I can give.
