*Directed by Malik Vitthal
*Starring John Boyega, Rotimi, Glenn Plummer, De'aundre Bonds, Ethan Bonds, Justin Bonds, and Keke Palmer
THE PLOT: A young man named Bambi (John Boyega) is finally released from prison after serving years of crime with his family. He’s dirt poor living in a car within the projects and not wanting to be involved with crimes despite his uncle forcing it upon him. He has a desire to have a changed life while also raising his younger son. He’s passionate about pursuing writing yet he deals with the difficulties of poverty and finding a rightful job to provide for himself and his son.
My first exposure to this film was actually a couple years ago when John Boyega posted a teaser for the film on his Instagram page. I do remember actually thinking it looked solid but didn’t think much of actually seeing it because I think the caption of that video mentioned the film only being played at a certain film festival that year. I don’t remember what festival it was, but what I do know is that it did play at Sundance in 2014 and it continued to play throughout other festivals, but now we finally got a release in the US on Netflix. I saw an ad on Facebook, I waited, finally streamed it this past weekend, and now I can finally say that this was a really good movie!
Imperial Dreams was just another film where it doesn’t pull punches and made you feel like you were actually witnessing another reality where these events could happen. John Boyega gives a truly excellent performance with this character where we can deeply understand the grave struggles in his life. Of course, I love him in Star Wars and seeing what he’ll do in the new trilogy and Pacific Rim 2, but to see him take on a role that felt tangible and relatable proved he has great acting chops. He did such a great job showcasing this character and using it to carry this entire movie. I think this film was a great stepping stone for him getting into main roles that have a purpose for the entire film. I thought the performances across the board were great really making us as the audience buy into the fact that these people are a part of this environment, which leads into my other major compliment. The environment/atmosphere of this film added so much to how the entire film was taken in, which also helped give the movie that grounded and realistic aesthetic.
The film triumphs in just telling a story that gives an understanding of how difficult life can be and that we have to push through. We have to learn that in order to change we have to persevere and not let other things that held us back in the past tempt us. There are hints of inspiration in the movie, but even though it’s dark and depressing, it just encapsulates that there can be hints of light found in the darkest of times in anyone’s life. I also really adored the film’s soundtrack by Flying Lotus. I cannot wait to search for that. It was this really cool ambient sounding music that blended seamlessly with this realistic imagery showcased on screen. This film was presented incredibly well and told a very unforgettable story.
The only issues I could probably think of are that it could be a little too slow burn for me at times. I do love that the film took its time with its pacing, but some scenes felt like they dragged just by a hair. Also, even though I did feel the emotion hit, the directing did feel a little standard at times. It didn’t have the most innovative filmmaking in the mix of it, but in the end, these cons were just gray areas I had with the film. Not necessarily bad aspects, but they came off as more passable. I basically loved everything else!
This film had a fantastic sense of realism, a relatable character performed remarkably by Boyega, great performances and a story that should be told to everyone. Imperial Dreams is a film that can’t be missed.
Verdict: A-
Please go support this film. If you have a Netflix account I highly recommend checking it out. It’s a smaller film and looks as though it might fall under the radar. I think with a film like this and other roles in Boyega's career, he’s just going to keep excelling as an actor and I can’t wait to see him do it. Thank you all for reading my review of Imperial Dreams and look out this Wednesday for my review of John Wick in preparation for John Wick Chapter 2. Updates for when I’ll post my reviews of John Wick Chapter 2 and The Lego Batman Movie will be posted on my social media pages.
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Thank you all so much for reading and always remember to see some movies and all that good stuff. Take care. :-)
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