I went into this one with minimal knowledge about the movie. I've had people online and IRL mention that it was a fun horror experience. I didn't have any real expectations, which I generally consider to be a good thing.
It is definitely worth watching Sinners. It's a good, original horror movie that I think has a measure of cross-over appeal with people who don't like horror. The soundtrack is top notch, it includes some classic blues songs, but also an intense original score with some incredible tracks. The setting/setup is novel and refreshing and I liked how the heavy emphasis on the music introduces a fusion of genres of sorts. I enjoyed it even though I am generally not a fan of musicals.
That being said I do think Sinners is a victim of it's own success. It does so many things well, that the weak parts stand out much more. It's a stylish movie with great cinematography, good looking costumes, an original story setup and an ending that arguably offers something different.
So when you have rather unsatisfying action scenes, strange character behaviour and seemingly pointless parts it becomes more noticeable than in a lower budget horror movie.
Some of the action scenes just didn't work well; I found them to be distracting, it's not a matter of realism or lack of thereof. I didn't really understand the behaviour and motivation of the group that was left in the dancehall after the patrons left (should they have all turned when they left at the same time?). I thought the ending scene with the racists coming to the dancehall and getting killed by the remaining brother was out of place.
That being said the weak parts don't undermine the experience of watching Sinners. I am curious if there will be any other movies set in this universe (more so than a direct sequel). The epilogue made me wonder what Smoke and Mary were up to all these years.
