WE LIVE IN a time severely lacking in original ideas. In the world of movies, that’s more prevalent than ever—so much of what gets released tends to be either a sequel, a reboot, a remake, or based on some kind of existing intellectual property.
What a joy it is, then, for a movie like Sinners to come along? Ryan Coogler’s horror-thriller is not only a completely original idea (and one he took unique steps to make sure he would eventually own the rights to himself), but it’s a huge, high-concept swing—a hybrid crime-vampire story that’s also a pseudo-musical set in the 1930s Jim Crow south—that comes away feeling different from just about anything else we’ve seen on screen in years. Sometimes it takes those who frequent their local cinemas seeing something really original to realize just how generic everything else has become, and if you haven’t gone to many movies in a while, something like Sinners will just about blow your mind.
Coogler is no stranger to that intellectual property space, having previously made the Rocky reboot/sequel Creed and two Black Panther movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To that end, the creative stamp that he put on Sinners should come as absolutely no surprise; With Creed and Black Panther he proved more than capable of making movies that otherwise could’ve come off as generic into personal, unique, exciting pieces of film.
Sinners marks the fifth collaboration between Coogler and his go-to star, Michael B. Jordan (after Fruitvale Station, Creed, and the two Black Panther movies), who was nominated for Best Actor for his work in Sinners and has come to be seen as the frontrunner to win the award. This kind of trusted collaboration can be key to success. Think about the swings Martin Scorsese has been willing to take with his muses like Robert De Niro or Leonardo DiCaprio, because he knows that his star will understand the wavelength he’s on. Think about Jordan’s fellow nominee at this year’s Oscars, Ethan Hawke, and his own longtime relationship with director Richard Linklater (which earned him an Oscar nomination of his own this year for Blue Moon). When you have a star so completely in tune with his director, the results are often going to be strong.
All of this comes together in Sinners, which pairs Coogler’s stunning visual filmmaking and storytelling with great performances across the board. We see a lot of horror-thrillers every year, and it’s no secret that some of them are better than others. But Sinners is in a different category from most of those movies. Sinners is the kind of movie, now, that we can talk about in conversations with some of the true epics of the space and genre. You could compare it to movies like The Shining, Silence of the Lambs, or The Exorcist, but all three of those are based on book source material. The closest comparison—in terms of acclaimed, original, horror genre storytelling—would have to be something like Get Out, in terms of original stories that earn their much-deserved Oscar accolades.
The Oscars often have a ripple effect. People making movies see what’s successful, and want to take notes and tips from that; The fact that Sinners earned a record 16 Academy Award nominations will only be good for the future of original stories from original filmmakers, and hopefully many of those continue to exist in the exciting horror space. Because fans of the genre have been waiting a long time for this one.
How and where can I watch Sinners?
Sinners is streaming for subscribers of both Prime Video and HBO Max. You can also buy it on physical media, or rent it via Amazon Prime and other similar services.
How many Oscars is Sinners nominated for?
Sinners is nominated for a record-breaking 16 Oscars, including most notably Best Picture, Best Director (for Ryan Coogler), Best Actor (for Michael B. Jordan), Best Supporting Actor (Delroy Lindo), Best Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku), Best Original Screenplay, and more.
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
