Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Superfly Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 10, 2018

Superfly can’t help but to play through generic story and character beats. The “disgruntled criminal” who “wants a way out of the life” finds himself looking to cash in “one last job” because, apparently, the millions sitting in his safe and under the floorboards just aren’t going to allow him to maintain his lifestyle, while mere mortals could happily make that work and have more than enough left over at the proverbial end of the day. But in the oftentimes recycled world of crime dramas, that narrative crutch almost feels more like a running gag and less a compelling reason to watch. The film, from “Director X,” real name Julien Christian Lutz, is a remake of the (vastly superior) 1972 film Super Fly. Maybe this one needed that extra space in the title, or maybe it needed to find something more than the glossy, generic beats that overwrite the original's urban grit and more compelling character arc, even as both films share essential story driver beats.

Youngblood Priest (Trevor Jackson) has been working Atlanta’s streets since he was 11. He’s become one of the preeminent, and most successful, drug pushers in the city. He's in a blissful relationship with two women: Georgia (Lex Scott Davis) and Cynthia (Andrea Londo). But even though he lives the dangerous drug life, he’s a man who isn’t necessarily violent, who hasn’t allowed the wealth, the women, the success to get to him. One night, he finds himself in a tangle with Juju (Kaalan Walker), a particularly nasty and inebriated member of the “Snow Patrol,” an Atlanta drug empire known for white attire and vehicles. The confrontation ends with Juju pulling a gun on Priest but accidentally shooting a woman watching from afar. It’s the final straw for Priest. He wants out but decides that one final score -- one so big he could retire without thinking twice -- is the only way to truly escape the life. He sets a plan in motion but it's interrupted and complicated when his friends put out a hit on Snow Patrol, killing one of their members and putting Priest in the middle of a bloody war in which he’s outnumbered and, worse, wants no part of.

Superfly does little to make a case for its existence. It's a slick updating of a gritty urban classic but it loses the soulful character beats and hard-edged realism of the original in favor of a textural sheen and an inescapably generic vibe that tells its story rather than inhabits it. Audiences watch from afar rather than feel drawn into Priest's world. The story plays out with precious little impetus; while urgency is verbally conveyed, it never feels a critical factor in the narrative drive. Events unfold without much surprise or storytelling ingenuity. The film marches to a linear, clearly defined beat that only takes it to a predetermined destination with no curves or surprises along the way. Characters are inherently bland, cut from familiar cloth and incapable of alteration. That's all to say the movie is fine on a very essential level: competently put together, acted well, but absolutely generic to the core.

Trevor Jackson's performance is as close as the movie comes to breaking free of the suffocating confines of its unimaginative, linear path. Jackson, who previously starred in Burning Sands, just might be teetering on a breakout with his work in Superfly. He's stymied by his script but he works hard to overcome its strict structure and portray a slick and polished character who can (could) be surprisingly complex, an individual neck-deep in crime yet not overcome by the lifestyle. He maintains a personal balance. He's concerned for the welfare of others and he's never looking for a fight. Perhaps that's why Juju dislikes him so much. The two are absolute opposites. Juju lives for the life and he's become one with it. For him, it's an endless rush of money, women, booze, and hate. For Priest, the life is a necessary evil from which he wants to escape. There's a good foundational juxtaposition here that the film follows but never really explores with the sort of intensive, critical eye the material deserves and the actors most certainly could have carried. Watch Power instead.

Superfly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Superfly won't be remembered as a 1080p classic, but Sony's Blu-ray presentation is more than adequate in delivering the film's digitally photographed visuals. The movie frequently takes place in lower light conditions, where source noise can be be fairly significant and borderline intrusive in places. But that's the only true visual flaw of note. Overall image clarity is fine, with nicely detailed skin textures visible throughout the film. Clarity is such that one can even see that Juju's facial tattoos are applications; the thin strip's edges are clearly visible in close-up. Essential pores, lines, and hairs are clearly defined, and the same goes for some of the high-priced clothes and accessories, whether Priest's leathery jacket; Q's heavy, fur-lined coat; or Eddie's $600,000 wristwatch. Environmental clarity is fine, too. Nothing about the image is absolutely razor-sharp, but viewers will appreciate the image's ability to replicate textures with relative ease and complexity. Colors are not particularly special in any way. Snow Patrol white -- clothes, cars, accessories -- are always crisp, contrasted by good shadow detail in the film's many darker scenes. The palette generally favors a neutral position, rarely extending to boosting contrast or presenting colors with noticeable dullness. Right in the middle is a very nice place to be. The image is free of any significant banding, blocking, or aliasing; that noise is the only real visual drawback.

Superfly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Superfly's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a healthy, often low-end dominant listening experience. Music is particularly impactful. The film begins with high volume and prominent beats. Music benefits from wide stage penetration and a very impressive full-throttle low end extravaganza that adds more than enough necessary depth and heft to the Hip-Hop beats. Score is likewise clear and wide, the low end not quite such a dominant factor, but it is surround intensive and very well detailed. The track excels beyond music. Inside a plane in chapter five, general engine hum is eclipsed by rushing winds and a blaring alarm when a door is opened for a few moments. Gunfire pounds through with positive depth and zip as well as discrete positioning as shots can ring out from any location, and moments of explosive action chaos do well to draw the listener into the mayhem. Dialogue suffers from no audible drawbacks. Positioning, prioritization, and clarity are all fine.

Superfly Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Superfly contains several featurettes and a music video. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release does not appear to ship with a slipcover.

• Director X Scene Breakdown (1080p, 6:56): The director looks inside several scenes: the strip club, the hit on Snow Patrol, and some final act action scenes.
• Trap Talk (1080p, 5:52): A discussion of the film's soundtrack.
• Superfly: The Remix (1080p, 7:55): A piece exploring updating, or "remixing," the original film into, and for, contemporary times.
• Music Video (1080p, 3:59): "No Shame."
• The Making of "No Shame" Music Video (1080p, 0:45): A super-quick look inside the video seen in the previous supplement.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Superfly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Superfly is an unfortunate victim of a tired and trite script. There's little substance, not an excess of style, and the movie is really only saved by the hard work of lead Trevor Jackson, and to a lesser extent co-stars Kaalan Walker and Big Bank Black. It's perfectly serviceable entertainment but texturally a far cry from the grittier, more absorbing original. Sony's Blu-ray gets the job done, delivering rather good video, impressively large and aggressive audio, and a nice little smattering of extra content. Worth a rental.