My assessment of Black is King is that it's a cheesy but well-made film - many of its sequences worthy of Ron Fricke - with several little asterisks at the side. But before we get to those, know that I admit my exclusion from the actually-intended audience; in a sense, I'm not even the one you'll be hearing from in this review. I know how unsafe it can be to tackle the Queen Bee herself.
Beyoncé Knowles is one of North America's most untouchable celebrities (and given how she portrays herself here, she knows it). The furthest you can go without awakening the mob is saying you aren't personally enthused by her, but still recognize that her factory-made mainstream-appeal platitude songs are objectively great (not to mention unique and politically defiant artistic feats). Is the worship warranted, you may ask, or does her name seem to have been picked randomly from a roster of other photogenic PoC multi-talents? Don't ask questions. Just consume product, and then get excited for next product.
Following the past summer's political revolts, it's especially tricky to scrutinize her content on the thematic level, at least when you don't belong to the group whose history and rights are being discussed. For this particular convo, my voice isn't called for. I get that.
Therefore, when it comes to the Disney+ "album film" Black is King (not to be confused with next summer's repartee from the "true right", White is Power) I don't ask that you take my word for it. Instead, listen to the voices you claim you want to hear.
NPR, just to name one outlet, were wise enough to bring forth African viewers' opinions, some of them negative, on Disney's well-timed musical (based on a 2019 Beyoncé album that was, in turn, inspired by the loathsome photorealistic take on The Lion King, which was inspired by a fantastic 2D-animated film that few outlets have the courtesy to mention). One particular viewer, opining that the film is "crap", was pretty tired of the decidedly Western notion that celebrating African heritage must entail "animal skin costumes" and "climbing in trees" - a perception even Hergé moved past. The Washington Post, meanwhile, mentions a Nigerian college kid who reminds us there is more to Africa than lions and tribal face paint.
Once again, I get that all this activism was really about giving a voice to black folk - letting them know they're heard and that they, contrary to racist opinion, have greatness within their history. But sanctimonious Instagram activists are rarely happy to learn that said black folk aren't the monolith they ironically perceive them to be, as not every voice is on their side; whether it's about anti-police riots or Disney movies that might actually fail to add nuance to the perception of African-Americans.
Beyoncé Knowles is one of North America's most untouchable celebrities (and given how she portrays herself here, she knows it). The furthest you can go without awakening the mob is saying you aren't personally enthused by her, but still recognize that her factory-made mainstream-appeal platitude songs are objectively great (not to mention unique and politically defiant artistic feats). Is the worship warranted, you may ask, or does her name seem to have been picked randomly from a roster of other photogenic PoC multi-talents? Don't ask questions. Just consume product, and then get excited for next product.
Following the past summer's political revolts, it's especially tricky to scrutinize her content on the thematic level, at least when you don't belong to the group whose history and rights are being discussed. For this particular convo, my voice isn't called for. I get that.
Therefore, when it comes to the Disney+ "album film" Black is King (not to be confused with next summer's repartee from the "true right", White is Power) I don't ask that you take my word for it. Instead, listen to the voices you claim you want to hear.
NPR, just to name one outlet, were wise enough to bring forth African viewers' opinions, some of them negative, on Disney's well-timed musical (based on a 2019 Beyoncé album that was, in turn, inspired by the loathsome photorealistic take on The Lion King, which was inspired by a fantastic 2D-animated film that few outlets have the courtesy to mention). One particular viewer, opining that the film is "crap", was pretty tired of the decidedly Western notion that celebrating African heritage must entail "animal skin costumes" and "climbing in trees" - a perception even Hergé moved past. The Washington Post, meanwhile, mentions a Nigerian college kid who reminds us there is more to Africa than lions and tribal face paint.
Once again, I get that all this activism was really about giving a voice to black folk - letting them know they're heard and that they, contrary to racist opinion, have greatness within their history. But sanctimonious Instagram activists are rarely happy to learn that said black folk aren't the monolith they ironically perceive them to be, as not every voice is on their side; whether it's about anti-police riots or Disney movies that might actually fail to add nuance to the perception of African-Americans.