65
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanAlong the way, Black Dynamite blends satire, nostalgia, and cinema deconstruction into a one-of-a-kind comedy high.
- An enjoyable celebratory ode to a fiercely entertaining counterculture-inspired genre.
- 83The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinSometimes feels like an all-time classic short film stretched to feature length, but it’s blissfully short, and it peaks at the end with a groovy cartoon during the closing credits.
- 80VarietyVarietyThis film will delight both discriminating fans of the blaxploitation tradition and ordinary lovers of goofy, in-ya-face thrills.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIt's one of those loving modern retreads of older genre movies.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJames GreenbergThe Hollywood ReporterJames GreenbergEven if it's a one-joke movie that runs out of steam, director Scott Sanders manages to keep the gag going for 90 minutes.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichLess deadpan spoof than loving act of possession, Black Dynamite near-fully channels the look and feel of its blaxploitation ancestors, warts and all.
- 60Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesThe movie gets old fast--mostly because it’s bringing up the rear after "Undercover Brother" (2002) And "I’m Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988). But the kung-fu climax at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (“the Honky House”) is nearly worth the wait, and Adrian Younge’s score, with its moody horns, is a perfect snapshot of early 70s soul.
- 50Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonNo matter how many trips to Kung Fu Island our hero makes, nothing in Black Dynamite captures the exhilarating absurdity of Pam Grier hiding razors in her Afro in "Coffy"--or the loony genre experimentation in "Pootie Tang."
- 50Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsWhile White plays it supercool, Tommy Davidson and Arsenio Hall (as Cream Corn and Tasty Freeze, respectively) swing for the fences, without much in the way of a bat.