"Sinners" is a true movie-going experience | Film Review

Sinners is one of those films where you’re probably going to notice something new with every watch. But I honestly love it when films are that good, they can achieve that.  I will be honest. I did not truly know what to expect from this movie. All I knew was, I was hype to see what Ryan Coogler and Michael B Jordan had in store this time around. Ryan Coogler has had an undeniably legendary run and I’m really happy I got to see majority of his films on the big screen. I knew I was in for a good time, but on my gosh, I didn’t know how much of a good time I was in for.

So let me just tell you. I’m here to review the film "Sinners." Just to make you aware, there will be spoilers in this review, so keep that in mind if you want to continue reading, but I’m so excited to talk about this film, so let’s get started.

Cast of "Sinners" (2025) | Photo: Warner Bros.

Sinners is a Jim Crow-era vampire film with many big names in the cast. The film mostly takes place in Mississippi and within the span of a day. And you truly are in a ride for that day. I think it was a bit of a slow burn, which there’s nothing wrong with that. It sets up the characters and puts us in the Mississippi Delta. It’s really building the story. And once it’s at its peak, it’s like you’re on a roller coaster with all these these twists and turns going 100 mph.

But let’s start with the visuals of the film. The cinematography, the way the shots are framed, it’s all very beautiful. Even the lighting. We know it’s a vampire film, it’s the horror genre, so it’s pretty expected to have lowlight. With such a big part of the film set at night, but also the importance of sunrise, these moments with lighting really stand out to me. I also noticed inside the juke joint, there’s a lot of warm light, and outside of it, the light looks cooler. So I searched what color temperatures mean. According to my sources, one of the words I saw for warm lighting was safe. And I guess you can say it was pretty safe in the juke joint, at least before the vampires attacked. The people are dancing and having a good time, and the vampires can’t come in without an invite. I also saw that cool lighting is used to create fear. So, the vampires are, for the most part, stuck outside. The characters inside soon become fearful of what’s going on outside at night, knowing vampires are out there. Now, this may not be what the filmmakers had in mind, but I thought that it was interesting to tie together the meanings of lighting color temperatures with what I saw. Autumn Durald was the cinematographer for the film, and she did an amazing job. I think it's great that Ryan Coogler often has women cinematographers. Overall, I thought the film had a nice blend of daytime and night, especially considering it pretty much takes place within a day.

I also have to mention the eyes of the vampires. It’s little details like this that I love. I am so into what’s happening with the characters trying to defend themselves against the blood thirsty vampires, and there are so many details that are so intentional, you just don’t notice the first time.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the aspect ratios. Now I don’t have a 70mm IMAX theater anywhere near me. But the one IMAX in my area, I had to be there. And it’s really cool to see the aspect ratio change between scenes. My favorite is, I believe, it’s right when Grace is so emotional and angry she invites the vampires in, and the characters got to prepare, and the shot fills the screen. That was amazing, and I know everybody didn’t catch that, but details like this are all part of telling the story and bringing the emotion of the film. 

Next, I want to talk about my memorable moments from the film. I’m going to start with an editing technique, the flashing jump scares at the beginning of the church service. For me, that really set the tone and gave us quick glances of what we can look forward to without giving too much away.

I think a memorable moment for a lot of people is definitely the musical sequence that intertwined the past, present, and future, conjured spirits. The camera work and the sound design mixing were actually incredible during that scene, and I’ve seen a lot of love shown towards it. Before I saw the film, I remember so many people talking about a sequence that was executed so well, and during my first watch, when I saw that scene, I was like this has to be what everyone is talking about. It really did feel hypnotic.

Another moment that was outstanding and executed well was when the aspect ratio changed, but I specifically want to mention it during the part where Grace is super emotional. Her husband has turned into a vampire, and they are threatening to get her daughter. She was very emotional in that moment. No one will let her leave, so she yells and invites the vampires in, and then the aspect ratio changes and everything just feels bigger in that moment, the stakes just got higher, and it’s followed by a tense, edge-of-your-seat fight sequence. That truly was a big highlight for me.

More memorable moments are the vampire traits, for example, needing to be invited in, not being able to endure sunlight, needing to be staked, garlic and holy water repel them. We all know these vampire traits and more, and I think the film conveys them in a way where it doesn’t sound or look cliché.

Let me also touch on memorable moments with the characters. I didn’t know Stack was going to get bitten. When Mary bit him, I was like what?! And I got soooo emotional seeing Smoke and Preacher Boy “mourn” Stack. To see that bond and the soul connection between Smoke and Stack, and then this! And let me just say Michael B Jordan does a great portrayal of both of these characters. 

Also, Smoke and Annie. When Annie is first introduced and Smoke visits her, he stops at a baby grave site. When he goes into the store, we meet Annie, and to me it was very clear that they have history and suffered the loss of a child. Despite their history, there’s still love there for both sides. And it’s so unique how the twins went on different paths. Smoke had to make the hard decision to stake Annie before she could turn to a vampire, and by the end, he got to see Annie and their child towards the end of his life.

Meanwhile, Stack’s life went on with Mary as a vampire which, during the mid-credit scene, they approach Preacher Boy, much older now, and we learn that Smoke told Stack not to bite him. And Preacher Boy doesn’t want to live forever. It was a mid-credit scene that I wasn’t expecting at all, along with the actual end-credit scene. There’s a lot to remember in this film. I’m sure when I watch it again, I will be like dang, I should’ve added this or that to my memorable moments, but yeah.

Briefly touching on the music, it’s a great appreciation of blues, Irish folklore, and more. They had legendary blues artist Buddy Guy in the film as older Preacher Boy. Younger Preacher Boy, portrayed by Miles Caton, was also really good in the film. I had not heard of him before, but it turns out this was his acting debut, and he killed it, acting-wise, singing-wise, and musically-wise.  The soundtrack features Jayme Lawson, Hailee Steinfeld, James Blake, and much more. Ludwig Göransson composed the original score. I don’t know if you would consider "Sinners" a musical, but music is still a key part of the storytelling. I haven’t listened to the entire soundtrack on its own yet, but I definitely will soon.

In conclusion, I very much enjoyed the film. It was definitely a movie-going experience. I’m happy to see the film getting so much love. From the visuals, camera work, sound design, costumes, special effects, acting, writing, directing, everything, in my opinion, it all came together to tell a great story. I’m a southern girl with a family connection to Clarksdale, so I can appreciate it in more ways than one. I’m glad I got to see it in IMAX. I can’t imagine seeing it in 70mm IMAX. This is one of those films that needs to be studied. If I were still in school or university, I would be writing a research paper on this, and I’m not even kidding. I used to write research papers on films and TV shows that I loveeeed.

Check out the trailer below: