Parents' Guide to

SuperFly

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Blaxploitation remake is a mixed bag; drugs, sex, swearing.

Movie R 2018 108 minutes
SuperFly Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Successful1
Successful1 Adult
July 5, 2018
age 18+

I'm just going to say it was a cheesy stereotypical ethnic community that glorifies drug dealing and the entire ridiculous lifestyle + nothing but tits and ass. The main character did a good job he will be going places. Walked out a little over halfway through the movie.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
A_lady
A_lady Adult
June 30, 2018
age 18+

A good teaching for young adults

I think it's a good movie and teaches young children about the life and consequences of the drug game and cartels.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In SUPERFLY, Youngblood Priest (Trevor Jackson) is a clever drug dealer whose street wisdom has kept his profile low -- and him out of jail. Then, outside a club one night, a drunk member of a crew known as Snow Patrol takes a shot at Priest, misses, and hits an innocent bystander. Unbeknownst to Priest, his longtime partner, Eddie (Jason Mitchell), orders a hit on Snow Patrol, which stirs up trouble. Priest decides that he needs to up his game, sell a lot of cocaine, make a ton of money, and get out of town with his two girlfriends, Georgia (Lex Scott Davis) and Cynthia (Andrea Londo). Priest asks his supplier, his former mentor, Scatter (Michael Kenneth Williams), for more product, but Scatter refuses. So Priest goes up the chain of command and speaks to dangerous drug lord Gonzales (Esai Morales). Unfortunately, Priest then finds himself locked into "the game" for life ... unless he sets into play one final, desperate plan.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (4):

This remake of the 1972 blaxploitation classic is smoother, with a cool, subdued lead character and lean, strong scenes, but it's also frequently silly and eventually goes on too long. Director X (born Julien Christian Lutz) and screenwriter Alex Tse retain many of the character outlines from the original movie, but the story is now set in Atlanta rather than New York. Some of SuperFly feels updated with up-to-the-minute #BlackLivesMatter themes, such as when characters must deal with a demonic, blonde, blue-eyed cop. But other parts feel stuck in time, perhaps owing more to Brian De Palma's Scarface than to Gordon Parks Jr.'s original Super Fly.

The gorgeous costumes and hairstyles, as well as cars and clubs and homes, are given emphasis, along with the thumping music (which borrows two cuts from Curtis Mayfield's original 1972 soundtrack). The use of cocaine as the product of choice makes it feel more movie-ish than realistic, like it's a lost B movie from the 1980s that only turned up today. As the plot goes on, Director X admirably focuses on consequences of actions, but that also has the effect of slowing things down and making them feel too serious. The pacing begins to drag, and by the movie's tidy ending, this SuperFly no longer flies.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about SuperFly's violence. Are there consequences for violence in this movie? Are violent acts shown/perceived differently in the movie based on the race of the person committing them?

  • How is sex portrayed? What about gender roles? Are women treated fairly, or do they seem more like property here?

  • How are drugs portrayed? Are any realistic consequences shown? Why does that matter?

  • How does the remake compare with the original? What does the term "blaxploitation" mean? Do you consider this movie part of that genre?

  • Is the main character likable, despite being a drug dealer? If so, what's likable about him? What codes or beliefs does he have that are worthwhile?

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