No one could accuse Netflix's latest high profile original offering They Cloned Tyrone of being a film short of ideas with up and coming director Juel Taylor jamming his genre mash-up with a plethora of elements worth exploring as John Boyega's drug dealer Fontaine, Jamie Foxx's sharp talking local pimp Slick Charles and Teyonah Parri's call girl Yo-Yo team up to uncover some Scooby Doo like mysteries that are affecting their fictional neighbourhood known as the Glen.
Set in a 70's feeling futuristic setting done by the way of a classic exploitation flick from yesteryear, Tyrone has swagger to spare and Taylor's energetic and colourful direction is the type of creative vibrancy that is too often lacking in Netflix's other original offerings that leave much too be desired but despite fun being had from such an out there narrative that flirts the line between drama, thriller, sci-fi, social commentary piece and oddball comedy, Tyrone lacks a certain ingredient that could've made it an instant classic.
Sprung to life by three noteworthy lead performances, with Boyega once more proving he is a lot more than a force sensitive storm trooper, Tyrone seemingly has all the usual elements one would associate with a feature film of note but there's a curious inability for Taylor to connect us in a meaningful way to our central trio and while it feels counter-intuitive to accuse a feature of having too many original ideas, Tyrone's many various components and narrative turns don't always hit the way in which you would hope for, even if it's a constantly sleek and impressively constructed film in so many ways.
One of those modern features that one suspects may have benefited from being fleshed out in a mini-series rather than a two hour feature film, Tyrone is constantly on the move and never far away from taking us down a surprisingly unexpected route and with that it will alienate a large chunk of viewers who will feel as though they are being flung from plot development to plot development with little time or pause between breaths to ponder what has come before or what is now ahead.
Problematic and under-explored narrative developments aside, Tyrone still provides a fresh and often very fun viewing experience, one that will have even the most seasoned of film fans unsure of what's coming their way next and its ability to bring its wild vision to life in such a vibrant way should be commended, making this one of those rare Netflix originals that justifies ones time spent with it.
Final Say -
A future cult classic in waiting, They Cloned Tyrone might not always work but thanks to impressive craft work and trio of energetic performances, Netflix's latest original release remains a lot of fun.
3 1/2 church sermons out of 5.
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
