Sony Pictures’ DVD release of Michael Jai White’s Blaxploitation parody BLACK DYNAMITE is a worthy addition to any genre film collector’s library. The film itself, which stars White as a 1970s-era Blaxploitation star playing a super bad, urban vigilante out to clean up the ghetto and avenge his brother’s death, is a very funny, pitch-perfect send-up to urban action classics like THE MACK and BLACK BELT JONES. Sony packs with the movie welcome extras including entertaining audio commentary, 25 minutes of deleted and alternate scenes featuring some great gags not seen in the final cut, a making of featurette with cast and crew interviews, and video from the film’s panel discussion at the 2009 Comic-Con.
Before detailing the bonus content, I should mention that the image quality is intentionally grainy with flat contrast because Sanders used specific equipment including Super 16mm Color Reversal Kodak stock to lend the print a degraded look. Also, the Blu-ray version is identical to this DVD version apart from the higher-resolution transfer and a 14-minute production featurette called “The ’70s: Back in Action” which details the efforts to reproduce the ’70s era on film.
Audio Commentary with director/co-writer Scott Sanders, actor and co-writer Michael Jai White, and actor co-writer Byron Minns – Conversational commentary from Sanders, White and Minns provides lots of supplemental laughs and details about the production and people involved. One thing is clear, the film and much of its zaniest content comes straight from the creative mind of White. It’s also cool to be reminded by White’s mention of various stunt team members that he has a true appreciation for the martial arts and action B-movie world.
Deleted and alternate scenes (25 min.) – There is some good material in the nearly 30 minutes of deleted scenes contained here. Most of it fleshes out the plot with added details and a few good gags but I can see why most of it was trimmed or re-shot to tighten the pacing of the final cut. One good joke about JFK and a transvestite visual gag should have been rescued and put in the home video version at least.
Lighting the Fuse (23 min.) – There is no behind-the-scenes footage in this making of featurette but there are plenty of interviews with cast and crew. It’s worth watching to see several examples of subtle jokes put into the film that you probably missed on the first viewing.
The Comic-Con Experience (18 min.) – Film critic Elvis Mitchell MCs a BLACK DYNAMITE panel at the 2009 Comic-Con with co-writer and director Scott Sanders, actor and co-writer Michael Jai White, actor and co-writer Byron Minns, and actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield. The four answer a number of questions about the film from Mitchell and the audience and two clips are shown.
Trailers – Trailers for BLOOD AND BONE, THE BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION, DEFENDOR, TRANSYLMANIA, H2: HALLOWEEN II, MOON, SOUL POWER, MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS IT, BREAKING BAD, and ZOMBIELAND.
Scott Sanders, Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield at Comic-Con.
Notice in this screen cap featuring Roger Yuan and Michael Jai White how details are lost in the blackened areas of the screen. This was done on purpose to help age the film.
The rest of the film tends to have a light sepia effect that fades colors.
Related Topics:
Black Dynamite (2009) • Blaxploitation • DVD • Michael Jai White • Sony Pictures
- outasight
