While the 1972 film Super Fly wasn’t a massive hit it still spawned sequels and became a cult classic. When the first trailer of the remake from Director X hit I was a bit thrown off as it just didn’t seem to capture the feel of the classic original. The new Superfly stars Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael Kenneth Williams, Esai Morales, Big Boi, and Rick Ross, but could it actually capture the essence of what makes the original great or will it be a deal that’s not even worth a double cross?

 

Superfly follows Priest, a young but experienced coke dealer in Atlanta, who realizes it's time to get out of the trade and risks it all on one last score. Double-crossing his mentor, Priest heads to Mexico to connect with the cartel that serves as the source of his product. I never read any reviews for this film and know that it didn’t stay in theaters very long, but decided to give it a shot just for my love of the genre and of course those old films. While it never captures anything remotely to Super Fly it did actually work way better than I thought it would.

 

This flick reminded me more of things like New Jack City and while decent enough just didn’t have that something special to make it stand out on its own with something fresh and new. Trevor Jackson does a decent job and while he carries the movie well and does a good job with the action he just doesn’t have the smooth demeanor to pull of Superfly. Had they called it something else and just let it be its own thing then it might have worked a lot better, but Superfly it is not. A lot of that has to do with the time period to as that terminology just doesn’t fly now for most.

 

The rest of the cast do a decent enough job as well to bring this crime action flick to life, but nothing really stands out to make it any more memorable than those that have come before it. I was hoping after the first fight scene they deliver to establish Priest’s fighting ability that meant we were going to get some great action and while there is action it is pretty generic with only one shoot out really standing out. Even the ending is a bit of a letdown, delivering a predictable anti-climactic ending that felt like it just burned out.

 

If you are a fan of the original or the genre then check it out, but prepare yourself for something all its own as opposed to being anything resembling Superfly. Go in thinking of it as more of a generic gangster flick and you might have more fun.