What’s It About
After a foreign invasion of the United States, a group of disparate citizens in Compton, California, must unite to defend their community from both occupation and destruction, with a returned military father becoming the unlikely center of resistance as his son tries to restore communications to the outside world.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
BET just dropped something unique with “War Dawgz,” and to be quite honest, you should definitely give it a try, even if it goes a bit off the rails in the last part. This gripping story of an alien attack on the ghetto, in this case, Compton, yet the aliens do not know they are getting into, is brought to us by director Kevin Grevioux. It is basically a no-brainer that the extraterrestrial villains should be rooted out of a gangsta area like Compton. The film follows Alonzo Rocker, a character played by Michael Beach, who is a tough drill sergeant father with a mission to get back in the fold with his family after his trip abroad. He returns home to relax, but what he discovers is his neighborhood ravaged by a sort of terror. Trent, his son, is involved with the typical street violence, and Alonzo is already losing it over the safety of his son, which is even before the madness escalates. At the onset of the attack, people think an earthquake is what is happening, and only later does the news inform them otherwise. Orochi, the group responsible, is taking over LA block by block. That is the point where narrative diverges from pure spectacle. They have done much more than packing the flick with loads of blow-ups and fistfights. In fact, the film goes deeper into the communal issues the plot addresses, reveals that neighbors don’t always get along, shows the hardship of the parenting role, and suggests that sometimes it takes a disaster to rally people. There are cops Erin and Michelle on patrol, Pastor Zeke holding prayer sessions, local entrepreneurs hustling, and even the rival gang members who face the choice of what comes first most. Each character is a different voice, and the dialogues therein are honest and unvarnished. There is a very long and strong list of actors in the movie. We are saying this with Kadeem Hardison, Raven-Symoné, Golden Brooks, Jill Marie Jones, and a bucketful of other stars, mainly from TV series that we were watching while growing up. The people you see on the screen are by no means a random set of actors but rather skilled players who bring you into each anxious moment and courageous move. The casting director certainly did it right by pulling together the people from different times and styles to make a sort of hybrid. Now, moving on to the aspects that are quite good and the ones that are not. The filmmaking in the combat sequence is on point, especially at the opening of the movie when the situation is still very much down-to-earth. The conflict between the characters is believable, and it is quite heartening to see the characters of the film, who are ordinary people in the beginning, turning into the protagonists of their neighborhoods. The film serves as a reminder of what being a community means, even when it is difficult. However, after that, the story introduces sci-fi elements, and the plot becomes confusing. Although the drones and guns look pretty real, the robots and futuristic devices make the entire thing look like two movies that happened to be in one instead of one. Some of the CGI is going over the top, and instead of scaring, it ends up looking quite silly. It is as if the movie makers couldn’t make up their minds whether they want to do a realistic invasion thriller or a pure sci-fi adventure. While not all of the special effects are up to par, “War Dawgz” still manages to accomplish the main thing: to tell the story of normal people under extraordinary situations. The movie couples the Black community as one with the heroism of individuals, and yet does not pretend that all characters will have the same opinion, but rather show different viewpoints. Moreover, it brings in enough buzz to keep the viewer’s attention. The film acknowledges the fact that winning one fight will not solve everything, but it’s quite probably a start. In case you are up for some over-the-top scenes and don’t forget to give credit to the talented Black actors for the fine job they are doing, you should consider “War Dawgz” as a potential entertainment option.
OUR RATING – COMPTON TAKES 7