Oscar Watch: Why Sinners Feels Overrated

Sinners is the kind of film you respect for its ambition even if it leaves you feeling more impressed than moved, observes Mayur Sanap.

With Sinners landing a massive 16 Oscar nominations, even more than Titanic and La La Land, the film has already made its mark on Academy Awards history.

The recognition reinforces Ryan Coogler's confident filmmaking voice, earlier shaped by two of his most popular works Black Panther and Creed. It came as no surprise that Coogler's newest film once again teamed him up with Michael B Jordan, a collaborator who has appeared in all of his films so far, except, of course, the second Black Panther (his villainous Killmonger meets his end).

The ambitious mix in Sinners

I first watched Sinners mainly out of curiosity. The trailers were cleverly cut, revealing very little about the story and keeping the narrative intentionally vague. A rarity these days.

The premise brought to mind the work of Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us, Nope), known for blending genre storytelling with the pointed social and political commentary in his films.

Sinners follows a similar path, weaving pointed observations into its period setting about the ways Black culture, history, and identity have long been exploited.

At the same time, it attempts a dense blend of genres, moving between relationship drama, gangster film, musical, romance, thriller, and horror. It's an ambitious mix, and Coogler clearly isn't playing it safe.

In an era where studios rarely take risks, it's refreshing to see filmmakers attempt bold genre mashups. That kind of ambition is scarce in the current scenario, whether in Bollywood or in Hollywood. For that reason alone, Sinners stands out as a distinctive watch.

The slow build-up in Sinners

In its early stretch, Sinners draws you in through mood and character rather than spectacle. The frames really come alive under the lens of Cooler's long-stand collaborator Autumn Durald Arkapaw. Much of the time is spent establishing characters and their relationships through extended dialogue scenes.

On a first watch, this can feel slow, especially when audiences are conditioned to expect 'what's next?' rather than simply observing what's unfolding. The film takes a sharp turn in the second half with the introduction of a fantastical element that completely shifts its direction. This move pushes Sinners into unexpected, yet familiar, vampire-thriller territory.

On a second viewing, this genre shift felt even more jarring. It's exhilarating at times, but also exhausting because you can't help but feel that something deeper has been set aside in its sudden need for a flashy, chaotic spectacle. The choice clashes with the film's earlier realism, weakening the solid foundation set up in the opening half.

On my first watch, this twist felt bold and unexpected. But on revisiting the film, it comes across as more disruptive than daring, because in a way, the film undermines its own strengths by replacing psychological tension with conventional genre elements.

Delroy Lindo, who is nominated in the supporting actor category, gets to deliver a rather blunt line that sum up the film's political undercurrent: 'White folks, they like the Blues just fine. They just don't like the people who make it.'

Sadly, Delroy's story takes a hit as soon as the vampires come into play.

What Sinners is about

The film begins with Sammie, played by Miles Caton, an aspiring musician who is warned by his preacher father against the temptation of 'the devil's music'. At first, Sammie feels like the clear protagonist. That changes when Michael B Jordan enters in a dual role as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, who return to Mississippi after trying to leave their troubled past behind.

The twins plan to open a club for the local community, particularly for Black patrons, a safe space meant for music, dancing, and joy. Much of the first half is spent on assembling the club, handling logistics, and introducing the various characters. It's measured, character-focused, and surprisingly absorbing part of the story.

The second half shifts gears when three unexpected visitors arrive, turning what was meant to be a celebratory night into a violent one. This is where Sinners leans heavily into its genre influences, drawing clear inspiration from films like Robert Rodriguez' From Dusk Till Dawn. The transition is sharp, and the film begins to divide itself tonally.

Ludwig Goransson's music is sensational

Sinners' greatest strength lies in how it treats music. The film is elevated by its musical score, composed by the crazy talented Ludwig Goransson (Oppenheimer, Tenet, Black Panther).

One sequence clearly stands out. The extended club scene built around music is easily the most memorable moment in Sinners. The song arrives after a slow-burn opening filled with dialogue, right before the film shifts its gears to survival horror.

Sammie performs I Lied to You, the Oscar-nominated song that Miles Caton sang himself, unfolds in a one-take shot, with the crowd slowly growing hypnotic. The voiceover, which is repeated twice in the film, gently says: 'There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true, it can pierce the veil between life and death, conjuring spirits from the past and the future.'

This idea is brought to life through striking imagery, shaped into a beautifully shot montage. For me, this sequence stands as the film's finest moment and its most lasting impression.

When the vampires finally appear, the film takes a sharp thematic downturn, even though it remains entertaining on the surface. Their behavior is erratic and lacks any real menace, making them feel more like a parody than a genuine threat (Wooden stakes? Garlic juice to shoo them away? Can't enter unless invited?).

And, like in so many horror films, the characters make frustratingly dumb decisions, which only adds to the sense that the vampires' threat is more silly than scary. The supernatural element seems intended as a metaphor for human evil, but by making it literal, the film undercuts its own realism and emotional impact.

Michael B Jordan's performance works

Michael B Jordan is charismatic and commanding in his dual role, carrying Sinners with ease and physical presence. His first ever Best Actor nomination is well deserved, even if his work in the Creed films felt emotionally richer and more demanding in hindsight. Still, better late than never.

As Sinners moves toward its conclusion, I found myself expecting a sharper twist or some kind of emotional or thematic revelation that would tie everything together. But the film struggles to fully come together by the end as it opts for a rushed, genre-friendly resolution that feels safe and predictable. This is especially disappointing given how bold and original the premise initially feels.

What's surprising is that the post-credit scene ends up carrying more emotional weight than the actual ending. When a still-young-looking vampire Stack and Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) appear and offer Sammie immortality, his quiet refusal, choosing music over eternal life, feels truer to the film's core ideas. It's a restrained moment, but one that lingers than the climax itself.

Sinners really aims high and comes close, but it's the kind of film you respect for its ambition, even if it leaves you feeling more impressed than moved.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff