Where to watch Bones
2 1/2 Stars
The time is 1979. Jimmy Bones is respected and loved as the neighborhood protector. When he is betrayed and brutally murdered by a corrupt cop, Bones’ elegant brownstone becomes his tomb, Twenty-two years later, the neighborhood has become a ghetto, and his home has turned into a Gothic ruin. Four teens renovate it as an after hours nightclub, unknowingly releasing Jimmy’s tortured spirit. Its thrills and chills when blood spills when Jimmy’s ghost sets about its frightful revenge, his killers unaware of the gruesome fate that awaits them. With each new victim, the terror mounts, and Bones’ vengeance spins out of control, threatening everyone in his path, including his former lover, Pearl. Get ready for Bones!!!
Bones is better than the previews make it look, and not as good as it could have been. The callbacks and visual homage to the Blaxploitation era, featuring Snoop Dogg in his most effective onscreen role, are the strongest part of Bones, which mixes Candyman and Freddy Kruger with Super Fly. Ernest R. Dickerson, a talented visual maestro, gives this film a glossy texture and fills his frames with creatively designed imagery.
The weakest aspect of Bones is when the story focuses on the group of present-day musicians who occupy the A-story line. The more interesting subplot focuses on Snoop, Pam Grier, Clifton Powell, and Ricky Harris, who are pushed into the background while the younger cast is in the foreground, typical of the genre, to appeal to the movie’s ideal demographic. Bones is fun when Snoop Dogg’s character becomes fully reincarnated as the vengeful spirit; this happens over an hour into the film, it lags when he is absent, and supporting characters are tasked to deliver chunks of exposition. This film has the actors, director, and production designers capable of producing something memorable. Instead Bones is a near miss for me; it’s not without its pleasures, but it never truly achieves liftoff.
Directed by: Ernest R. Dickerson
Written by: Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe
Starring: Snoop Dogg, Pam Grier, Michael T. Weiss