Film Crit Hulk Smash: PLEASE GET DOWN WITH THE GET DOWN

LISTEN UP FOLKS, HULK'S HERE WITH A QUICK TAKE FOR Y'ALL. THE GET DOWN IS PROBABLY HULK'S FAVORITE THING TO EVER APPEAR ON NETFLIX AND ONE OF THE BEST NEW SHOWS IN YEARS. IT'S NOT JUST THAT IT'S FUN, THIS IS A SHOW THAT IS UNAPOLOGETICALLY VIVACIOUS, A SHOW THAT SPLASHES COLOR AND CHARACTERS AS BIG AND BOLD AS THE EARLY WORKS OF SPIKE LEE.

AND IT OWNS ITSELF. IT WILL JUMP FROM GRAINY DOCU FOOTAGE TO SHINY ALEXA FOOTAGE TO BAD CGI LIKE IT'S NOTHING. IT DOESN'T CARE, BECAUSE ITS CINEMATIC STORYTELLING IS SO ON POINT. IT KNOWS IT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE IT'S CRAFTING A WORLD ONTO ITSELF, BROUGHT TO LIFE WITH A CONFIDENCE THAT IS COMPLETELY ENDEARING. A SHOW THAT IS MORE HONEST TO THE EMOTION OF ITS STORY THAN MOST "NATURAL ARTIFICES" YOU WILL FIND.

IT'S A SHOW ABOUT HEART, WILL, AND WANT, TOLD WITH A SPRAWLING SENSE OF THE MOST GRAND AND OPERATIC STORYTELLING. WE'RE TALKING YOUNG KIDS IN 1977 "BRONX IS BURNING" ERA, WITH BEAUTIFUL ECHOES OF THEIR OWN WEST SIDE STORY (BUT IT'S NOT DOING THAT STORY). IT'S THE LIFE AND DREAMS OF KIDS WITH DESIRES BIGGER THAN THEIR SURROUNDINGS, DRAMATIC CONFLICTS AND CHOICES BIGGER THAN BOLD.

SURE, THERE IS LITTLE NATURALISM, BUT THE KIDS ARE ALL NATURALS. JUSTICE SMITH COULD RULE HOLLYWOOD, WITH EYES THAT ELICIT DECENCY, ANGER, AND FEAR ALL AT ONCE. HERIZEN GUARDIOLA OWNS THE SCREEN WITH A SEEMINGLY-LITERAL VOICE OF AN ANGEL. SHAMEIK MOORE UNFURLS THE BOYISH BRUX OF SIMMERING RAGE MIXED WITH THE PLAYFUL RAPSCALLION. IT'S GOT JIMMY SMITS HAVING THE MOST SCENERY-CHEWING FUN HE'S HAD IN YEARS. EVERYONE IN THIS SHOW IS INCREDIBLE. AND LO AND BEHOLD, THE YOUNG JADEN SMITH FINDS A TAILOR-MADE ROLE FOR HIS ALMOST OTHERWORLDLY AND ALIEN PRESENCE AND CADENCE. HE'S PRACTICALLY PERFECT AS A KID ON ANOTHER PLANET WHO DISCOVERS THE BEAUTY OF A GLAM / QUEER / "FREE" MOVEMENT THAT'S ABOUT TO EMERGE.

AND THAT'S THE THING, AS MUCH AS THIS IS A SHOW ABOUT PEOPLE, THIS IS A SHOW ABOUT CULTURE. THE CULTURE OF NEW YORK CITY AND LOOKING AT HOW WE GOT HERE. BECAUSE 1977 NEW YORK IS SO IMPORTANT TO HOW WE GOT THE NEW YORK OF THE 1980S WHICH IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO HOW WE GOT THE NEW YORK OF THE 90'S. DUH, THAT SOUNDS OBVIOUS, BUT THERE ARE REAL TRACES HERE. THIS SHOW IS REALLY ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF OUR MODERN CULTURE.  WHERE ALL THIS CAME TO BE, AND HOW BANDS LIKE WU TANG CLAN CAME OUT IN THE 90'S RIGHT THROUGH TO THE DISNEYFICATION OF TIMES SQUARE.

IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE.

A SPECIAL TIME, A SPECIAL PLACE, A SPECIAL SHOW.

SO PLEASE GET DOWN WITH THE GET DOWN. YOU WON'T BE SORRY.

<3 HULK