SF and Fantasy Movie Reviews Starting With Y
Yeelen (1987 Mali) 
Genres: F Dra
Africa has always had troubles with magicians. The epic depicted here takes place in 13th-century Mali. An old magician hunts his young magician son across the land, intending to kill him. The pursued young man travels to consult his uncle about the situation, and on the way encounters adventures.
There's beautiful African scenery, and attractive exotic semi-nude people, like in National Geographic. But it doesn't just depict Africa with lots of long pretty shots -- the pacing, and interactions, the plot structure all evoke to me the African folklore I've read. The exoticism of all these elements, along with all the exotic visual beauty, were very enjoyable to me. I don't know how much Western or modern influence affected the script but from where I sit, about an hour's drive from Hollywood, it sure seems authentic. I have to warn you that the pacing is slow, and the plot is a tad elusive. The ending is downright enigmatic. Perhaps it's clear to someone familiar with the historical period and religious background of this work, but this is after all a movie and so it seems that they could have shown more consideration and allowed the rest of us more of a clue. But I guess they were concentrating on the authenticity, which is valid too.
Please note that all material on this page is Copyright © 2005 by D. Aline Lurie.
Movie Reviews
| # | A | B | C | D | E | ||||||
| F | G | H | I | J | K | ||||||
| L | M | N | O | P | Q | ||||||
| R | S | T | U | V | W | ||||||
| X | Y | Z |
Series Reviews