The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureMovie reviews

Reincarnated

Reincarnated | Movie review
19 March 2013
Andrew Collins
Avatar
Andrew Collins
19 March 2013

When Calvin Broadus first came to public attention, his moniker was Snoop Dogg – a name he used to release 11 albums of laid back, dark, Long Beach rap, from Doggystyle in 1993 right up to Doggumentary in 2011. Now Snoop Dogg is looking to invent an older self and discovering his spiritual roots in Jamaica: he has recorded the first American Reggae album and become Snoop Lion. Reincarnated is a documentary accompanying Snoop on his adventure.

Having enabled Dennis Rodman access to North Korea for an upcoming HBO series, VICE was an obvious choice to produce Snoop Lion’s film. VICE is a Brooklyn-based multiplatform magazine, which produces documentaries on hard hitting topics and comedic situations, including Swansea Love Story (a documentary about heroin in Swansea) and Westminster Dog Show… on Acid (which is self-explanatory).

VICE’s Andy Capper is the director (also of Swansea Love Story and many more). His films tend to revolve around drug addiction, making Snoop Lion’s profuse intake of “The Herb” (as the Rastafari call it throughout the movie) a focal point. It’s an interesting approach, as his use of the drug is not portrayed negatively but wholly positively.

The film drifts through the creation of Snoop’s album (recording sessions, leisure time – both meaning the copious intake of cannabis) and Snoop telling the story of his life, from cocaine dealing to being a real-life pimp. There are expositional excursions into Jamaica: looking for a marijuana field, smoking marijuana with various Rastafarians, meeting the last living member of Bob Marley’s band The Wailers and smoking marijuana with him… It goes on – and for quite a bit longer than it should, clocking in at 99 minutes, half of which are filler and repetitive shots of people blowing smoke into the camera lens.

The film is funny and at times engaging and insightful; learning a brief history of one of the world’s most famous rappers, watching him reinvent himself and meeting his family are all interesting enough. Reincarnated would have been suited better to VICE’s YouTube channel, broken into five segments and watched for free at home, rather than as a small theatrical release – but for fans of Snoop Lion, it’s a must see.

★★★★★

Andrew Collins

Reincarnated is released in selected cinemas on 22nd March 2013.

Watch the trailer for Reincarnated here:

Related Itemsreview

More in Movie reviews

Ithaka

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

Wayfinder

★★★★★
Umar Ali
Read More

Brian and Charles

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

Futura

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Clean

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

The Railway Children Return

★★★★★
Umar Ali
Read More

Eric Ravilious: Drawn to War

★★★★★
Umar Ali
Read More

Minions: The Rise of Gru

★★★★★
Sarah Bradbury
Read More

Nitram

★★★★★
Umar Ali
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Africa Fashion at the V&A
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • St Vincent at the Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Netflix Walking Tour: From Bridgerton to The Crown, a free walking tour through the filming locations
    Cinema & Tv
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Viagra Boys – Cave World
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Ithaka
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Wayfinder
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Brian and Charles
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Viagra Boys – Cave World
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The Railway Children Return
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Adele lights up Hyde Park for BST Festival
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Cooped at Leicester Square Theatre | Theatre review
Retro Stefson – Retro Stefson | Album review