Onyx – BET+ – 1 hour and 27 minutes
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Firefighter Sam kisses her boyfriend, Noah, and drives to work. Before her day starts, Sam discovers she left her badge at home. Her boss, Captain Rodriguez, says she doesn’t need it, but it’s her lucky charm. Captain Rodriguez allows her to go home, get it, and return to work. Sam rushes to her home and hears the shower running. She assumes it’s Noah and enters the bedroom to retrieve her badge. She sees Noah asleep on the bed. She opens the bathroom door and sees a woman’s bra hanging off the shower frame. Sam rushes out of the house with Noah pleading after her. She refuses to accept his apology and goes to work. After saving lies, Sam cries in her car. Her friend, Diane, calls. Their friend, Shannon, returned from her latest deployment. Diane wants to celebrate. Sam explains her heartbreak, but Diane expresses that Sam must party her sadness away. Diane won’t take no for an answer, so Sam decides to go clubbing.
Diane and Shannon attempt to lift Sam’s spirits, but nothing helps. So, Diane calls her friend Cody. Cody runs the White Stallion Ranch and has a discounted, last-minute getaway. Shannon and Diane ask Sam to come with them but refuse to take no for an answer. Sam begrudgingly says yes.
They arrive at the ranch and let loose. They take photos, have drinks, dance, and participate in activities. Cody checks on them, and the ladies say they are having a blast. He made some calls and got the women an off-highway vehicle. He won’t be able to ride with them, but the OHV has GPS. He asks if one of them can drive it. Shannon laughs and says she has it under control. They ride until the OHV stalls. Then, they check their phones and discover they don’t have cell service. Shannon says they should walk. Diane, Shannon, and Sam travel to an airplane graveyard. They investigate the area, and a man, A.K.A., points a gun at them. His plane went down in the area, and he couldn’t get a signal. Since then, he’s investigated UFOs and other unexplained phenomena. The women refuse to accept their fate and look around the area. Shannon sees an antenna on the property and discerns that the manual override switch is nearby.
Shannon and Sam find the override and turn on the antenna. Their devices activate, and the women and A.K.A. believe they are safe. Then, a pod opens, and a woman, Gwen, exits it. A.K.A. looks through his articles and finds Gwen’s image. She went missing 100 years ago. She remembers being on a ship and aliens stealing her likeness. Now, the group knows they are in deep trouble. They didn’t save their lives. Instead, they sparked an alien invasion. Can they survive and save the world?
BET+’s first jump into the sci-fi genre offered great characters and graphics reminiscent of cult classics. Shannon, Sam, and Diane have deep backstories for the film’s short running time and a close bond. They call each other out for their wrongdoings and summon the cavalry when someone needs help. One moment between two women could have fallen into the stereotype of fighting and slapping. However, they maturely converse, reveal mistakes, acknowledge shortcomings, apologize, and focus on their task. Viewers will see the person they want to become. The writing makes up for the graphics and hazy film choice. The writers want to make a deeper statement, but it gets lost. While this won’t be a BET favorite, it could become a guilty pleasure.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars
All actions have consequences – Sam
I made a big mistake – Noah
Queens don’t cry over peasants – Diane
Pain is pain. It doesn’t matter where it comes from – Shannon
Welcome to my kingdom, ladies – Cody
It’s them. They’re ready – A.K.A.
I see a light – Gwen
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Categories: A.J. LittleJohn, Ariane Andrew, BET+, Erika Rose St. Louis, Jennifer Freeman, movie, Nate Walker, Onyx, review, Sean Riggs, Tanjareen Thomas, VOD
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