The cancelation of the Marvel Studios’ Blade movie had its pros and cons. As for cons, we as fans missed out on seeing filmmaker Bassam Tariq and actor Mahershala Ali’s interpretation of the daywalking vampire hunter outside of Wesley Snipes, as well as how this interpretation of the character would’ve interacted with the more supernatural aspects of the MCU. As for pros, however, Mahershala Ali took his Blade training and Bassam Tariq took his filmmaking prowess to make a new project together called Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother. This film follows Mahershala Ali as a devout Muslim named Latif who, following the death of his wife, must balance his religion with his life as a father and his life as a contract killer. You probably weren’t expecting me to say that last part, and that’s what made this movie so interesting. For starters, the performances are superb from the entire cast, especially from Ali himself and John Cho, who plays the film’s terrifying antagonist. The family dynamic between Latif and his children was believable, giving Latif’s protectiveness of them the film’s emotional core. Bassam Tariq’s choices regarding direction and cinematography were exceptional, using the film’s contrasting imagery from religious mosques to playboy mansions to convey the film’s themes. This is not even to mention the incredible fight choreography. Mahershala Ali was really able to put his Blade training to good use, as the fight sequences this movie did have were visceral and thrilling, even serving as an accessory to the film’s more thought provoking themes rather than hindering them. Speaking of the film’s themes, it explores the intricacies of faith and how its interpreted by different individuals. An action thriller that explorers the dichotomy of religious man who kills for a living is such an interesting concept. The antagonist claims to be Christian despite owning a gun-toting militia. Even the character who Latif must protect who owns these playboy mansions has his own relationship with religion and reasons as to why he rejects the faith. It was all very riveting, and the dialogue/character moments remained captivating because of it. The movie explored themes of fatherhood as well. The title of the film itself is an Islamic Hadith that highlights the importance of a mother. Following the death of Latif’s wife, the dynamic that he has with his children and the relationship he had with his Islamic faith completely changes. He is now forced to step up in ways that he never had to, and watching this man’s relationship with his family as he deals with the film’s central conflict was truly moving and beautiful to see. I don’t want to say or give away too much, but this was such an incredible film, and while I am still saddened by the cancelation of Blade, this was a more than worthy substitute. Score: 9/10
