Stylistic choices by directors and filmmakers like Kwasi Fordjour, Emmanuel Adjei, and Blitz Bazawule elevate the result into something that digs beyond aesthetics and shows an authentic appreciation for the culture's ancestral roots.

| Jul 12, 2021

Black is King works because it is honest: a film of hope and belonging, represented by those whose cultures and diaspora continue to survive and thrive beyond a displacement that is similar, but not the same.

| Mar 16, 2021

"I am a whole mood," says Beyonce in one lyric. Black is King is a whole other level.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 22, 2020

I was mesmerized. It's a visually sumptuous feast.

| Aug 18, 2020

Kneel before the queen, it says - and then rise up into your future.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 10, 2020

Drawing on the themes of The Lion King - inheritance, self-identity and determination - Knowles repurposes the story as a clarion call to Black people.

| Aug 4, 2020

The settings and costumes are gorgeous, the dancing is virtuosic, and the music is good to great, so it's easy to get lost in "Black Is King."

| Aug 4, 2020

Black Is King doesn't have the depth or anguish that made Lemonade so epochal, but its more inspirational tenor and consistently high artistry make this a feast for eyes and ears.

| Aug 4, 2020

Everything about Black Is King is enviable. It's not just a high-quality production. It's a multicultural masterpiece sorely needed in a world where we are striving to be less monocultural.

| Aug 4, 2020

It's obvious that she has been very deliberate about who she works with, what she says, what it looks like. And it makes a powerful statement when you bring it all together.

| Aug 4, 2020

Black Is King is as carefully realized a construct as Beyoncé's previous videos and visual albums with the sort of vibrant cinematography and international scope tailor made for the Disney brand.

| Aug 3, 2020

It's an inclusive experience and a gorgeous tale of metaphysical Afrofuturism. For what it is, it's great. The question once more is: How does she top this?

| Aug 3, 2020

The visual album proposes a pan-African vision of legacy, abundance, and unity.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 3, 2020

Visually stunning interludes.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 3, 2020

If nothing else, Black Is King is a jaw-dropping visual achievement.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 1, 2020

A piece of timely art that entertains with eyes wide open.

| Aug 1, 2020

Beyoncé continues to dig deep into her roots and share her discovery with the world, like she did on the sweet masterpiece "Lemonade."

| Original Score: 4/4 | Jul 31, 2020

A sometimes thrilling showcase for African artists whose work fuses brilliantly with that of Americans who have roots on the continent.

| Jul 31, 2020

Typical. How utterly in keeping with Beyoncé's almighty confidence to respond to the lukewarm reviews for The Gift, her soundtrack album for last year's Lion King movie, by doubling down and making something dazzling.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 31, 2020

Overflowing with stunning visuals, "Black Is King" blends imagery from the Pan-African movement, African art and Western portraiture of African bodies, as well as Beyoncé and Jay-Z's shared vision of Black excellence within Western culture.

| Original Score: A- | Jul 31, 2020