Review of Belly (1996) by Joshua L — 07 Nov 2011

I wasn't aware that Hype Williams directed this movie when I watched it, but I remember thinking "whoa, this shit looks like a really long music video"-and not just because of the presences of Nas and DMX.

This film was a half-hit, half-miss for me. Williams, Nas and Bodden's script was lacking in core. The story was as stereotypical as they come. The plot points were nothing new to cinema and most of the dialogue was quite flat.

With the exception of the two central characters, the characters in the movie lacked depth in their personas. Casting wasn't as good as it could have been either, but the writers just didn't put enough work into designing the characters.

However, the stronger aspect of this movie that was astounding, and that aspect is cinematography. William's music video expertise certainly transferred into this piece. All of the camerawork was well planned and executes, the intros to the sets were just spectacular.

With his mastery of lighting, shot-planning and soundtrack co-ordination, Williams made Belly look absolutely stunning. His choreography can't be bashed either. Overall, Belly was a strong visual piece, but lacked a strong center when it came to the script.