Review of Bomb It (2007) by Richard S — 13 Sep 2008

"Bomb It" is nothing if not ambitious. Filmed on five continents, it attempts to document the international spread of the graffiti movement. Whether it is presenting juvenile taggers who merely want to scribble their names on the side of an abandoned building or eloquent mural artists and graphic designers, it never judges. The filmmakers clearly feel, as do I, that street art can be legitimate, but they leave it to the viewer to draw the lines as they see fit.

Although it is constantly energetic, the documentary hits a few stumbling blocks when the city hopping structure begins to grow repetitive. There's a lack of any overarching statement, so you're left to take words of wisdom from the interviewees themselves. Many have valid points- especially when it comes the constant bombardment of hideous billboards in cities around the world and the way that their work has been requisitioned and recontextualized by corporate conglomerates - but in the end, a few key ideas end up repeated a bit too often.

Regardless, this is solid work that deserves an audience.