They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

They Cloned Tyrone feels like a midnight-movie discovery that somehow also has the craft and confidence of a studio thriller: slick, strange, and constantly a step ahead of your expectations. Juel Taylor mashes sci-fi paranoia, neighborhood noir, and blaxploitation swagger into a mystery that’s genuinely propulsive, while still finding room for sharp, laugh-out-loud comedy and pointed social commentary. John Boyega anchors the film with a grounded intensity, Jamie Foxx steals scenes with effortless charisma, and Teyonah Parris brings brains and bite to the trio’s chemistry, all wrapped in bold, stylish visuals that make the world feel lived-in and slightly haunted. It’s not for everyone—especially if you don’t like your humor dark and your genre turns wild—but if you’re on the fence, this is the kind of inventive, crowd-pleasing original that’s worth rewarding with your time.

They Cloned Tyrone clearly wants to mash up pulpy sci-fi conspiracy, neighborhood comedy, and pointed social satire, and the premise is strong enough to hook you fast. The problem is it can’t always decide what it wants to be scene to scene—one moment it’s goofy and stylized, the next it’s dead-serious—so if you need a consistent tone, you may feel yanked around. The plot also barrels forward with big reveals before you’ve had time to sit with them, and if you don’t click with the intentionally abrasive, larger-than-life leads, the ride can feel more noisy than clever. Still, Boyega, Foxx, and Parris bring real energy, and if you like genre-bending chaos with a satirical edge, you’ll probably have more patience for its messy ambition than most.