‘Entergalactic’ Is A Trippy Story About Black Love Coupled With Incredible Songs – Review
Visual albums have become part of the norm when artists want to share music in a new way. In Entergalactic, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and Kenya Barris join forces to present the television event that takes what we know as visual albums to the next level.
Entergalatic is an original, immersive, animated story about a young artist named Jabari (voiced by Mescudi) as he attempts to balance love and success. Finding the latter brings Jabari a step closer to the former when moving into his dream apartment introduces him to his new neighbor, photographer it-girl Meadow (voiced by Jessica Williams).
Words can’t describe how much I love this special that Mescudi and the Netflix team created. I’m not the biggest fan of rom-coms unless they’re really good, but this was a psychedelic Black love story that moved me from start to finish. There aren’t a lot of romantic stories that center Black love, and I am confident in saying this will become a rom-com classic.
The art, music, and fashion infused into Entergalactic take place in the only city that can handle all three: New York. New York City often feels like a character itself throughout the story, and the animation style had a similar vibe to the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse but with a different approach. It’s hard to explain, but although it was clearly an animated movie, the animation was so unique that the characters have a sense of realism that added depth to how they moved and showed emotions.
Voice acting isn’t an easy feat, and although rappers and artists voice act in a way to tell a story through their music, I was impressed with Mescudi’s performance as a voice actor. Williams also did a phenomenal job bringing Meadow to life; her voice acting combined with the design of her character made for a powerful combo and a character that you really wanted to see happy and in love. Alongside Mescudi and Williams, Entergalactic boasts an all-star cast including Ty Dolla $ign, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Harrier, Vanessa Hudgens, Christopher Abbott, 070 Shake, Jaden Smith, Keith David, Teyana Taylor, Arturo Castro, and Macaulay Culkin.
Often when I review something, I watch it a few times before giving my full thoughts. Usually, my watches will span a day or two, but with Entergalatic, as soon as I was finished with it, I immediately started it over and rewatched it multiple times (in one night). For all the adults living in a place where Marijuana is legal, I would give this a watch when you’re in an elevated state. Marijuana is part of Mescudi’s life and music, and it is part of Jabari’s character. However, it’s not his only personality trait, just like Mescudi.
The music elevates this to something extraordinary. Multiple times, the music and visuals synced together without spoiling anything, captivate and leave you frozen by how soothing and beautiful it is. One example that comes to mind is when Jabari and Meadow officially meet. Although the music is fantastic, at its core, it’s about Jabari and Meadow falling in love and building a beautiful relationship. It also shows the ups and downs everyone goes through, especially with someone you’re falling for someone really special.
Earlier, I said I was moved by this series and wanted to revisit it. Not only did I just enjoy it as a fan, but now that I’m getting older, it gave me hope that I’ll find a love special like Jabari and Meadow have. I know that might sound corny, and it’s an animated special event, but that’s clearly a testament to the writing and music in the series. Mescudi stated this whole project was in honor of the late Virgil Abloh, and you can feel that (especially at the end).
When Mescudi said this would be something “special“, he wasn’t lying. Mescudi is always trying to push the boundaries of his music and his career, and what he’s done with Entergalactic has really pushed him to the next level (and beyond). From the music to the visual to the story, Entergalactic is one of the best things I’ve seen this year. I hope Mescudi continues to push the boundaries and create more art via avenues other artists may be afraid to explore. Although the series centered Mescudi’s upcoming album, I would love to see more of this world and the character.
Rating: 10/10
Entergalactic premieres on Netflix on September 30, 2022.
