They Cloned Tyrone is a fun sci-fi satire that lives on the intersection of Get Out and They Live. It’s a subversive paranoid thriller that works great for about half the film.

The flick is about how a ho, a drug dealer, and an “entrepreneur” find out that it’s not all good in the hood. Our intrepid trio stumble onto a grand conspiracy and have to battle the forces of Mad Science to save their friends and family.

There’s a lot of fun satire disguised as clichés and stereotypes in this clever disruptive sci-fi comedy. John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris have a lot of fun playing comedic versions of their character tropes and the movie has even more fun playing with its paranoid thriller mystery box. Also some smart, unexpected pop culture and film references smatter the dialog, letting us know they know exactly what they are doing.

Unfortunately, the movie shifts in the second half and loses a lot of the comedy. It tries to replace it with some existential dread, Ocean’s 11, and rabble-rousing moments, but it never really jells like it should. And the final act is a bit of a mess between some flabby action and flabbier talky bits.

I loved where the movie was going… I loved its setups, satire, sense of humor, characters, and horror, sci-fi, and mystery references (I see you, Nancy Drew)… but it just doesn’t hold together for the long haul. Still a pretty fun time playing with paranoid thriller tropes.

Score: 78