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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
Scott Mescudi and Kenya Barri’s Entergalactic serves as a visual companion piece to Mescudi’s (as Kid Cudi) eighth studio album of the same name, both being released together. Fletcher Moules (The Matrix) directs this Netflix television special, created by Scott Mescudi (We Are Who We Are, Westworld) & Kenya Barris (The Witches), with a teleplay handled by Ian Edelman & Maurice Williams.
Very minor spoilers to follow.
Discussion
Background on Entergalactic
Originally announced as a series, Entergalactic actually turned out to be a television special, and with the change, it seems that those involved in this project decided to split the special into chapters in post-production. The special has six chapters, which was probably how many episodes Mescudi had originally written in his initial draft.
With Entergalactic being an animated project, there is a lot of room to play around inside. Some of the best moments of the special are when Jabari (Mescudi) daydreams or actually dreams after falling asleep. There are also times when Meadow (Jessica Williams) does the same or a character tells a quick story and that’s shown on screen. These and other elements make this special a standout among Netflix’s ever-lasting abundance of content.
The special was also released on the same day as fashion designer Virgil Abloh’s birthday, September 30, and was dedicated to his memory, as he passed away in November 2021. Abloh also served as the costume designer on this special, as he and Mescudi were good friends. Abloh’s tribute in the film is also notable. The incorporation of Mr. Rager (Keith David) within the design is a great eyecatcher as well.
Cinematic Storytelling
Moules’ direction is fantastic, and the animation style is very chaotic, but also calm. It explodes on the screen and then lets the viewer sink right in. These elements are some of the strongest within the film. Cudi’s album also plays throughout the whole show, and it’s really welcoming. The music seems to help move along the film’s plot in the best way. Cudi’s “By Design,” featuring Andre 3000, also plays at the beginning of the show, which was cool to catch.
Edelman & Williams’ script is pretty breathable when compared to other romantic comedies too, which is great. There’s a dating application mentioned throughout the special, and it’s revealed that the creators of the app were involved in an identity theft scam, which was more amusing than it should have been. The romantic plot told between Jabari and Meadow isn’t necessarily anything particularly new either, yet it leaves enough to give us something fresh with Entergalactic.
The editing, tackled by Carole Kravetz Aykanian, is some of the best within an animated Netflix special as well. There are several times where the screen transitions in an otherworldly way and it’s so cool to see this morph together with the final product we’re given.
For the Cudi Fans
The idea of Mr. Rager in this special is prominent for any Kid Cudi fan. The character comes from the song of the same name, and in this special’s world, he is a character created by Jabari whom he plasters all over Manhattan buildings. At the special’s start, he is hired by a comic book company that wants him to make a Mr. Rager comic book.
The same can be said for the title of the TV special as well. The only prominence is that the name is taken from the song “Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I)” off of Cudi’s debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, a fantastic album from the music artist. It also serves as a special part of my childhood, which makes it that much cooler.
The Narrative of Entergalactic
The bad is few and far between here. While I was surprised to see it be made a television special rather than a straight-up series, Entergalactic still works all the same. However, the ending did feel as if there could have been more told in Jabari and Meadow’s story, which was probably intentional, given the initial ideas by Mescudi and Barris. Netflix hit all the right keys this time around, as they put out so much so often, and it’s hard to find something to come back to time and time again.
Entergalactic sets itself apart as such and makes you want just a little more. I could probably watch an entire episode of Jabari, Ky (Ty Dolla $ign), and Jimmy (Timothée Chalamet) just sitting around doing nothing and having a good time, which is what they do several times here anyway, but for not as long.
I really like the idea of the last chapter of the special as well, “Do It On Purpose.” You have to handle it [love] with purpose and feeling, otherwise, it could seem like a farce, almost like that McConaughey scene in The Wolf of Wall Street where he says everything’s fugazi. You have to really mean it or there’s just no reason to carry on. By the end of the special, our protagonists seem to get that message and circle back to one another.
The Cast of Entergalactic
Mescudi leads the cast as Jabari, with Jessica Williams co-starring as his love interest Meadow. Ty Dolla $ign, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Harrier, Vanessa Hudgens, Christopher Abbott round out the cast, who are all great. There are also several characters played by Arturo Castro, Keith David, Jaden Smith, 070 Shake, Macaulay Culkin and Maisha Mescudi that only get a few scenes or lines, nonetheless they are all considerable in their own right.
Ultimately, Entergalactic is a worthwhile television special. It can be viewed time and again by diehard Kid Cudi fans, and is worth checking out for viewers used to the Netflix model that they pump out every other week. The special should be set apart from most of their animated content as well and is some of the best on the service. Hopefully they release more of this type of content and perhaps greenlight a second season of this series.
Final Thoughts on Entergalactic
Overall, it seems like Mescudi and the crew had a lot to play with here. If Netflix can put out more animated TV specials and movies like this, they’ll be very successful and maybe attract other artists with similar ideas and beats.
4.5/5 stars.
Entergalactic is streaming now on Netflix.
What did you think of Scott Mescudi’s concept brought to life? For more reviews of content you should watch, stay with us here at The Cinema Spot!
Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.