Watching a great film can make it easy to offer compliments, as it showcases all of the dedication and talent put forth by everyone who worked on the project, but when I offer my compliments to Boots Riley and everyone who worked on I Love Boosters, I mean it in an entirely otherworldly fashion. I Love Boosters is one of my favorite films this year as it spews such passionate creativity and remarkable forms of expression Boots Riley is so great at achieving.

I was quite certain I would enjoy this film as the months leading up to its release grew near, as Sorry to Bother You was one of 2018’s best, a film I had so much fun seeing in the theater. The magic Boots Riley is able to deliver to the audience is continued 8 years later with I Love Boosters, with another exaggerated view on our world captured through storytelling you can’t find anywhere else and a signature visual style that makes every single scene fascinating to indulge in. Although not my favorite film this year (but absolutely near the top), it feels so rewarding to watch amongst the current state of cinema. With so many films or shows feeling muddled or lazy, I Love Boosters creates that feeling of awe you search for from entertainment, one that makes you appreciate everything and want to think about it hours after seeing it.

A budget estimated to be around $20 million is showcased through every single scene throughout this film. Every costume choice, set design, and color choice allows Riley, as an artist, to play with his greatest strengths as a filmmaker while forcing the low-budget limitations to become creative in sequences that otherwise would cost more. The third act most notably sees this take shape, where stop-motion animation is utilized to create an uncanny presentation of a certain group of characters alongside the use of miniatures for a grandiose car chase. For a film like this, I find those forms of filmmaking to work immensely in favor of the film, adding a larger comedic and over-the-top visual distinction we as the audience have become familiar with already from acts one and two. Extending further, the film’s score, composed by the group Tune-Yards, does wonders in adding to the entire vibe brought here. Each track through each scene feels like an added cherry on top, making each scene even more memorable.

One of my few gripes with the film, which seems to be something others encountered as well, was the sound mixing, where the score would often drown out the dialogue to the point you couldn’t exactly figure out what was being said. However, those instances never felt too detrimental overall, as there weren’t any aspects I felt I missed out on story-wise or anything that impeded my understanding of the plot. Additionally, with its anti-capitalist stance, which I think is written rather well and presented appropriately, its third act, by the time it comes around, doesn’t feel necessarily as impactful as it should. I guess it is by no means bad at all, but it feels like it is checking off the boxes a third act would otherwise need to be very competent. What makes any lackluster areas from I Love Boosters rather okay is how elegantly it is propped up by everything else, such as the cast of characters.

Consisting of a great cast comprised of Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylor Paige, and Poppy Liu as the main group of characters fighting against the fashion mogul played by Demi Moore, each character feels distinct in their own ways, allowing each to shine and make their mark on the film. Keke Palmer’s character, named Corvette, is the central character the film focuses on. Similar to Sorry to Bother You, Corvette is extremely poor and looking to make money to stay afloat. As a booster, she steals expensive clothes from high-end retailers and sells them at a discounted rate, with her main residence being an abandoned fast-food chicken restaurant. With desires of her own to be a fashion designer, and as someone who is a fan of Demi Moore’s fashion mogul character Christie Smith, Corvette’s motivation to seek revenge is fast-tracked when her design is stolen.

Palmer and company feel perfectly right for the roles they are given, as they fit so well with the story and overall presentation Boots Riley envisions. Returning to work with Riley is LaKeith Stanfield, who continues his great path of playing characters that are usually some of the most interesting. In the case of I Love Boosters, Riley does not fail to create a character that is unlike any other in the film, or any character in a film this year I have seen for that matter.

Boots Riley’s return to the big screen 8 years later with I Love Boosters does not disappoint. A larger financial backing and the passage of time have allowed for a film we rarely get to see. Any downsides the film has are largely overshadowed by the list of positives it brings. It is a film that has a full backing of creativity beginning with Boots Riley all the way down to the smallest member of the crew. Firing on all creative and original cylinders, I Love Boosters is a film I look forward to seeing again just as much as I did the first time.