It was only a matter of time before Childish Gambino slipped into the kind of megalomania that has only been reached by Kanye West. Guava Island was teased for more than a year before finally being released during Gambino's Coachella set, and needless to say, it falls short of expectations.

Frankly put, the biggest flaw in Guava Island is that the main character is nothing more than just a stand-in for Gambino. There's nothing wrong with that; hell, part of the charms of Purple Rain (said to have influenced this project), is watching Prince play his melodramatic yet irresistible self. But Gambino and his constantly changing accent lack the same charisma, which makes his place in the story as some kind of Jesus Christ figure for the island and its people even more frustrating.

The fact that the film focuses on him above everyone else really hurts the rest of the cast. Letitia Wright is completely wasted, Nonso Anozie barely makes a presence, and I swear to God, Rihanna had a more fleshed-out role in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets than she does here. Also, to cast Rihanna in a musical and not let her sing even one line is a crime.

On a technical standpoint, the film is well-made, but the irritating positing of Gambino as a grand hero battling against capitalism with barely sketched-out themes makes it even more dull to watch. Its views on politics are as deep as a first year film student's projects, which is fatal if you're centering your story on the battle against the art-destroyer that capitalism can be.

This is because Guava Island is ultimately full of hot air, with very little to actually say about anything. We've should've seen this coming; the signs were there with songs like "This is America", which is brought back in a momentum-killing way. The recent hot streak of magnificent visual albums such as Lemonade, Dirty Computer, and When I Get Home has come to a crashing halt, thanks to Gambino's puffed-up vanity project. What a shame.