Spike Lee's School Daze is an interesting film, one that reveals the struggle of black society in the 1980's. This was the time period when they were struggling to keep their head afloat in this world despite the civil rights movement some decades before. This film has many flaws, but it's not a letdown thanks to the clear message Spike Lee was able to bring across. The opening of this film is powerful as Lee is showing the history of his people and the end.....well it came out of nowhere but I think it's rightly justified.

Spike Lee's film takes place at a historically black college during homecoming weekend and it's about how the sororities and the fraternities clash against each other.

The acting is decent: nothing to rave home about, but nothing to be ashamed of either. Laurence Fishburne may have had the best role as the revolutionary leader who wants to change how his school is ran.

Overall, School Daze is very interesting and it sends the message to America and more specifically to black people, to wake up and be proud of their heritage. These morals are a strong presence throughout the film and quite frankly, they elevate the movie. For the music itself, it's quite enjoyable though some songs are a tad too long. Kudos to Spike Lee for going somewhere that directors rarely go. I rate this film 8/10.

Mission College is a leading black college in Atlanta. Dap (Laurence Fishburne) leads the politically active group advocating for the school to divest from South Africa. He is opposed by the head of the college fraternity, Julian Eaves (Giancarlo Esposito). Jane Toussaint (Tisha Campbell-Martin) is Julian's girlfriend. Dap's cousin Darrell (Spike Lee) is actually a lowly pledge at the fraternity. Along with their girlfriends and the school faculty, most of the population is divided into two camps based on their political views, skin color, and even hair.

It's real interesting that Spike Lee is exploring black consciousness within their own community. It tackles some important black social divides. Lee's often surreal touches do detracts from the main topic and don't get me started with the musical aspect. The old Hollywood musical scenes completely take the movie out of its time and place. The story starts to lose its anchor to reality. The beginning with the South Africa protest has such a great sense of time. It does hurt to see the movie drift from time to time.

Spike Lee's second full length feature film is a musical comedy drama set in an all black college.

It is polished but it also feels raw and undercooked with a sprawling story and the surreal ending never quiet comes off.

The film is mainly about two cousins. Dap (Larry Fishburne) is a black solidarity activist at the campus of Mission College. He is making a stand against apartheid in South Africa as this all black college still has investments in the country when Ivy League colleges have divested away.

Half-Pint (Spike Lee) is undergoing hazing to join the school's main fraternity led by Julian (Giancarlo Esposito) the 'Dean Big Brother Almighty.' Julian cares little about politics or racial identity. His hazing is not dissimilar to that carried out in white colleges, he is happy to humiliate his fellow black man

Spike Lee as filmmaker does care about racial identity. Dap's gang are black, dark skinned with afro hair. Julian's gang are lighter skinned, the women called the Gamma Rays straighten their hair. This is a theme that will be continued by Lee in other films such as Malcolm X.

There is an nostalgic and energetic air about this film. It is part Animal House and West Side Story with its song and dance numbers. The rivalry between Dap's gang and Julian's. Two sides of the black coin.

There is a scene in a fast food joint where a group of unemployed black men led by Samuel L Jackson who are unimpressed by Dap's bourgeoise activism and put him down. In a white society Dap even with all his education will always be an outsider and is rapidly becoming one within his own community, they are taking jobs away from Jackson and his friends.

As for the ending, my take is Julian's girlfriend came to self harm after what he made her do. A better explanation than Fishburne repeatedly shouting 'Wake Up!' Lee should had closed out his film in a more satisfying manner.

Another weakness in the film is Spike Lee the actor, he is not very good in comparison with his co-stars. Although Fishburne was 27 years old when this film was made, he was already a veteran having made movies since he was a kid with the likes of Francis Coppola. Many of the actors were also too old to be playing college students. Spike Lee was 30 and Bill Nunn was 35.