Movie Review: Black Panther · 8:41pm Mar 12th, 2018
Hey everyone. 
It's been a week since I saw the newest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What can I say about it? I don't really know if I can add much new conversation to the film that's been such a smash success for the company, and been the object of discussion for so many? (I've read dozens of reviews and essays on the movie before and after seeing it, thanks to my dad. XD)
Normally, with my movie review pages, I offer a mix of plot summary and review focusing on the actors, specific scenes and other stuff too. I'm going to do a bit of that, but I'm also going to draw some on my Thor Ragnarok review and bullet-point some things, because there's a LOT I want to talk about with this film.
So anyway, Black Panther!
- The eighteenth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the story picks up with T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) becoming the king of Wakanda in the aftermath of his father T'Chaka's death back in Captain America: Civil War. The overall plot of the movie involves threats to his kingdom, in the form of Erik "Killmonger" Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), an old sin of his father's past come back with a vengeance.
- My dad and I have talked about how MCU films are often a mix of various genres, rarely just a straight comic-book movie. Like, Captain America the First Avenger is a WWII pulp movie, Iron Man 3 is a bit of an espionage thriller, Guardians of the Galaxy are space opera... the best genre to describe Black Panther would probably be "dynastic movie". Among the many themes and issues of the movie, a big part of the film has to do with the burden of kingship and the politics of a postcolonial world.
- The film's opening sequence, a legend of the founding of Wakanda, followed by a sequence in Oakland setting up Killmonger's future, is a masterful use of handling shifts in storytelling. That the film can so smoothly shift from the mythological story of Wakanda (portrayed through beautiful animation) to a gritty apartment complex in California and not have it jar at all, is indicative of director Ryan Coogler's skill and versatility, as well as that of the actors too. 
- Black Panther is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most diverse movies in terms of location and design. Wakanda is a spectacular display of Afrofuturist design, one that quite frankly blows the MCU's Asgard clean out of the water. XD This is a fantastic city that you can believe people live in, and feels like more than just window dressing or a set piece.
- There's some great variety to the film's action sequences. From T'Challa's first appearance in the film (hunting a Boko Haram-style group, in a vaguely Predator-esque sequence) to Wakandan ritual duels, to a wonderfully gonzo car chase through the streets of Busan in South Korea (my personal favorite action piece in the film) Black Panther does a good job varying its fight scenes.
- In all honesty though, the real standout parts of the movie are in its character pieces. T'Challa himself is a great character, played with incredible dignity, strength and compassion by Chadwick Boseman. He really is a noble soul, and one that you can quite readily invest in and follow. Two of my favorite parts of the movie involve T'Challa facing his father in the Wakandan spirit world; they really are a highlight of the film and really demonstrate the strength of Boseman's performance.
- Besides T'Challa himself, perhaps the strongest performance of the film is in its main antagonist. Erik Killmonger is a powerful and charismatic figure; dangerous and ruthless in his tactics, and yet also often delivering compelling arguments, even as his actions become more and more disastrous for Wakanda and the world at large. You truly do feel sorrow for the loss in his past and how it shattered his world: this is best shown in my personal favorite scene in the film, where Erik has his own spirit-world vision, and it's set in the old Oakland apartment of his childhood. Michael B. Jordan (and Seth Carr, who plays the young Erik) really deliver a powerful performance in this scene; to say nothing of Sterling K. Brown as Erik's father N'Jobu. Just, fantastic material all around.
- Other performances I enjoyed were Forrest Whittaker as Wakandan statesman and sage Zuri; after the disappointment of seeing Whittaker's character wasted in Star Wars Rogue One, I quite enjoyed seeing him deliver as the sagely, wise mentor to T'Challa, and also felt some serious sorrow at the character's sacrifice. Another, unexpected, delight of the film was M'Baku (Winston K. Duke), leader of the Jabari mountain tribe. That the movie took a guy who was once known as "Man-Ape" in the comics (um, yikes) and made him a figure of both power and dignity; as well as delivering some good humor too ("We're all vegetarian here" 
) was a true joy for me to experience.
- One of the great triumphs of this film is also in its very strong female cast. You have T'Challa's younger sister and technological prodigy Shuri (Letitia Wright) who designs the Black Panther's gear and also delivers some of the film's funniest lines and best dialogue There is Wakandan spy and T'Challa's former lover, Nakia (Lupita N'yongo) who is a strong and engaging character well in her own right. And there is Okoye (Danai Gurira), the commander of the Dora Milaje, the all-female special forces of Wakanda and the king's bodyguards. Rounding out the film's cast of powerful black women is T'Challa's mother nd advisor Ramonda (Angela Bassett) who embodies her role with a stately dignity. It truly is wonderful to see a superhero movie with such a strong cast of female characters, especially non-white characters.
- Black Panther is also notable because it's a comic-book film with only two white characters in its major cast; CIA agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman, returning from Civil War) and arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis, returning from Avengers Age of Ultron). Both characters are given good performances by their actors - I especially enjoyed Freeman as Ross, a man often outmaneuvered in his dealings with T'Challa, and also undergoes some good character development compared to his attitude back in Civil War. And Serkis is just a bombastic delight as Klaue; completely bonkers, bloodthirsty, and also hinting at some serious nastiness behind his jolly mania and villainy.
- If I had any serious criticism to offer this movie, the most I would say is that there are one or two special-effects moments that felt a bit too obvious. Namely, some war rhinos used in a battle sequence at the climax of the movie. Most of them looked rather obviously CG to me, but that didn't really ruin the scene for me. And honestly, if only one obvious computer effect is the biggest criticism I can make about this movie, I think that it's still pretty damn good, wouldn't you say?
So yeah, that's Black Panther. If you haven't seen it yet, what the heck is keeping you? Go! See it now! Skip school or work if you have to! (Okay, seriously though, don't do that. You'll regret it.)
Anyway, hope you guys liked the review, and let me know what you think of Black Panther in the comments.
I liked the movie. I feel it gets a little too much praise for certain things. All in all though I enjoyed it. I know a bit about the Black Panther comic lore and I like that they managed to keep so much in line with it that I was smiling every time I saw a nod to the comics. Wakanda was cleverly hidden and I like the fact that the entire world is completely oblivious to what the country actually was. And I like the tie-in between the astral plain (which I'm sure will come up in the next film)
When I first heard M'Baku would be in the film I was worried about the way he would be cast. But i was pleasantly surprised by the way he was portrayed. We all knew the Man Ape thing wasn't going to fly now. I did like Klaw and wish he would have had more screen time but from a story purpose I see why they did what they did. If there was a character that I didn't care for much it was Killmonger. He falls into the category of the villain you love to hate. I didn't agree with his philosophy and ideals but I can understand why he feels that way and does what he does given his background.
I really enjoyed myself with the great blend of action, drama and occasional and well placed comedic scenes. Really I liked the casting and performances all around and it did wrap up most of the plot points and prepared itself well for what comes next.
If I had to rate it I'd give it an 4/5 stars.
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All well said. I liked Black Panther a lot, but it's not going to be my favorite MCU movie ever. That probably goes to GOTG 2 or Thor Ragnarok.
Totally understand your view on Killmonger. I felt sorry for the kid who lost his father for no apparent reason. But as an adult, he's a ruthless killer and had to be stopped. Even if you understood some of his views, he needed to be stopped. (And yeah, I liked Klaw a lot too. Wish they'd stop killing bad guys played by Andy Serkis
)
4 out of 5 is probably how I'd rate it myself, I think.
I have yet to watch it but now I may be more compelled to after reading This! :D
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Oh, why thank you for that. If you get to see it, I do hope you enjoy it!
Would it be a bit too on the nose to call Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis the Tolkien White Guys in this movie?
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...
Oh, I get it. >_<
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I'm not apologizing.