Finally getting round to it but, here is my review of Black Panther, minus the spoilers.
Overall it’s an amazing movie. I’m really tempted to give it a 9/10 and if I was reviewing it through hype glasses I probably would. No, it’s not a perfect film but it’s really close, as the pre-sale ticket numbers and weekend box office numbers will show
Like most superhero flicks (mainly marvel ones), it has its issues, minor ones but still, they are there. That doesn’t take away from how fresh and original it feels even though it’s the 18th movie in the Marvel cinematic universe (and the 10th specific standalone movie, think Ironman, Captain America: the first avenger, Thor etc)
Story
The story is straightforward and simple to follow and understand from start to finish. Nothing complicated here. What it does well is that, like the other self-contained MCU films, it has its own self-contained story that is still linked to the greater MCU, but without relying to heavily on the influence of the universe
Some may say it’s one of the better self-contained ones as it lays out the world in a way where you wouldn’t necessarily expect the avengers or one of the other heroes to jump in and save the day or lend a hand
This is a problem I’ve had and I’m sure others have had with some of the other films. If there’s a big world threatening problem or even just one that threatens the USA, why wouldn’t Iron man or captain America or shield drop in to help? No the story is truly self contained and is fleshed out properly within this film
Cinematography/Scenery
Not too much needs to be said here. I’m sure you’ve all seen the trailers but it is a gorgeous film. Marvel have again outdone themselves with the cinematography. The wide angle shots of the plains and mountains in Wakanda contrasting with the flybys through technologically advanced city with skyscrapers and markets is just phenomenal
I’m surprised they didn’t just give us a teaser early on showing the landscape but it is what it is. There could have been a danger of it being a bit jarring in my option. You do move from the third world type shots of Africa to the technologically advanced shots from within the city and it could have taken some people out of the movie, but thankfully it didn’t. Transitions were smooth, places where the futuristic met traditional were blended together smoothly and we spent the right amount of time with each version for it not to be jarring at all
Casting
The cast was amazing. First of all, for a majority ethnic and more specifically, majority African American cast to headline a major Hollywood blockbuster is huge. I’m sure some will automatically think of the numerous movies with black casts in them such as Selma, 12 years a slave to name a few, but this is different in that this story isn’t one typically associated with the “black struggle” no slavery, gangs, drugs, sports etc
Each character cast brings something to the table and brings it in a big way and you could tell they were enjoying themselves. Here are just a few of them (big shout out to Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis for great performances too. Also can’t forget Stan the man Lee)
*Credit IMDb.com
As I’m sure you’re already aware, many are praising Michael B Jordan’s Eric Killmonger as one of Marvel’s stronger and more effective villains, even comparable to Loki. He’s not a standard take over the world villain and like most good villains, isn’t someone you dispose right away. Most reviews I’ve seen actually go as far as to say that you could almost sympathise with his situation a little and I wouldn’t disagree
Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa is just great. A totally different type of hero in the MCU. Quite similar to Thor in my opinion as they both come from royalty and haven’t had to work from the bottom to earn their powers or status. It’s an angle that was missed with Thor as they could have done great things with it but Ryan Coogler nailed it here. T’Challa feels like a mix of some of the best aspects of a few of the other heroes
He has the honour, nobility and fighting ability shown by Steve Rogers, the technology and confidence of Tony Stark (minus the arrogance), the royal regal aura of Thor (or what Thor should have) the leadership skills of Nick Fury and the scientific intelligence of Bruce Banner. Well at least his sister Shuri does, played by Letitia Wright
T’Challa is still considered one of the smartest in the marvel universe, top 5 I believe including but in no particular order, Tony stark, Bruce Banner, Amadeus Cho and Reed Richards. (I’m not including any cosmic beings or the two Richards kids who are so smart they can change reality)
The negative??
Well no film is perfect so it shouldn’t be a surprise that this film has some things that prevent it from being perfect.
*Side note, it’s ok to not think this is a perfect film or even to think it’s not a good film as long as you have a valid reason and aren’t just causing trouble. I feel like the trouble makers have made it almost impossible for anyone to say anything bad about Black Panther without receiving crazy backlash. We don’t all have to agree on everything but should be respect of other people’s thoughts and opinions*
For me there aren’t too many negative things in the film. I’m sure researching it a few times may bring up more but I’m.sure there won’t be many. The ones that come to mind at the moment would be, the introduction and use of Killmonger in the first half of the film. This one in-kind of got from Jeremy Jahn which I kinda agree with. We know from the trailers that Killmonger is a huge part but it took a while.for him to be prominent. At points it almost felt like he was a sidekick to Ulysses Klaue
There were also some aspects with the CGI of fight scenes and the black panther suit which looked a bit off. I’d also have liked to spend more time exploring more of Wakanda but that’s something that can be easily remedied in the next film
Last one, which is a very small gripe and applies to all superhero films but, it did feel like everything g was wrapped up fairly quickly and easily. I say fairly as it wasn’t a walk in the park but like most heroes films, the trouble does seem to fly past
The self-contained films are just that, self-contained, so the threat can’t be so big that others need to be involved, unlike a certain ensemble film dropping later this year. It would be nice though if the studious could figure out a way to increase the threat and the stakes in the self-contained films so that we feel the heroes are just barely making it through. Again small gripe which is more aimed at action films in general
So overall I give it a strong 8.5/10. And it’s in my top 3 marvel films now. Maybe I’ll do a post on that at some point. It’s a strong entry and I really hope it gets a sequel, but let’s be real it probably will
Have you seen Black Panther yet? If you have feel free to leave your thoughts or ratings in the comments section. If you haven’t seen it are you planning to or not? What are your initial thoughts based on the trailers and what you know so far?
Until next time folks, here is the final trailer for the film. See you next time
Films'n'Things 