Black Panther 2018

Alright, I will be honest and start with that this wasn't a film that I wasn't a huge fan of when it released as I went in with really high hopes after all the reviews and then was underwhelmed. But after my most recent rewatch I can confirm that this is a perfect film to introduce this character but it also builds the country and culture of Wakanda perfectly, the thing this movie is best at is world-building as I can believe this is a place.

Also, Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) is absolutely perfect in this film and he brings so much to this character that I cannot imagine anyone else as this character, I also really liked the villain in this film played by Michael B. Jordan (Killmonger) as the character at points made you almost want to go over to his side and a good villain can always make you understand their point of view and almost make you understand their ideology.

The only reason this film doesn't have a super high rating is that some of the visuals can be a little bit so so and that is disappointing as this movie had a big enough budget to make sure that didn't happen and the end fight looked like something from a cutscene on Playstation 2. Otherwise, this is a film which I urge people to give a second chance.

"Did he freeze?"

So this is kinda late since the hype for Marvel's latest entry is slowly dying down, until 'Infinity War' hits and everything else will be history. Black Panther is a good movie, but sadly not a great one. There's a lot of great things about it and boy was it a joy to watch. The problems on the other hand aren't something to overlook.

Ryan Coogler is an excellent director with his previous work on 'Fruitvale Station' and Creed''. While I think he stumbled a bit with this movie since it's a much bigger movie and the studios breathing down his neck, but at least brought a brand new hero in style.

Chadwick Boseman is a great actor and the portrayal of T’Challa/Black Panther was pretty good. I do think he got overshadowed by everyone else, mostly from the supporting actors. After the death of his father, T’Challa goes through a dilemma when being face with taking over the throne and rule his land. However, not once do you feel his struggle and wasn't presented as a challenge. If I have to be honest, he was more interesting in 'Civil War'. Still this is just the beginning for him. Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright all three serve as supporting characters, but in reality are what glues the movie together and really hold their own in this big budget movie. Even Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman hold their own as well.

Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger is the best villain in the MCU so far. What makes him so compelling to watch isn't because he wants to take over the world or has any magical powers. Just like the Joker, you can't disagree with his arguments of honesty and truth, which is best served cold. Not saying Killmonger is up there with the Joker as the best, but pointing out an example of what separates him from bland. I'm glad Marvel is improving.

The villain problem being solved isn't just one thing, but the score as well. Taking influences from Africa cultural for it's score. Having a little touch of 'The Lion King' in the mix. I liked the technological side of Wakanda and how it blends with the costume designs which had a unique presentation. From any other superhero franchises out there, this is the most refreshing in terms of style. I'm starting to see a difference now.

For problems: The fight scenes are either too dark or anything memorable. Maybe both. The visual effects were shockingly bad and looked unfinished. There wasn't a single frame that I would call 'good'. Looking like cut scenes from an old video game. Wakanda itself didn't feel like a real place in this cinematic universe, because I'm just assuming there only used two build sets for the movie (that's not CGI), where you see characters walk around a street on repeat.

There's literally a scene in this movie where a character yells "what are those!" and I almost sunk into my seat from cringe. The plot is predictable, like most Marvel movies. There's a fake out death that lasts for 10 minutes, acting like they are gone forever. The reason why this doesn't work is not once do you buy into it and since it's a major character who's going to be in 'Avengers Infinity War', if you've seen the trailer.

Overall rating: Just a reminder, I enjoyed the movie a lot and I don't hate it. Heck, just forget what I just said right now. This is just another home run for Marvel and there's nothing stopping them. I mean, it's been 10 years guys, like wow.

After so many deeply interconnected chapters, it's relieving to see a film in the MCU that doesn't require much previous knowledge to enjoy. Referencing the preceding (and forthcoming) films in Marvel's repertoire only fleetingly, Black Panther is a largely self-contained, by-the-numbers superhero flick. Which works both for it and against it. In one respect, that enables the entire cast to establish themselves. Safe from the need to constantly pay homage to Tony Stark or Thanos, Panther's supporting players thrive and King T'Challa himself goes through a complete character arc. On the other hand, it often feels like we've been here before. Maybe not specifically, as the film goes to great lengths to set up Wakanda as a unique culture with authentic customs, but certainly thematically.

As a "back to basics" approach with well-timed, socially conscious values, it functions very well. Its flavor is like nothing else we've seen from Marvel so far - a bright, optimistic blend of tech and nature that really works - and the wide diversity of the on-screen population is both effective and appropriate.

A complete, enjoyable new entry in the publisher's stacked catalog of characters, and a short breath of fresh air, if not a complete breakthrough.

I have to say I approach this movie from not being a Marvel fan of any sort and not really caring about the extended universe, the storylines or the original comics. Some of this behemoth of a franchise I enjoyed others I did not. Thinking back I clearly preferred standalone stories that focus on a few characters and I care less about the massive three hours trials and tribulations of everyone that was ever created in the comics.

So as a ‘virtue signalling soy boy’ apparently, this film should have blown my socks off, well parts of it did, parts of it did not. I think in all honestly once the credits had ended, and of course I had to watch to the end because of the various little scenes you know are going to pop-up, I was left maybe unsatisfied. Entertained but unsatisfied.

The overall story is appealing, about Africans, in Africa, hidden away from the colonisation and exploitation by Europe and becoming advanced beyond the rest of the world but keeping themselves deliberately isolated. So there’s a message there and a lot of wishful thinking but hey how many times have the USA won the World War Two on their own and the Vietnam War? So there is absolutely no quibble here and nor should there be.

The usual Marvel problems pop up flat cardboard characters and a simplistic storyline that goes on too long. Giving a big window to an African-centric story is interesting in itself and kept my attention whereas if it were a standard white American hero story my interest would have waned having seen it so many times before. It did annoy me that this African nation, hidden away, developed a massive, technological, advanced society that looked a bit like the USA including the shopping and wandering about in the streets smiling and buying things…hmmm not exactly imagination gone wild in those scenes.

We have been here before though, many, many times. This is any old story, really old, the king dies, long live king, someone evil claims the thone deposing the king, the king wins back with allies. Nothing new.

The huge problems with my opinion of Marvel movies were still here. A long extended hero versus villain fight that I disengaged from after about a minute and a massive over CGIed battle where it looked like no one was really getting hurt because….well because it looks like CGI.

The acting varies but the good outways the mediocre and no one was so jarring it took me out of the film some of the dialogue is a bit hokey and cornball and pacing varies in part with some expository linking scenes skipping along and others just plodding along to the point where you could be forgiven for looking at your watch. The look and design of the film in Wankada is sumptuous and clearly some thought has gone into how an African nation left to itself would develop and look, although being isolated from the world, as I have said before, would they really go for shiny skyscrapers and the capitalistic wandering around rows of shops buying things model? There could have been other ways to go here.

Unfortunately, I have the sinking feeling that yet again this is another Marvel film I watched from start to end, would not watch again and I will mostly forget. Shame really the ball has been fumbled here.

I've seen this movie about 4-5 times and it basically lives up to the hype. It's not a perfect movie. The CGI in the final fight is terrible. The villain is killed when he doesn't need to be (has a poor ending). The romance is weak.

That's it. Everything else about the movie excelled. The only other Marvel films with this amount of creativity are films where they bring everyone together. Doctor Strange has a great final fight but outside of that it's literally beat for beat Iron Man. To the point where I was insulted. Black Panther is a villain that I care about. Not just understand one I can empathize with one I that resonates with me. It has a hero who can be funny and laughs at himself without making everything a joke. He's surrounded by a cast of characters that don't look like the other marvel characters. The baby sister who isn't just a tech genius but who runs technological development for the entire nation. The love interest who has already rejected our lead and doesn't accept him until he realizes she was right all along. There's an entire arc where the woman of black panther are already at that upper level. W'Kabi bristles under his royal restrictions where Okoye has already come to terms with her role.

As we all saw in Captain America: Civil War, the King of Wakanda has gone through a fateful bomb attack. The Wakandan Kingdom, secluded from the outside world, is therefore looking for a heir to the throne and logically T'Challa, the king's son, is trying to claim that luxury seat. However, others think the same way. Because of this struggle, the country is in danger of becoming more divisive. For years, hidden secrets could just emerge, with all the consequences. This last solo film for the cumulative showpiece Avengers: Infinity War dives into the world of Black Panther, but how much novelty can there really be discovered?

Just looking at the design a lot. At first glance, Wakanda is a typical third-world country, but whoever enters the hidden world will discover that Wakanda is actually a technologically advanced nation, feeding on the forces of fictitious metal vibranium (also responsible for Cap's shield). The peoples of this vibrant country are richly decorated with a wide range of cultural expressions, such as lip dishes and incised crocodile skins. The home front of the Black Panthers is a country where the primitive African tribal culture goes hand in hand with modern science. Certainly due to the effective use of jungle music, the total picture comes to life. Black Panther is already a candidate to bring in some Oscar nominations next year in the field of production, make-up, costumes and sound.

Wakanda, hidden deep in the rainforest, is therefore unrealistically beautiful and unprecedentedly modern. For those who have heard about it it sounds like a fairy tale. The psychotic gangster Klau (Andy Serkis) managed to penetrate and leave Wakanda as one of the few outsiders. He abuses his rare knowledge of the truth for his own criminal agenda. Together with T'Challa's hostile counterpart Erik Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan, who now has the chance to really flame on in a superhero movie), he creates the necessary tensions on the world stage, with which a political thriller unfolds that tone strongly reminiscent of the widely acclaimed The Winter Soldier. Jordan knows with conviction to put down an emotionally layered bad guy. Which is rare in this film universe.

Black Panther sometimes even shows a certain roughness reminiscent of Marvel's Netflix department. Where Marvel fell flat quite a few times last year with their shitty comedy, director Ryan Coogler knows how to use the jerk drum much more nuanced. Especially T'Challa's dog-hungry sister Shuri (played with 'swag' by Letitia Wright) and tribe leader M'Baku (portrayed perfectly by 'newcomer' Winston Duke) steal the show in that area. Honest is fair, protagonist Chadwick Boseman delft in the middle of such a strong ensemble. Furthermore, the social significance of the film should be considered. Black Panther is indeed a nice boost for the black community, especially in America, and shows the so desired role models of colored men and women with a meaningful position. In addition, the film also subtly addresses a number of current political issues such as the refugee crisis and discrimination.

So far there is no shortage of creativity. Coogler knows how to distinguish himself well within the genre with his unique and lively images. Unfortunately, that is less true for the tempo and the build-up of the somewhat meager story of his film. The story goes by too fast, but at times it comes to a near halt. Certainly the final fight, in which the CGI quality also goes down to the video-game level, has been spread out so long that it evokes associations with the miserably long battle in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Partly this will be because Coogler, unlike many of his colleagues, has cut little in the action scenes, which makes them feel somewhat tedious. What is also striking is that Marvel has revealed almost all major key moments - up to one of the two after-credit scenes - in her promotional campaign.

All in all, you secretly have the feeling that Black Panther is the last piece Marvel had to still color in on the world map of Marvel's fictional universe, making the base solid enough for Infinity War. Coogler has managed to create a rich, unknown world, but dropped a lot with the relatively poor story, in those same beautiful surroundings. Wearing a crown, doesn't make you king. If Coogler paid just as much attention to the story as he did putting the Wakana-world on-screen this might've been the best Marvel-production to date. Now it just takes a backseat to plenty of their other hits like Iron Man and The Winter Soldier, but it's definitely one of their best and most entertaining

7.7/10

The Black Panther is a fun romp, but it definitely has some issues. First, the good.

The action is fun, the emotions hit home, and the story isn't dirt-poor.

While the CGI gets ripped on from time to time, I thought it was solid enough for a Marvel movie. The fight scenes were relatively well-choreographed, as well. The ritual combat scenes were exciting and visually appealing. The fights in Korea were also fun to see, and while I'm not a fan of car chase scenes as a whole, I did enjoy this one. It was reminiscent of a James Bond movie.

In fact, that's another appeal, at least to me. The secret technology base and the fun action scenes were a great callback to James Bond-type movies. I do think the movie would have been complemented by giving T'Challa a similar vice as Bond's, although Marvel probably wouldn't veer down that line for the seemingly morally absolute King of Wakanda.

The story, well, it's a mixed bag. Everything seemed crammed together with major emotional keys being rushed through or somewhat ignored. The concept is fine though. A long lost relative comes to challenge the new king, wins, and shows his colors, becoming something amoral. The king comes back and takes down the usurper, realizing something about themselves/their kingdom in the process. It's tired, but not so tired it damages the movie.

This is where the issues begin to rise, though. The movie is really a movie and a half or two movies crammed into one. Wakanda has a ton of wonderful mythology, but almost none of it is explained. The movie never really explains how the Wakandans used vibranium was used to make themselves wealthy. It touches on it in some exposition, but there was much more that was just glossed over.

In addition, W'Kabi became radicalized by Killmonger much too quickly for such a pivotal relationship to flip. Some of the emotional aspects of the movie fell flat because they weren't given enough screen time.

Despite its flaws, Black Panther is a fun movie that adds to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It should have been two movies, but I doubt this is the last we'll see of Wakanda.

Masterpiece! 10/10

I love how the culture is represented! The movie shows the Wakanda culture in an astonishing and beautiful way! Every beautiful colour, music and way of the African people is perfectly represented here! Astonishing! Watching this movie you cannot not love the tradition and manners of the culture shown here! It makes me want to see more of this beautiful world of Africa!

Marvel has once again proven that they make the best movies! The plot was full and well expressed! The actors had the perfect chemistry! The characters were complex and well played!

The problem with movies with big names actors and legacies to fill is that the director and the writers focus on the characters building and forget the story. Marvel does not have this problem. They build the story and then they make the characters the best they can be in the story and this is what makes them great!

There are people that are unhappy that Marvel dominates every time they release a movie, but the truth is that the MCU release quality like none other! As a lover of movies, I am happy that there are so great movies like The Black Panther. Hollywood movies makers should stop whining that Marvel dominates the market and focus on giving us worth-while movies. This way there will be nothing to complaining about! Stop being cowards and rise to the challenge!

P.S.: This way the audience will have to choose between more than one great movie when going to the cinema!