Gimly
The reviews for _Black Panther_ are all essentially saying the same thing: This is a great movie because it's so different from anything we've seen before, not just in the MCU but in the superhero genre overall, the villain is fantastic and _Black Panther_ is just a new and totally innovative film. Allow me to disagree (almost) entirely. _Black Panther_ is a great film, not because it breaks the mould, but because Marvel Studios has a successful pattern and _Black Panther_ adheres to it completely. Obviously the importance of a lead who is not just black but actually African is not to be understated, we have the least white cast of any superhero movie to date and they absolutely killed it, all very important socio-political stuff, to be sure. But the bones of _Black Panther_, the plot, the script, the events, the turns, all of that, it's a carbon copy of what's worked 17 times before. It works again, don't get me wrong, _Black Panther_ truly was an experience, both important and fantastic, but to say it re-invented the wheel here, is, to me, an outright lie.
_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._
This is definitely one of Marvel's best because the story is compelling and the characters are well developed. Black Panther and his friends and family must defend themselves and their homeland of Wakanda from the clutches of Klau (Andy Serkis) and Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). Not only is the lead actor great as T'Challa/Black Panther, but the supporting cast does a fine job as well, especially the female actors. T'Challa is surrounded by smart, strong women. Marvel seems to break its villain curse with Klau and especially Killmonger. Killmonger is very well developed and even sympathetic at times, despite his villainy. He sort of reminded me of Tom Hiddleston's Loki. The action scenes and special effects are outstanding. Highly recommended if you enjoy comic book movies.
It was with some hesitation that I went to see this movie. I was afraid that it would be burdened with too much political and social preaching. Especially knowing how much the movie is praised amongst certain factions in our society today. Sure enough there were indeed some of that nonsense but luckily it was much less than I feared.
I actually found the movie fairly entertaining. It is far from great, certainly very far from the insane hype surrounding it, but pretty okay. It is more or less a standard issue super hero movie on a big budget. Of course this means a fairly mediocre underlying story beefed up with lots of action and special effects.
The story itself is a traditional revenge story with some black power stuff. Nothing to write home about but it works as a vehicle for the action and special effects which is what makes this movie. There are the usual nonsense and plot holes in it of course. Like Shuri claiming that Vibranium (silly name but never mind) is instable at high speeds yet they have no problem making flying ships and other fast moving stuff with it.
The characters are a wee bit disappointing as far as the main characters are concerned. I felt that the main protagonist has little in terms of charisma. Killmonger, the main bad guy, was downright disappointing. To me he looked like the stereotype of a dumb thug and mostly he behaved like one. Bloody hell could they not have found an actor that looked less…well…stupid!
Personally the character I liked best was actually Klaue which was pretty cool, insane but cool. The female warriors, which were both kick-ass and smart, and Shuri is also fairly high up on my approval list.
Special effects! This is of course where this movie shines. Overall I think the special effects were good. The design of the various gadgets, ships etc were very nice. The rampaging rhinos in the final fight really made me laugh. I should have seen that coming. I definitely liked all the sonic effects. Obviously this movie would have been more or less null if the special effects would not have been a success.
On the whole Black Panther is a quite enjoyable special effects and action movie. Nothing more, nothing less. Some social preaching nonsense but less than I feared, hum ho story, lots of action and lots of special effects.
I was really surprised how much I liked this movie. There was so much going on; immigration concerns; the fight between saving the world and protecting your own country(sound familiar); the fear of an African country’s resources being pillaged; how best to handle the problems black people face worldwide; and many great authentic feeling cultural nods. All this while not being heavy or preachy. You can definitely eat popcorn to this. The villain; Killmonger, is great. Not great in that he is scary, though he is, but because he is more complex than some shadowy figure you should just trust is a bad guy because of visual effects or dramatic music.
This movie isn’t just explosions and one-liners in an exotic location. This is a great movie in general. It’s always interesting. There are great relationships between all the characters. Finally; Wakanda is really a place. It feels alive and lived in; not just impressive buildings used as a backdrop. They did a wonderful job of worldbuilding; from the rituals, to the clothing, fancy tech, and scenery. This movie is definitely worth a watch.
☆☆☆☆-1/2
I also have to add that; you get to actually see Andy Serkis! When I saw his name I thought we was going to be some kind of CGI monster. I’m just happy to see him get actual screen time.
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.
DanDare
The character of T'Challa made his debut in Captain America 3: Civil War.
In Black Panther, T'Challa returns to his homeland of Wakanda after the death of his father who has been hiding a secret about his brother who lived in the USA. He now inherits the throne after a challenge from a rival.
Wakanda is an african country with wealth, power and immense technology that it hides from the outside world.
T'Challa's uncle wanted an uprising in the USA. Now his son Killmonger comes to Wakanda and challenges T'Challa for the throne.
Killmonger wins and leads the struggle for black power.
Black Panther is a well made efficient film from Marvel who really have nailed down their formula. The box office avalanche has surprised me. It simply is not that good with a very predictable story.
