PLEASE NOTE - THE FOLLOWING IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW. I WILL NOT REVEAL ANY MAJOR PLOT POINTS FROM THE SHOW.
18 movies in and the box office dominating juggernaut that is the MCU rolls on with it’s latest offering Black Panther. Similarly to DC’s Wonder Woman last year, this movie has a lot of hype and attention around it due to be the latest big box office superhero offering to be a black lead in his own solo film (let us not forget Blade in 1998).
So does this movie build on the great character introduction in Captain America: Ciivil War or does Marvel has a disappointing movie on their hands?
THE STORYPicking up immediately after the events Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa travels back to his native land of Wakanda to be crowned king. However, once on the throne, his rule is tested for the first time by a returning foe and the introduction of a new threat that could end up shattering the world’s image of Wakanda as a poor African nation.
OVERALL OPINION
Marvel does it again. I am not a gushing fanboy, but this truly is one of the best movies in the MCU to date. It manages to be a credible movie that stands apart from all previous entries, does not require you to have seen any of the previous MCU movies, effortlessly world builds Wakanda and expands the MCU and yet it somehow also manages to fit in perfectly with all the other movies too.
The story is tight, engaging, thrilling and a spectacle to behold Right across the board the performances are fantastic with a few notable stand outs. I have noticed in a few recent MCU movies that they have brought on the humour a little too much on certain occasions which can undercut the emotion or tension in a scene, However, director Ryan Coogler got the balance perfect here; when the jokes appear they land well and they land hard.
I was left with a sense of excitement over what I had just seen, hope for future Black Panther movies, hope for the future of the MCU and a desire to rewatch the movie again straight away.
THE PERFORMANCESChadwick Boseman - T’Chall/Black PantherBuilding on the great character work he did in Captain America: Civil War, Boseman gives a great assured performance as the new young king and protector of Wakanda.
Michael B Jordan - Eric KillmongerIf there is one constant negative thing you could say about the MCU is that they have struggled to give us great and memorable villains. I know there’s Loki and Michael Keaton’s Vulture recently was really good, but Michael B Jordan gives us something new and different with Killmonger. His performance is powerful and menacing and yet you also somehow sympathise with him too. A much more layered performance than we’ve had with Loki which is what makes it so great.
Danai Guria - Okoye“Move. Or you will be moved.” Those words in Civil War told you everything you needed to know about this character. With more screen time this time round, the character is given a sense of humour and a chance to show her loyalty to the throne (which is tested at times), as well as plenty of opportunities to be the baddest bad girl in all of badassery.
Lupita Nyong’o - NakiaA “friend” to T’Challa and native of Wakanda, Lupita brings all her talent to this character and gives a balance yet strong portrayal of a great character, who steals many scenes from Chadwick Boseman.
Letitia Wright - ShuriT’Challa’s baby sister, tech genius (who according to the producers is cleverer than Tony Stark) fun, funny with a great sense of humour, the sibling relationship between her and Chadwick Boseman is very true to life and, like Lupita, she steals many many scenes from T’Challa.
Winston Duke - M’BakuLeader of Wakanda’s mountain tribe and a fierce warrior, M’baku could easily have come across as just another “villain of the week”. Fortunately Winston Duke brings the character to life with some unexpected depth and a surprising sense of humour.
OTHER STUFF
The ActionThe hand-to-hand fights scenes are amazing and sometimes quite brutal, there are many badass bad girls doing badass things throughout and the final fight between T’Challa and Killmonger is amazing. However, if I had one criticism it would be some of the action scenes were edited too quickly which occasionally made it hard to follow what was going on.
The CinematographyBeautifully shot, with some scenes invoking memories and feelings of The Lion King (and that’s no bad thing). It looks and feels completely different to any other MCU movie we have had to date and that is no bad thing.
The PacingWhile it was all on point, I felt there could maybe have had 10 mins trimmed off. But that’s a minor quibble. I was never bored or seat squirmy.
Musical ScoreAt times there was some hints of an Avengers-esque theme coming in. Other than that it was very beats and Afrocentric without banging you over the head with the fact that we’re in Africa.
Other StuffThere are two post credit scenes - one mid-way through the credits and one right at the end. And they are both brilliant.
FINAL VERDICT
I LOVED,
LOVED,
LOVED this movie. It may need to see it a couple more times before I can definitely say that it may be a perfect movie, the first time I have said that any comic book movie.
Score: 9.8/10 Rotten Tomatoes rating - 97% (critics) 94% (audience)
(at time of writing)
MY MOVIE RATING SYSTEM
10- Citizen F*%king Kane (A+)
9- Bloody Great (A)
8- Really rather good (A-)
7- Pretty decent (B+)
6- Definitely above average (B)
5- Middle of the road average (C)
4- Mediocre (D)
3- Meh (E)
2- Crap (F)
1- Why the hell did I waste my time and money on this abomination (Unrated)