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Update: February 13, 2018
Dragonlord’s Review of BLACK PANTHER (No Spoilers)
Bottom Line: ...Rooted with social and geopolitical themes, that’s part James Bond actioner, part Shakespearean family pathos, and filled with multi-faceted characters and superb performances by an amazing cast.
At this point in time it’s undeniable that Marvel Studios is the premier superhero studio among its peers. What is sometimes underappreciated by others is the different sub-genres Marvel Studios instills into their films. Winter Soldier was a gritty espionage thriller. Ant-Man was a heist film. Doctor Strange delved into the mystical arts. Guardians of the Galaxy was space comedy adventure. Homecoming was a high school, coming-of-age flick. BvS and JL were a hot mess… sorry, wrong studio.
Black Panther is the eighteenth feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and it’s as different as what Marvel Studios has ever done. Black Panther is a superhero film grounded with social and geopolitical themes, that’s part James Bond actioner, part Shakespearean family pathos, part Game of Thrones clan representation and part Lord of the Rings grand battle, and filled with multi-faceted, fleshed-out characters and superb performances by an amazing cast.
The titular character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in July 1966 (before the Black Panther Party was even created) and is considered as the first black superhero in American mainstream comic books. Introduced first and following the events of Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) continues his journey as the new king of Wakanda but his reign is tested as he faces an old foe and a mysterious figure from his country’s past.
The supporting cast is simply outstanding. Letitia Wright was adorable as the scene-stealing Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister and Wakanda’s tech genius. Her close sibling relationship with T’Challa grants Shuri as the only character allowed to constantly take cheeky jabs at the king and provides some lighthearted humor. Andy Serkis was great as the exuberant villain, Ulysses Klaue, complete with sonic arm-cannon. Danai Gurira was exceptional as the bad-ass Okoye, head of the Dora Milaje (Wakanda’s version of secret service). Angela Bassett was the perfection of regality as T’Challa’s queen mother.
Rounding up the remaining terrific supporting characters, Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya, Martin Freeman, Sterling K. Brown, and Winston Duke were terrific as elite spy and T’Challa’s love interest Nakia, T’Challa’s best friend W’Kabi, amiable CIA agent Everett Ross, T'Challa's uncle N'Jobu and proud tribal leader M’Baku, respectively.
It is generally known that the MCU does not have a lot of memorable bad guys on its resume. But they seem to be turning it around starting with last year’s batch of villains with Michael Keaton’s blue collar Vulture and Cate Blanchett’s sultry and maniacal Hela. Going for 3 for 3, Michael B. Jordan’s Erik “Killmonger” Stevens joins the shortlist of one of MCU’s best villains. Jordan was magnificent as the ruthless antagonist who displays savage efficiency, a forceful authority, pent-up fury and whose radical ideology is not totally unrelatable.
Black Panther holds the distinction of being the first MCU movie that features a character’s first solo outing that feels like a sequel rather than an origin movie (Homecoming arguably qualifies but it felt like an origin movie). And this is one of the reasons why I felt an emotional disconnection to T’Challa early on. Chadwick Boseman is physically splendid as Black Panther and his acting performance is superb. It’s just the way the movie was written allowed little time to fully explore T’Challa’s character and personality. I also think T’Challa lacks a certain amount of charm that made other MCU heroes so likable. Fortunately, the movie was fast-paced, the story was engaging and the other characters were captivating to offset my minor qualms.
Wakanda is like a character unto itself with its gorgeous landscapes and technologically-advanced city. The worldbuilding is very remarkable, from the politics and looks of the different tribes to the mythology behind the legend. Its isolationist policy hides the true nature of Wakanda and disguises itself as a Third World country whose national export products are textile and clothes. This is where the film’s moral dilemma is presented: Share its wealth, medicine and science with the world but risk inviting strife and conflict and also putting a target on their back.
The scope of the film is not limited to the fictional African country; its purview stretches from the U.S. to London, England to Busan, South Korea. The Busan action scenes were the best among the rest as the casino sequence was like a slick James Bond homage highlighted by an impressive one-take fight scene and then capped off with a fun, furious car chase in the streets of South Korea.
Black Panther’s suit looks fantastic but the fact that it’s coated with Vibranium lessens the tension or the specialness of the action scenes when the wearer is impervious to harm. Bullets bounce off the suit without any impact or recoil. The wearer can survive a fall from hundred feet without a scratch. Not also fond of the new nanotech suit that just appears and disappears on a whim and conveniently stored in a necklace. Call me old school but I like the “realism” of it all when Tony Stark had to have a robotic assembly line just to put on and take off his Iron Man suit.
The Black Panther action scenes were not as impressive as those he showed in Civil War. Half of the blame again goes to his new costume where he can shrug off blows and bullets like they were nothing. The sense of danger isn't danger and therefore the choreography also suffered since why the need for elaborate fancy evasion and martial arts moves when the hero is virtually invulnerable.
Writer/director Ryan Coogler not only made a highly entertaining comic book movie with a good story and wonderful characters, Marvel’s Black Panther is also an inspiration to a large section of the population that is not always well represented in this genre and giving kids new role models they can relate and look up to.
Rating: 8.5/10
Dragonlord’s Review of BLACK PANTHER (No Spoilers)
Bottom Line: ...Rooted with social and geopolitical themes, that’s part James Bond actioner, part Shakespearean family pathos, and filled with multi-faceted characters and superb performances by an amazing cast.
At this point in time it’s undeniable that Marvel Studios is the premier superhero studio among its peers. What is sometimes underappreciated by others is the different sub-genres Marvel Studios instills into their films. Winter Soldier was a gritty espionage thriller. Ant-Man was a heist film. Doctor Strange delved into the mystical arts. Guardians of the Galaxy was space comedy adventure. Homecoming was a high school, coming-of-age flick. BvS and JL were a hot mess… sorry, wrong studio.
Black Panther is the eighteenth feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and it’s as different as what Marvel Studios has ever done. Black Panther is a superhero film grounded with social and geopolitical themes, that’s part James Bond actioner, part Shakespearean family pathos, part Game of Thrones clan representation and part Lord of the Rings grand battle, and filled with multi-faceted, fleshed-out characters and superb performances by an amazing cast.
The titular character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in July 1966 (before the Black Panther Party was even created) and is considered as the first black superhero in American mainstream comic books. Introduced first and following the events of Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) continues his journey as the new king of Wakanda but his reign is tested as he faces an old foe and a mysterious figure from his country’s past.
The supporting cast is simply outstanding. Letitia Wright was adorable as the scene-stealing Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister and Wakanda’s tech genius. Her close sibling relationship with T’Challa grants Shuri as the only character allowed to constantly take cheeky jabs at the king and provides some lighthearted humor. Andy Serkis was great as the exuberant villain, Ulysses Klaue, complete with sonic arm-cannon. Danai Gurira was exceptional as the bad-ass Okoye, head of the Dora Milaje (Wakanda’s version of secret service). Angela Bassett was the perfection of regality as T’Challa’s queen mother.
Rounding up the remaining terrific supporting characters, Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya, Martin Freeman, Sterling K. Brown, and Winston Duke were terrific as elite spy and T’Challa’s love interest Nakia, T’Challa’s best friend W’Kabi, amiable CIA agent Everett Ross, T'Challa's uncle N'Jobu and proud tribal leader M’Baku, respectively.
It is generally known that the MCU does not have a lot of memorable bad guys on its resume. But they seem to be turning it around starting with last year’s batch of villains with Michael Keaton’s blue collar Vulture and Cate Blanchett’s sultry and maniacal Hela. Going for 3 for 3, Michael B. Jordan’s Erik “Killmonger” Stevens joins the shortlist of one of MCU’s best villains. Jordan was magnificent as the ruthless antagonist who displays savage efficiency, a forceful authority, pent-up fury and whose radical ideology is not totally unrelatable.
Black Panther holds the distinction of being the first MCU movie that features a character’s first solo outing that feels like a sequel rather than an origin movie (Homecoming arguably qualifies but it felt like an origin movie). And this is one of the reasons why I felt an emotional disconnection to T’Challa early on. Chadwick Boseman is physically splendid as Black Panther and his acting performance is superb. It’s just the way the movie was written allowed little time to fully explore T’Challa’s character and personality. I also think T’Challa lacks a certain amount of charm that made other MCU heroes so likable. Fortunately, the movie was fast-paced, the story was engaging and the other characters were captivating to offset my minor qualms.
Wakanda is like a character unto itself with its gorgeous landscapes and technologically-advanced city. The worldbuilding is very remarkable, from the politics and looks of the different tribes to the mythology behind the legend. Its isolationist policy hides the true nature of Wakanda and disguises itself as a Third World country whose national export products are textile and clothes. This is where the film’s moral dilemma is presented: Share its wealth, medicine and science with the world but risk inviting strife and conflict and also putting a target on their back.
The scope of the film is not limited to the fictional African country; its purview stretches from the U.S. to London, England to Busan, South Korea. The Busan action scenes were the best among the rest as the casino sequence was like a slick James Bond homage highlighted by an impressive one-take fight scene and then capped off with a fun, furious car chase in the streets of South Korea.
Black Panther’s suit looks fantastic but the fact that it’s coated with Vibranium lessens the tension or the specialness of the action scenes when the wearer is impervious to harm. Bullets bounce off the suit without any impact or recoil. The wearer can survive a fall from hundred feet without a scratch. Not also fond of the new nanotech suit that just appears and disappears on a whim and conveniently stored in a necklace. Call me old school but I like the “realism” of it all when Tony Stark had to have a robotic assembly line just to put on and take off his Iron Man suit.
The Black Panther action scenes were not as impressive as those he showed in Civil War. Half of the blame again goes to his new costume where he can shrug off blows and bullets like they were nothing. The sense of danger isn't danger and therefore the choreography also suffered since why the need for elaborate fancy evasion and martial arts moves when the hero is virtually invulnerable.
Writer/director Ryan Coogler not only made a highly entertaining comic book movie with a good story and wonderful characters, Marvel’s Black Panther is also an inspiration to a large section of the population that is not always well represented in this genre and giving kids new role models they can relate and look up to.
Rating: 8.5/10
The first post-credits scene shows T’Challa addressing the United Nations. He opens the doors to Wakanda to the world and sharing its resources to the other countries. A member of the U.N. questions, with all due respect, what can a country of farmers contribute to the world. Everett Ross smiles in the background. T’Challa smiles wryly. End of scene. With Vibranium and Wakanda’s science and technology being shared with the world, this will drastically change the landscape of the MCU.
The second post-credits scene shows Bucky waking up from a tent near the river. The Wakandan kids are calling him “White Wolf.” Shuri greets Bucky and tells him he has much to learn. End of scene. This scene implies that Bucky has been cured of his brainwash and is safe enough to be let out of the cryogenic chamber.
The second post-credits scene shows Bucky waking up from a tent near the river. The Wakandan kids are calling him “White Wolf.” Shuri greets Bucky and tells him he has much to learn. End of scene. This scene implies that Bucky has been cured of his brainwash and is safe enough to be let out of the cryogenic chamber.
Sucks that Klaue died. He was a great secondary villain that could have been elevated to main villain status in the future.
“Delete that footage!” lol
If they really wanted to hide Wakanda’s true nature from Ross, they could have had him placed in a normal clinic when he was still unconscious and recuperating.
I like the fact that Killmonger defeated T'Challa fair and square. It's nice to see the hero not be the best fighter once in a while.
The war rhino was awesome. The field battle with the war rhinos reminded me of LOTR or The Hobbit.
Though they didn't reveal the Soul Stone in the movie, I still believe that it is in Wakanda in the form of the vibranium deposit or the Stone was inside the meteor or it was the meteor that crashed in Wakanda. Similar to the Aether, the Vibranium could be reshaped depending on the wielder.
Plus the fact that the herb that grants its user not only Black Panther powers but also access to the spirit realm makes me believe more that the Soul Stone is underneath Wakanda.
I'll add more when I get back.
“Delete that footage!” lol
If they really wanted to hide Wakanda’s true nature from Ross, they could have had him placed in a normal clinic when he was still unconscious and recuperating.
I like the fact that Killmonger defeated T'Challa fair and square. It's nice to see the hero not be the best fighter once in a while.
The war rhino was awesome. The field battle with the war rhinos reminded me of LOTR or The Hobbit.
Though they didn't reveal the Soul Stone in the movie, I still believe that it is in Wakanda in the form of the vibranium deposit or the Stone was inside the meteor or it was the meteor that crashed in Wakanda. Similar to the Aether, the Vibranium could be reshaped depending on the wielder.
Plus the fact that the herb that grants its user not only Black Panther powers but also access to the spirit realm makes me believe more that the Soul Stone is underneath Wakanda.
I'll add more when I get back.
