Black Panther review

BLACK PANTHER:

STYLISH ACTION AND WIT ON TOP OF STRONG CHARACTERS, A WELL FLESHED-OUT STORY, AND A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF DRAMA, NOW THAT’S A KING!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

MARVEL STUDIOS

Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther

            Chadwick Boseman (42, Get on Up, Marshall) reprises his role from Captain America: Civil War as T’Challa, better known as the Black Panther in the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther. In the director’s chair is Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed) and co-starring Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, The Boondocks, Creed), who previously worked with Coogler on the 2015 Rocky spin-off, Creed, these three have brought the world of Wakanda to life.

            I’m convinced Marvel got me hyped for the wrong movie this year, despite being excited for the Black Panther movie, my eyes kept getting drawn towards their next major release, Avengers: Infinity War. Not only is this a solid installment of the MCU but it’s quite possibly one of the best in the entire series.

            Black Panther not only works as a Marvel movie but as a film in general, you can come into it completely blind and still walk out with a smile. The movie is filled with all the Marvel tropes, flashy action, one-liners, and lots of special effects, but add well-developed characters, an engaging story, and some effective drama.

            The film follows T’Challa (Boseman) returning to his isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda, after the events of Captain America: Civil War, to take his place as King. However, an enemy from his past resurfaces known as Killmonger (B. Jordan) with a plan to dethrone him and take over Wakanda, T’Challa’s roles as a king and the Black Panther are put to the ultimate test as he is drawn into a conflict that could put Wakanda and the entire world at risk.

            The film also stars Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Star Wars franchise, The Jungle Book (2016)) as Nakia, Danai Gurira (The Visitor, The Walking Dead, Mother of George) as Okoye, Martin Freeman (The Hobbit trilogy, The World’s End, Whisky Tango Foxtrot) reprising his role from Captain America: Civil War as Everett K. Ross, Daniel Kaluuya (Kick-Ass 2, Sicario, Get Out) as W’Kabi, Letitia Wright (Humans, The Commuter, Ready Player One) as Shuri, Winston Duke (Person of Interest, The Messengers, Modern Family) as M’Baku, Angela Bassett (Boyz n the Hood, Malcolm X, Chi-Raq) as Ramonda, Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, Arrival, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as Zuri, and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Planet of the Apes (2011) trilogy, Star Wars franchise) reprising his role from Avengers: Age of Ultron as Ulysses Klaue.

            Overall, Black Panther is an exhilarating thrill-ride with some thought-provoking storytelling, strong characters, and intelligent and subtle themes of culture and race that aren’t shoved in your face. Themes like racism, power, and identity are addressed in the film, as well as plenty of time to establish the lifestyle and culture of Wakanda that somehow feels plausible.

            Chadwick Boseman nails it as Black Panther and, in my opinion, he’s one of the most fascinating heroes I’ve seen in any Marvel property. He’s not just a guy wearing spandex and fighting crime but a man who blurs the line between ruling his country and doing what’s right, he’s quite possibly the most human out of these heroes and I would gladly follow him.

            If there’s anyone in this movie who upstages Boseman, it’s Michael B. Jordan as the villain, Killmonger, which is a huge improvement over his performance in the 2015 Fantastic Four. This is Marvel’s best villain character since Loki and he doesn’t fall victim to the “I am evil just for the sake of being evil” cliché, but rather a lost soul who had a tragic backstory that made him turn to evil (Yeah, get in line Thanos!).

            The visuals and designs of the film are absolutely gorgeous and when watching it in IMAX you feel immersed in the world of Wakanda. The colors are vibrant and the everything in Wakanda is filled with imagination that leaps off the screen, kind of like Thor’s Asgard mixed with Avatar’s Pandora and spices of Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy.

            Black Panther delivers both as a Marvel movie and a film in general, the Marvel tropes are subtle, balanced with good story and characters, drama, and a perfect midpoint between style and substance. The king reigns supreme and is certainly worth several more visits to Wakanda, I know I’m not done watching it.