Black Panther

BLACK PANTHER (12)

D: Ryan Coogler

Disney/Marvel (Kevin Feige)

USA 🇺🇸 2018

134 mins

Science Fiction/Fantasy

W: Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole [based on characters created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby]

DP: Rachel Morrison

Ed: Michael P. Shawver & Debbie Berman

Mus: Ludwig Göransson

PD: Hannah Beachler

Cos: Ruth E. Carter

Chadwick Boseman (King T'Challa /  Black Panther), Michael B. Jordan (N'Jadaka / Erik 'Killmonger' Stevens), Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia), Letitia Wright (Shuri), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Daniel Kaluuya (W'Kabi), Martin Freeman (Everett K. Ross), Angela Bassett (Ramonda), Forest Whitaker (Zuri), Andy Serkis (Ulysses Klaue)

*SPOILERS*

Superhero Black Panther was initially introduced in 2016's Captain America: Civil War before getting his own solo adventure for Marvel's Cinematic Universe, meeting a divisive response from the audiences, sometimes for the wrong reasons.

I'm not going to entertain political opinion or comment on the cultural benefits that movie alludes to have. It is a comic book adaptation, and that is how it shall be reviewed.

In comparison to some of the stronger MCU films it doesn't quite cut the mustard, but as a standalone companion piece to the other movies it's perfectly entertaining and does a good job introducing the character's origins.

Prince T'Challa becomes the newly crowned King of Watanga, a fictional African region, following the death of his father in Captain America: Civil War. The African land gets power from a fallen meteorite in prehistoric times which have enriched them with technology and magic, but the truth is kept secret from the outside world in case it falls into the wrong hands, such as the warmongering villains in this movie who seek to bring about a new world order with Watanga's technology.

The plot to the film does seem to draw inspiration from The Lion King, Thor and African folklore, and there is a bit of a slow build up to the handful of action scenes which are quite erratic in their execution, some of which seem to have been following the Michael Bay handbook of filmmaking, which is a huge shame. 

Still, much of the visual element of the film is impressive, though some of the effects could do with another lick of paint. There can't be any complaints with the performances, though some of the jokes feel completely out of place.

One minor irritant (SPOILER ALERT) is that the titular hero is bested fair and square in the challenge to take his crown, but wins it back with the aid of others. Isn't that cheating?? 

All in all, it's well worth the price of a cinema ticket and adds another entertaining chapter to the Marvel franchise.

For some reason, the Oscars thought this was good enough to nominate for Best Picture...

6/10

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (12)

D: Ryan Coogler

Disney / Marvel (Kevin Feige & Nate Moore)

US 🇺🇸 2022

161 mins

Science Fiction/Fantasy

W: Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole [based on characters created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby]

DP: Autumn Durand Arkapaw

Ed: Michael P. Shawver, Kelley Dixon & Jennifer Lame

Mus: Ludwig Göransson

PD: Hannah Beachler

Cos: Ruth E. Carter

Letitia Wright (Shuri), Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Winston Duke (M’Baku), Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda), Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor), Martin Freeman (Everett K. Ross)

It was always going to be a tough ask following up on 2018’s Black Panther following the unexpected death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, and this sequel sadly does so in such a basic way, by having the eponymous character pass away due to a mysterious illness so the torch can be passed to his younger sister, Shuri, as the Kingdom of Wakanda comes under threat due to an underwater civilisation who also have access to the magical element, Vibranium, which had previously allowed Wakanda to flourish.

There’s just something about this that doesn’t feel earned and just feels like passing the baton for the sake of making even more money for the Disney juggernaut that is pumping out more and more Marvel super hero movies than we really need.

All the production elements are fine, particularly the set designs & costumes, makeup and visual effects, but it’s just more of the same superhero formula that’s become too accustomed to since Marvel movies became a dime a dozen.

I’m sure there’s a community of people who will appreciate this, but I just found it boring, far too long and completely unnecessary. 

5/10