Black Panther – “Long Live the King”

After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king.

Black Panther gets tested when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the /fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.

Reviews:

Caryn – I have had a few days to process everything after watching Black Panther and I’m still mesmerized. I keep thinking it’s a fever dream that I’ve had, but even know I couldn’t imagine anything as amazing as what I saw on screen.

The story, in and of itself, tells what happened to T’Challa after his father’s death in Captain America: Civil War, as he is crowned king of Wakanda, the challenges to his rule and the difficult decisions he needs to make between doing the right thing and doing what is right for his people.

I mentioned it in my ‘knee-jerk’ response but one thing that truly impressed me about the script was that all the side characters were complete full characters with their own motivations and personalities. Okoye, the head of the Dora Milaje, is funny, interesting and heartwarming as well as being completely badass. Nakia, is not just T’Challa’s love interest, she has her own interests and ambitions, and she plays her own role in the film separate to T’Challa. Shuri, is not just the princess of Wakanda and T’Challa’s sister, she is a technical genius and gqom lover, who is funny and quirky too.

MIchael B. Jordan’s Eric a.k.a Killmonger is a formidable villain that was played with such nuance and charisma that he had me sympathising with a Marvel villain for the first time since Loki. The chemistry between Jordan’s character and Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa was excellent as well, and illuminated through the screen. Their conflict felt painful and real, and that in and of itself is a testament to both actors’ acting.

The world of Wakanda was like the promised land in the middle of a warfield, but the film does not shy away from this point. It directly hits the irony of having such a rich and prosperous land in the middle of poverty and conflict, as well as the plight of black people across the globe.

The film doesn’t read like it’s part of the MCU, much like Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok, and even the first Guardians of the Galaxy that it felt like a film on its own, so that years in the future for the audience that won’t watch the MCU movies in complete order will treasure and enjoy Black Panther on its own. It’s an authentic story, and unique in that it displays Africa in a way we haven’t seen before, it shows the continent that many of us are proud to call home. It talks about the effects of colonialism without it being a sob story. It shows victorious, patriotic and technologically advanced Africans.

It’s the story we’ve been waiting for, and it does the continent justice. I can’t wait to see more of T’Challa and the rest of Wakanda.

Rating: 9/10

Stephen – This is the third review I’ve done for Black Panther, so I’m going to be re-iterating some of the same things I said before: The film is bold, ambitious and unashamed of what it is, embracing its Blackness and showing a very unique side of the world in the broader MCU.

Black Panther tells a very personal story but ties it to much broader ideas around identity, globalization and Black Consciousness. I love that the movie stands very firmly on its own and doesn’t try and contort in weird ways just to tie in with that next MCU movie. Set-up for what lies ahead is way more subtle and this film feels like it can truly exist outside of the MCU (minus a few connections here and there).

Ryan Coogler’s direction is just amazing, and at 31 years old we should all be envious of the remarkable work this man has already done so early in his career. This guy is 3/3 with Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther all being considered successes in some way or form. I’m excited to see what lies ahead for him.

I can’t wait to see this movie in IMAX. It’s going to be so glorious.

Rating: 9/10

Brad – The first thing that always comes to mind when people as me what I thought of Black Panther is how fresh it feels. Marvel Studios have been experimenting with their directors and their styles since Guardians of the Galaxy, and I LOVED Ryan Coogler’s take on Black Panther.

One of my favourite things about Black Panther is how well Africa is represented. It shows our beautiful continent off like no other film I’ve seen, making the fictional country of Wakanda feel familiar. The landscapes, the music, the clothing and most importantly, the people. Everything is so beautifully represented that you can not help but leave the cinema with a sense of pride for our continent. Ryan Coogler and his team have quite obviously worked very hard at building a world that feels real. This film gave me goosebumps for all the right reasons. I want to visit Wakanda!

The characters were all so brilliantly written & fleshed-out as well. I actually cared about all of the characters. I think it says something great about the film that T’Challa wasn’t even close to being my favourite character. They even made me like Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), after his poor first outing in Civil War. Andy Serkis’ scene-stealing Ulysses Klaue, with his very hectic South African accent, was also more bearable than he was in Age of Ultron. I could go into detail about what made every character awesome, but I wouldn’t want to spoil it.

I felt the plot, interesting as it is, could’ve been a bit deeper. As much as I like to say that Black Panther could stand alone, separate from the MCU, a lot of the film’s backstory stems from Civil War (obviously) & Age of Ultron (when it comes to Klaue). The majority of the film deals with T’Challa coming into power after his father’s death in Civil War, and the politics that come with being King. The overall plot, while still very enjoyable, could’ve had a bit more substance.

If I had one gripe with the film, it would be that the fight scenes could sometimes be a bit confusing in parts. This is down to some overly fast-paced editing (something that I feel has always been a problem in the MCU films), and an over-reliance on CGI. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with these scenes, I just felt that these were the scenes that took me out of the film, when I should be enjoying it as much as I was enjoying the rest of the film. Black Panther is another very good film from Marvel Studios, one of their best I’d say. It is very funny, has an awesome soundtrack and it hits all the right notes when it comes to representing Africa and it’s people. I loved it. Bring on Infinity War!

Rating: 9/10

And finally…these two assclowns

el Proktor and That Nomad Shad –