Black Panther has taken the world by storm, both the film and the cologne. To be frank, I had no desire to see this film. I also had no desire to see Ant Man and Dr. Strange and was pleasantly surprised by both. I also had no desire to see Batman V Superman and the first 2 Thor films and hated them all. I wasn’t familiar with Black Panther growing up; he was as tertiary as Ant Man and Dr. Strange so why make an entire film about him? It opened on Rotten Tomatoes at 99%; which made me afraid that with today’s racial climate, people would inflate their scores to come off as “woke” and not racist. Is white guilt playing a role in the success of this film? Is this going to get the female Ghostbusters/Wonder Woman treatment? Who shot first, Han or Greedo? Clearly Greedo shot first and missed and any of you who think otherwise is wrong.
Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to Wakanda, his home country in Africa, after the death of his father in Captain America 3. Wakenda sits on a treasure trove of Vibranium, the same stuff his suit and Captain America’s shield is made of. They’re a technologically advanced nation although they hide their success right in plain sight to blend in with the other African nations. T’Challa becomes king of Wakanda and has his family that supports him in many ways. His sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), plays Q to Panther’s James Bond. His mother, (Angela Bassett) is queen of Wakanda. Daniel Kuluuya (Get Out) plays T’Challa’s best friend and solider. Panther also has an army of kickass women soldiers that protect him, including his ex, Lupita Nyong’o. We learn that N’Jobu, Panther’s uncle, was killed while stationed on Earth. Enter Erik Killmonger (Michael B Jordan), Panther’s cousin; who is hellbent on revenge for his father’s death and through military training, will stop at nothing to kill T’Challa and take over as King of Wakanda. Killmonger wants to supply all suppressed minorities around the world with the Vibranium and technology so they can no longer be the little guy.
Are there nods to any of the other Marvel characters? Very, very few. Andy Serkis reprises his role as Klaw, an arms dealer who fought off the Avengers in Cap 3. Other than that, no other call backs to the other Marvel films except the end credits which I won’t spoil. Now, for the social themes. A lot of people are talking about the female empowerment in this film. Those lady bodyguards do kick ass and it’s not contrived one bit. It’s completely believable and they’re a welcome mixture of action and comedy. Director Ryan Coogler does a fantastic job of portraying African rituals and pride while spinning the tale of Black Panther. I’ve seen a lot of people post on social media this is the best comic book film ever. It’s not. I’ve seen some people post that Killmonger is the best villain in a comic book film ever. He’s very, very good but c’mon, not the best. Heath Ledger as the Joker will be damn near impossible to unseat and I’ll even throw Magneto, Green Goblin, and Vulture (Michael Keaton) in that group of untouchables. Is this film as a masterpiece like others pain it to be? No. I felt that it drag a tad here and there. The action was solid, the plot flowed smoothly, and the jokes worked. But it’s damn solid and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I’ll bet that you will as well.
Score of 7.5/10
Kevin Gootee 