Review of Black Panther (2018) by Teddy F — 27 Feb 2018

Breaking box office records, does Black Panther live up to the hype? Sort of. It is certainly a good film that will result in a fine time at the cinema, but to say it's better than other MCU movies would be a stretch.

After an appearance in the recent Captain America movie, Civil War, Chadwick Boseman returns to the big screen donning the Black Panther outfit. This time he is ascending to the throne of Wakanda, the third world African nation that isn't all it seems from the outside. Boseman does an adequate job creating the legend called the Black Panther, also known as T'Challa; he is both a force to be reckoned with and a balanced character with quiet intellect and noble ambition. However, T'Challa lacks the charisma of a Captain America or Tony Stark and his character over the course of the film is rather static. This makes him more of a plain superhero in a dope suit. This also leads to many scenes being stolen from him; you likely will remember scenes from the movie because of something someone else said or did. The women surrounding T'Challa, in particular, deserve credit for distinguishing themselves as independent, unique characters that serve as more than the typical female love interest. Danai Gurira (Walking Dead fans will know her as Michonne) plays Okoye, a strong leader of an all-female security/military regiment; her intensity in the role may come off as overly serious, but I think it makes her character more intimidating. Letitia Wright plays Shuri, the younger sister of T'Challa who plays a Lucius Fox-esque role, always looking to improve and create the tech that makes Black Panther so strong. Her playfulness with T'Challa and lively spirit help to lighten the mood. Lupita Nyong'o plays Nakia, who is an untraditional love interest who plays hard to get with T'Challa. The standout of the film, however, is Michael B. Jordan, who plays the menacing antagonist Killmonger with a hunger for vengeance. Jordan is magnetic in the role and one of the more compelling, complicated villains I have seen in this type of movie. What makes Killmonger a special antagonist is that his anger is both understandable and reasonable. His grand statements are based on sensible arguments and his goals go beyond simply taking over the world. I only wish his role in the movie was more prominent. Other performances of note include Andy Serkis, who is fun to watch as baddie Ulysses Klaue; Martin Freeman, who pretty much ends up playing Martin Freeman, and Daniel Kaluuya, the Get Out star, who goes underused in the movie and doesn't add much to the story.

Beyond the performances, there are plenty of things to like in Black Panther. The score is solid, driven by the sound beat of a drum and African chorals. I am a fan not only of the Black Panther suit but think the costumes (and makeup) all around were very well done and served as vibrant shows of African culture. However, the movie relies heavily on CGI which I thought at times was too noticeable. My bigger problem, however, was the large-scale battle towards the end of the film which becomes a hectic CG fest. There is a lot going on, but the excess of visuals does little to enhance the film other than to amplify the action. It becomes the same saturated mess that quite frankly, I am tired of watching. The more intimate fights for the throne that take place on a waterfall(?), are much more interesting; each punch and stab is felt by the audience and in turn, you become more engaged in what is happening. Although infrequent, these fights are the best moments in the movie. Unfortunately, one of those fights is not the final showdown between T'Challa and Killmonger.

Black Panther is a solid film that, without a doubt, will entertain. Nonetheless, the film has imperfections. It is a bit predictable, the main protagonist isn't particularly interesting, and the ending turns into a conventional, superhero frenzy without the personal connection great superhero movies like Logan have. I certainly recommend seeing Black Panther, but calling it a tad overrated is not out of the question.