Harry Situation Reviews: Black Panther

Dear Marvel,

Once again you've forced me to rearrange my favorite MCU movie list. Keep up the good work.

After making his awesome debut in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther finally receives his own film from the MCU line-up and it kicks ass. Immediately picking up after the events of Civil War, T'Challa (reprised by Chadwick Boseman) must take up the throne as the king of the most advanced civilization in the world, the fictional African nation of Wakanda; as well as claim the mantle as the countries sole guardian as the Black Panther. However T'Challa finds it difficult balancing both duties, especially when an outsider named Killmonger (played by Fan4stic's Michael B. Jordan) threatens to take the throne for himself. Additional cast members include The Hobbit legends Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis reprising previous Marvel roles as Everett Ross and Ulysses Klaue respectively. And new members join the MCU such as Lupita Nyong'o as love interest/Wakandan spy Nakia, Walking Dead's Danai Gurira as the king's bodyguard Okoye, Letitia Wright as T'Challa's super smart sister Shuri, and acting legend Forest Whitaker as elder tribesman Zuri. The film was directed by Ryan Coolger, who is best known for his successful works with Fruitvale Station and Creed, and now it appears he's successful with this film as well.

I've been a huge fan of Black Panther for a long time and I couldn't wait to see him in his own movie. My first discovery of the Black Panther came all the way back in 2006 where he was featured in an animated movie called Ultimate Avengers 2. While that version wasn't quite accurate to the comic book counterpart, it was enough to get me interested in the character. I started checking out a few of his comics and learned much more. The character was also featured in the animated series Avengers: Earth's Mightest Heroes and easily became one of my favorite characters in that series. Now that he's got his own film all I can say is yeah, the critics were definitely right about this film. It's really good.

First positive is Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther. He first demonstrated that he was right for the role back in Civil War, and here he proves that he is the Black Panther. He just owns the role flawlessly. I especially love how it's such a struggle for him to find his place as a king and a guardian. That's what I was hoping to see in a movie like this. I also like how through his role as king he as come to see the sins of his previous generations have done not just to Wakanda but the rest of the world by keeping Wakanda so isolated and secretive, and how he goes about to right those wrongs.

All the actors in this movie do great work. I especially like Letitia Wright as T'Challa's sister. She brings most of the comedy in this movie.

There's another positive right there: the comedy. Like any Marvel movie, I expect some good comedy. However, the comedy in this film does not overshadow the drama, which was perfect. That was one of the big issues I had with Thor: Ragnorak, even though that film was already established as a superhero comedy. But the comedy should not be the big thing for a Marvel movie. It's the drama and emotional core of the characters that drives it.

But what I especially like is how the fictional African nation Wakanda is portrayed in this film. They called it the most beautiful country in the world and they were not lying. This is by far the most accurate and best looking portrayal of the nation. I love how much the culture they've incorporated. This felt so real to me that I actually want to know more. That's how you know your film made an impact. If you're invested in its culture. The Wakandan language has been adapted into the movie through dialogue, accents, and even in the film's soundtrack. I really do want to be apart of this culture. I really do want to learn more about Wakanda. I can't stop thinking about it honestly.

Ryan Coolger really proves that he is a great director. I already liked his two previous films, and I thought he expertly directed Black Panther. He can film some really great action sequences. My favorite part in the movie is the epic car chase where Black Panther is chasing down one of his rogues Ulysses Klaue through the streets of South Korea. Just a great moment!

However there is one or two notable flaws I must address about this film. First off is the villain Killmonger. I'm sorry to say but I wasn't feeling for it. Yeah I know many critics like the villain, one of them proclaiming that he's up there with Heath Ledger's Joker (seriously?), but I didn't think he was all that interesting. Don't get me wrong, his motivations were perfectly clear and I definitely understand where the guy's coming from, but again, for some reason I just wasn't impressed. You can claim that I have a personal bias against actor Michael B. Jordan because of his performance in Fan4stic, which is one of my most hated movies of all time, I'll say whatever. Don't get me wrong again, Jordan was really good as a villain, but that's when he shows up. He's there for only the second half of the movie just to say, "I'm the bad guy here, bitches." Otherwise you kinda forget that he's there, which I found it as a problem.

Additionally when I watched Jeremy Jahns' review of the movie, he mentioned that it felt like they crammed Black Panther and a sequel into one movie. Watching the film I have to agree. I'm not sure if the writers and producers had two different ideas and decided to go with both or what the case was. But it did feel like two different movies made up this one movie and it felt a little unbalanced to me. Luckily it wasn't enough to take me out of the movie.

I will say one more thing that this film does well at. This film does have an effective message behind it. I like how a film doesn't preach to the audience, which was one of the flaws of The Last Jedi. The message is subtle and clear. A nation should not just serve its own people, but all people throughout the world. Being isolated is not a solution, it is a problem. The world should not be separate nations but one whole nation. I really thought that was an effective message. That's not something that America should learn, but all nations around the world. We should be using our resources to bring ourselves closer together instead of dividing us.

Overall Marvel knocks another out of the park with Black Panther. It's got everything you could ever ask for in a Marvel movie plus more. Believe me, you'll definitely enjoy this film.

Positives:

-Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther

-Great performances throughout

-Great directing

-Great comedy

-The Wakandan culture

-Great action

-Subtle message

Negatives:

-Villain

-Felt like 2 movies

Final Grade: A

So that's my review of Black Panther. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? After this film, are you excited to see Avengers: Infinity War? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose.

Best Quote:

T'Chaka: "You are a good man, with a good heart. And it's hard for a good man to be a king."

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