Black Panther (2018) Movie Review
Synopsis:
Following the wake of his father’s death, Prince T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns to Wakanda to become its new king. Meanwhile, international arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) intends to steal vibranium. Helping him is Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), who has a mission to take Wakanda’s throne.
Review:
Black Panther made his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War (2016).
As expected, Chadwick Boseman returned to play Marvel’s Wakandan hero once again.
Under Creed (2015) director Ryan Coogler, Black Panther explores some interesting themes. It also introduces several new characters into the fold.
It can stumble, though. This is because of its inconsistent visuals and some cast members feeling underdeveloped.
While Wakanda’s visuals are unique enough, other areas are not as consistent in quality.
Take Black Panther's final act, for example. It abandons stakes in favor of yet another CGI slugfest.
These visuals are evident in both the action and the portrayal of Wakanda’s environments.
There’s no sense of wonder, as it’s clear these backgrounds are on a studio green screen.
This visual inconsistency breaks an audience’s immersion. Instead, a movie's visuals should invest them in the experience.
Certain cast members are also not used to their full potential. Take Andy Serkis' arms dealer, Ulysses Klaue as an example.
Making a brief appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Andy gets more scenery to chew on in Ryan Coogler’s film.
He lets loose and is by far the movie’s most charismatic actor.
His character is soon killed. This limits the potential avenues Marvel could have taken him.
Black Panther’s second half focuses on Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). Michael provides a good physical performance as Killmonger as a whole.
Jordan’s performance is worthy of note from this standpoint.
There are times, though, when his character acts as a typical thug. This comes across in some of his line delivery.
As a whole, this may have been because of the script’s nature rather than Michael’s performance.
Still, he’s a good antagonist whose motivations should've been more of a focus.
What Black Panther does well as a film is exploring Wakanda as a nation and how vibranium influences its technology.
This comes across in the unique gadgets and ideas that are in the film.
T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), is the character who introduces them.
These are on full display during an action scene, taking place in Busan, South Korea.
Busan’s neon city lights also highlight this sequence. It's also complemented by its fast-paced nature and sense of momentum.
T’Challa’s second in command, Okoye (Danai Gurira) also shines in this sequence, with some solid stunt work.
Stunts across the board are well done. Black Panther's main highlights are the fights with tribal-based weaponry.
There are two key sequences involving these. Both of these are impactful with good choreography.
Black Panther's tribal fights and the Busan chase are its most entertaining action sequences.
Aside from these, most other action sequences are basic in comparison.
Ludwig Göransson’s original score also helps to enhance proceedings. Take, for example, his themes for certain characters.
T’Challa’s theme takes influence from more African music. Killmonger’s theme is hip-hop clashing with tribal instruments.
Ludwig's music makes more of an impact compared to both actors’ performances in retrospect.
Conclusion:
To conclude, Black Panther is an above-average Marvel entry.
It also makes competent use of new ideas and has some good performances.
Black Panther's CGI-heavy final act and certain characters lack development. Despite these issues, it's a recommended film for MCU or Black Panther fans.
Sam’s Action Reaction score:
Characters - 7/10
Story - 6.5/10
Action - 6/10
CGI and visuals - 7/10
Soundtrack - 7/10
Overall score: 6.7 out of 10
