Start The Movie Already

Conditions: Still Stifling

Film Review: Black Panther

What I want to make clear from the outset is that I've been watching Marvel movies for like 10 years now, and I am tired.  Tired of waiting, tired of new face after new face being added to the register.  Marvel are to be praised for the hard work and precision at assembling such a wide range of characters with different personalities and meshing them into this one world so well.  But.  I really want to get on with this.  Enough teasing, enough fanfare, let's just bring in the big intergalactic bad guy and get on with it.

It is with this mindset I settled down for the latest newest superhero origin film, Black Panther.  This has made headlines for it being a film filled with African actors, and is set mainly in the fictional country of Wakanda, in Africa.  The film is concerned with the African nation and influences on it, and even has references to how Africans even in America are suffering.  It's has some informed commentary about how a powerful and hidden nation in the middle of Africa would feel about it's continent and responsibilities regarding how they fit into the rest of the world.

The story itself is built along familiar lines.  With the old king dead the new prince is crowned king, but is apparently then challenged by a long lost cousin, who grew up in America and holds a grudge at being left behind.  The new guy seemingly wins the crown and takes over with a mind to attach all the western nations, and it's up to the old king, rising from the dead, to take back the crown.  There's a lot of intrigue, some Bondian type stunts and gadgets, and some big battles at the finale.  I liked the film, it was very stylish and spent the time to build up the characters so they had value in the story.  Being a comic book film it relies on some crazy ideas, not just the special fruit that gives superpowers or the special asteroid rock allows the building of amazing gadgets, or that a modern superpower would still equip it's army only with spears and swords, but also that a King would even allow someone to come to him and challenge his throne and his kingdom, after he had become the King.  The whole thing was pretty crazy.  Bring on Thanos.  Three spears out of five.

- Peace out