Black Panther Review

T'Challa

Synopsis: After the death of his father, T'Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T'Challa's mettle as king -- and as Black Panther -- gets tested when he's drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.

Taking place immediately after Captain America: Civil War, T'Challa (Black Panther) returns home to assume the mantle of king, after his father, T'Chaka dies, torn between being a good man and a good king to his people, sending him on a journey of discovery of himself and what it really means to be king of Wakanda.

Wakanda

First of all, the movie enchants with mind blowing visuals! Let that sink in, the cinematography is top notch stuff and that alone can have you running to see it for another time. Ryan Coogler showed us that the idea of the Black Panther possesses both religious and political symbolism. The story is well written as it is delivered by a host of talented actors. As characters go, the movie gave us an interesting feel in the shoes of its main villain, Killmonger.

Here Black Panther does not only give you a villain you can connect with, you instantly understand his frustration and motivations, it also breaks the curse of mirrored villains (villains that look exactly like the superhero involved), Killmonger has no special abilities but pushed his body to it's physical limits, he's smart; went to MIT and he's the first villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have the main protagonist elevate form just being a superhero to having to deal with various issues e.g. insurgencies in his kingdom), in other words, he is hardly forgettable. And since his introduction, he changed the pace of the movie and eventually T'Challa's world view.

Unfortunately, it omits the amazing performances of the more subtle characters, enter M'baku, W'kabi and Nakia. I just think they are interesting pieces of the Black Panther mythos and weren't delved into enough. There's hardly anything to not like about the movie, even how "too good" T'Challa may appear.

Black Panther is not only just a well delivered adventure, it celebrates Africa the Black Culture in general and is a political statement. Easily a 9/10, Wakanda Forever!


Miscellaneous
Soundtrack Album is Fire!
MCU Easter Eggs
James Bond references
Another Stan Lee cameo
Stay in the Cinema though, it has TWO post-credit scenes!