NEW SUPERHERO
Jakob Postlewaite reviews “Black Panther”.
“Black Panther” is an American superhero movie directed by Ryan Coogler. It is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.
The film stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa who has recently been crowned king of Wakanda, a secret technologically advanced African nation. He also serves as its warrior protector, the Black Panther. He must struggle to protect Wakanda from threats outside and inside the country.
For those of you who don’t know, “Black Panther” is part of a franchise called the Marvel Cinematic Universe — a series of films that are interconnected and all take place in the same universe.
The MCU is comprised of Marvel Comics superheroes that are owned by Disney. This includes the Avengers, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy and much more. It does not include other Marvel properties like X-Men movies, movies by DC Comics (“Batman,” “Superman,” “Wonder Woman”) or any Marvel movies that came out before “Iron Man” in 2008. “Black Panther” is the 18th edition to the MCU.
One thing this film does really well is establish the world of Wakanda. So much so that you could believe this society existed in secret.
The film deals with themes of leadership. You see this young leader struggle with the decision of whether or not Wakanda will join the rest of the world. He knows if he shares his technology with the world, it could help a lot of people, but it could also destroy the world.
The film’s story is strong and subverts a lot of clichés in the superhero genre. It’s an actionpacked superhero film and an intriguing political drama.
It’s hard to say that the visual effects were amazing, because they seem to be amazing in every movie now, but this film’s visual effects are amazing. I loved the use of inventive designs and bright colours.
Speaking of designs, the costumes in this film are top notch as well.
Another strong part of this film is the actors.
Chadwick Boseman gives a great performance as T’Challa. You see him struggling to be a good man and make the best decisions for his people. Another standout performer is Letitia Wright who plays T’Challa’s sister, Shuri. She is an inventor in Wakanda and acts as Black Panther’s version of Q. Wright did a great job with the role, she was smart, funny and brought a fun dynamic to the film.
A part of these movies that always seems to be lacking is the villains. In most Marvel films the villains are underdeveloped and don’t have much going on other than accomplishing their goal. The villains in this film subvert that theory,
The first one is Ulysses Klaue, a black-market arms dealer played by Andy Serkis. This is an unconventional role for Serkis, who usually plays roles like Gollum or King Kong. He brings a lot of fun and energy to his character. The other is Erik (Killmonger) Stevens, a man who wants to overthrow T’Challa. I can’t go much into his character without spoiling the film, but he is one of the most compelling villains in a Marvel films to date. He is so great that he does something that only great villains can: make you understand and empathize with them.
In the end, “Black Panther” was a fantastic film. It had great visual effects, strong acting and a story that kept up a good pace throughout the film. It’s a strong entry into the MCU and sets a new standard for comic book films.
The next step for the MCU is “Avengers: Infinity War.” This is the culmination of all of the films that came before it.
Black Panther is set to appear and will team up with the Avengers to fight Thanos, the cosmic titan who seeks to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet to take over the universe. If you want to follow Black Panther and the other Avengers, be sure to check it out when it arrives in May.
“Black Panther” is playing now at Cineplex Cinemas Sydney.