A lot of sound and fury
BLACK PANTHER Direction: Ryan Coogler Actors: Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright Rating:
This will go down as one of the rare comic-book adaptations by the Marvel movie factory to fail.
Yes, Black Panther finally brings the first Black comicbook superhero to the screen. But sadly that’s about it.
Introduced in Captain America: Civil War (2016), the prince of the mythical African nation of Wakanda has ascended the throne following the murder of his father. The vibranium-rich region now faces a fresh challenge — an American mercenary aptly named Killmonger is determined to unseat the new king.
The rest of the two-hourplus narrative is mostly frenetic action set pieces — swords and spears, car chases, an armoured rhino.
The ensemble cast features plenty of African-American talent, including Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett (as the Queen Mother) and best of all, Letitia Wright, as the tech-whiz younger sister.
To the credit of the film, the crew is predominantly Black. Besides writer-director Ryan Coogler (Creed), there’s cinematographer Rachel Morrison and production designer Hannah Beachler.
The stunts are feeble, though; the special effects fail to wow. Even the end-credit teasers aren’t fun. Expect to leave the theatre more exhausted than entertained.