dvd reviews

Black Panther

Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Chadwick Boseman,

Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis.

Rating: (TBC) ★★★+

Release date: May 30

THE film begins in the wake of the bombing in Captain America:

Civil War that killed King T’Chaka (John Kani). After the death of his father, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. The transition is threatened from outside forces who want to get their hands on the country’s most valuable asset, vibranium.

The script for the massive box office hit by director Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole shows there’s room for both brain and brawn when it comes to the genre. There’s a maturity to their story that’s a major leap forward for a Marvel movie in both respecting the audience and the material.

Black Panther does have its problems. Coogler gets a little bogged down with scenes to the point they begin to edge towards the tedious. There’s a massive car chase scene where Black Panther gets to show off his skills that should have stopped a few kilometres sooner. And, much of where the film is headed is telegraphed so loudly it almost drowns out critical dialogue. Take note. If a character in a movie spends a long time explaining how a piece of equipment works, you can be certain that machinery will become an important part of the story.

It would be enough to herald Black

Panther because of how it prominently features a black superhero. It’s still a major move forwards.