Black Panther

Black Panther has got people throbbing, some saying it gave rise to Africa in the MCU. Critic's seem to all love it... reviews have been rave, even before the movie actually opened in Theaters.

I found it funny, touching, strong as well as weak at some points... I do have to say that it has been over-hyped. It's not as good as Age of Ultron, and many of MCU releases. It didn't have a true villain we grew hatred for, Killmonger was just some angry kid to be honest.

The women, do pick it up though, I'd hang a few but all of them did this movie good. Their roles infused well with the plot, and none of them disappointed me.

To be honest with everyone else, I'd pretty much say that (as a black person) we loved Black Panther for it's cast and setting... Culturally - Black Panther is one of the greatest film's ever made, but Critically - It doesn't really deserve the universal acclaim. 7/10

Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler, tells the story of the new King T'Challa of Wakanda who must learn to handle the responsibilities of this title. Chadwick Boseman reprises his role as the Black Panther and goes up against his nemesis Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan.

Pros: Coogler has already proven himself to be an excellent director after movies like Fruitvale Station and Creed (both starring Jordan), but he showcases his full talents in Black Panther when given a huge budget to work with. The movie looks beautiful with bright lush colors. The soundtrack and musical score are also very good. At its heart, the movie's message is very profound and relevant to real world politics.

As expected, Boseman is awesome as T'Challa. His character goes through so much and his development throughout is handled perfectly. The best scenes of this movie are when he has to look within himself to find answers when the people he always trusted let him down. The cast in general has very good chemistry. T'Challa's relationship with his sister Shuri (Letiitia Wright) is very funny and it's easy to buy them as siblings. His relationship with his love Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) is even better. It would be criminal not to mention Danai Gurira and what she gives this movie from an action standpoint. Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger is without a doubt the best villain the MCU has presented so far. His motivations are so clear and his ideology directly challenges T'Challa's. He is physically and psychologically the perfect adversary for Black Panther.

Cons: The pacing of the movie is a bit odd. It moves pretty quickly until everything comes to a head at the very end. More time should have been spent in between to flesh out the side characters and let the emotions sink in. In addition, the action scenes are not among Marvel's best. The last battle between Panther and Killmonger in particular is pretty disappointing in all honesty. The CGI felt unfinished and they could have been cut together better.

Overall, Black Panther is a triumph for the MCU and its societal connotations. This is, in my opinion, the best origin movie that Marvel has made because of its amazing hero, great cast of role characters, and truly menacing villain.

Black Panther gets an A.

"Black Panther" follows some typical superhero plot points, but it does make a few changes along the way. Perhaps the biggest is in how the villain is represented. He doesn't really play a big part until close to an hour into the film. Until then, we are entertained by a more minor villain named Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis). There are several stabs at humor (not unusual for a Marvel flick), and thankfully the jokes are very good-natured and funny.

Speaking of the villain, he's one of the most interesting villains Marvel's put together. He's given interesting reasons behind taking over Wakanda. Michael B. Jordan gives an energetic performance that adds a layer or two more than what you might expect a villain to have. As for Boseman, he aptly provides the heart and soul of the strong but gentle-hearted character. Lupita N'yongo gives a memorable performance as the kind Nakia. Movie fans and "Lord of the Rings"/"Hobbit" fans, may be excited to see Martin Freeman (reprising from "Civil War") and Serkis together again in an interesting scene. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, however. This makes veteran actors such as Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker have less screentime than people might have hoped for.

Ludwig Gorannson's score cleverly mixes African beats with some orchestral pieces. The production design and costume design carry bits and pieces of originality and uniqueness. The visual effects, like most superhero movies, are impressive, but sometimes over-the-top. The action sequences are exciting, but the camera work is a bit shaky in places.

As for the usual Marvel elements, Stan Lee's cameo doesn't disappoint. And the second post-credits scene is worth waiting for.

Lasted an hour before I bailed. I like the cast but the movie is done in by terrible writing that most of the actors could not overcome. Halfway through the film and there's little to no character development. I have no reason to care about 99.9% of the people on the screen. As a huge fan of the preceding films, I expected much more from Black Panther. Very disappointing. The hype and over-the-top praise of this movie is misplaced.

A great addition to the MCU. Great acting, beautiful visuals and some intense action. First impressive thing I noticed was its rich attention to detail in world building and its characters. My only criticism, I would have like to have seen more of the Killmonger character, as I feel they didn't go far enough with him. Over-all, this is a fun and enjoyable movie with action, comedy, drama. There are some complex social political overtones mixed in, but it never feels heavy handed, and I feel that the over-all message is positive for humanity as a whole. If this type of movie isn't your cup of tea, fair enough, but if you are on the fence about watching due to pre-conceived notions about its content and message, I would recommend you give it a try, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.