Black Panther is such a unique film. I wasn’t sure if it'd live up to the hype. But it totally did. The movie is groundbreaking and It feels tighter and more focused than any other Marvel flick. This isn’t just a fun superhero movie, but an actually great movie regardless of genre.
Black Panther has a thoughtful script with great political commentary and some social criticism that really makes you think. It was masterly direct by Ryan Coogler, one of the most talented young directors in Hollywood right now. He has a short, but an excellent track record. And if you've seen Creed or Fruitvale Station this assessment comes with absolutely no surprise.
Coogler managed to build a very complex and interesting world. Wakanda is such an awesome place! The costumes and sets design is absolutely gorgeous. And I loved the majesty and complexity of its people. The soundtrack is perfect. The use of traditional tribal music blended with modern hip-hop elements was absolutely brilliant.
The cast is also outstanding. They managed to get so many talented people together. Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan may be the two main leads of the movie but Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong'o are amazing as supporting cast. Such strong female characters, I loved them. Andy Serkis also stepped up to the occasion and played a tremendous villain. Klaue is pure insanity. The character reminded me a little bit of the Joker sometimes. And, the Soundcloud joke was probably the one I laughed the loudest.
I also really liked the Killmonger and his motivations. He really walked the line between villain and anti-hero. And he is definitely my favorite MCU villain thus far. Michael B Jordan was the perfect choice for this role. I can’t see anyone else playing this part. It was a shame that his storyline ended up the way it did. I believe that he deserved so much better. Because he came up with an idea that made absolute sense.
And finally, I cannot talk about the cast of this movie without mentioning Letitia Wright. She was a notable standout in my opinion. I LOVED Shuri! She is by far my favorite character in the movie. I cannot wait to see the Tony Stark and Shuri scenes in Infinity War. And I hope that ten years from now, Shuri will take over as Black Panther.
The only two things that bugged me a little bit in the movie were - The Overabundance of bad CGI. Especially during the final fight. There was absolutely nothing real in the entire shot and that took me out of it. Also, and I don’t want to go to spoilers territory here, but I thought that some storylines were pretty predictable and a sometimes borderline cheesy. They could have used some stronger writing.
But those are just small nitpicks of mine. Overall, Black Panther is a fantastic movie. A fresh take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe that deserves all of the praise it is receiving.