Certificate: 12A
Running time: 134 minutes
Directed by: Ryan Coogler.
What's it about: After the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, T'challa returns home to take his rightful place on the throne. However when a powerful enemy emerges to challenge T'challa, he is drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk.
The verdict: After his successful appearance in Captain America: Civil War, fans had high expectations for a Black Panther centric film. And I think it is safe to say that these expectations have been met.
From its opening titles, Black Panther is highly engaging and visually brilliant. The plot is simple and the narrative is clear, meaning that Black Panther is easy to watch and to get involved in - it doesn't get bogged down in sub plots or caught up in furthering the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Black Panther concentrates on its characters and their much loved homeland of Wakanda. Because of this focus on Wakanda and its citizens, one of Black Panther's greatest strengths is in its strong cultural identity and bold, vibrant colours.
Black Panther also benefits from a great cast and strong performances. Chadwick Boseman is a perfect choice as the titular character and he is supported well, particularly by Danai Gurira as Okoye and Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia who are both excellent. One of the things I especially liked about Black Panther was that the female characters are incredibly strong and well written. Overall the writing as a whole is very good. There are also a couple of unexpected twists that mean that Black Panther keeps your interest throughout.
The action sequences are awesome, and as I watched them I was utterly focused on taking in as much as possible. The soundtrack is also brilliant, and this also adds to the film's overall appeal and identity.
As I watched Black Panther there wasn't really anything that jarred the experience or stood out particularly in a critical sense. I did find that Martin Freeman's character, Everett. K Ross, was slightly superfluous. Although he does play a part in proceedings, he wasn't necessarily needed and it felt a bit like he was only there to provide a link to previous films. The only other criticism I would have would be that the climax is a little bit formulaic compared to the rest of the film. However taking the film as a whole and taking into consideration my enjoyment of it, and I would have to say that these issues were minor.
Overall, I loved Black Panther. It is a completely self contained Marvel film, and it feels refreshing and original. The excellent visuals, strong characterisation and awesome soundtrack make it highly entertaining, watchable and definitely puts it up there as one of Marvel's best.
Should you watch this film? Absolutely! Its a definite must see for Marvel fans, but even non fans would enjoy this one. And it looks great on the big screen - a cinematic treat.
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