Black Panther (Film Review)

"You are a good man, with a good heart. And it's hard for a good man to be a king."
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, Prince T'Challa / Black Panther is returning home to Wakanda to be crowned King. But his sovereignty and the ways of his kingdom are questioned by a new adversary that threatens the balance and secresy of this advanced kingdom. T'Challa will need to sharpen his claws if he is to remain king and maintain the supernatural powers of the Black Panther!
This is why Black Panther is in my Top 5 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

The Black bulletproof kitty kat Prince T'Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to the secretly technological evolved civilization Wakanda in Africa. After the sad death of his father King T'Chaka in Captain America: Civil War, T'Challa questions his confidence if he is ready to be king and to get over his father's death.
But an old enemy, the infamous black market arms-dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) shows up again and is helping a new enemy get the Wakandan's attention. And could very well disrupt the balance that seperates the Wakandan's secresy from the rest of the world and cause global catastrophe.

It took a short while to write this up, let along get back into the swing of things with writing up blog posts as I have been busy for many months since my last post in Sept 2017 when I was striving to return here to write up loads of posts from the past year (that will have to wait and upload work slowly but surely and out of sync).

But I have to say that this film, blew me out of the water with it's shear amazing screenplay, performances, action, costume design and soundtrack! I was first invited out to see this on Sun 8th April by Kathy and Jack for a early Sunday morning screening. And after being amazed by it, I knew I had to see it again! So I decided to invite my cousins Tom and Charlie with my sis Rebecca to go and see it as a treat on me after TGI Friday's for Charlie's day late 17th Birthday celebrations! Aren't I just the best?!

The story was quite outstanding compared to past MCU films about how our superheroes stories come to light. Only this time, we saw a taste of the Black Panther during the conflict in Civil War and afterwards, got the story the world needed to know before the on-coming storm that will forver dominate the cinema superhero films that is Avengers: Infinity War!

Instead of having a spin-off to The Lion King, we get to witness how surprisingly this ficticious Africa country is secretly more advanced than the rest of the world and how their isolation from the world coud actually do much more for their people out their in the rest of the world. Oh and how a the new King is challenged by an outsider who is more than he seems.

I've got to give (Michael B. Jordan) praise for his role as Erik Stevens / Killmonger  who, I realised after the film was Steve Montgomery in the dark superhero film Chronicle! Anyway, this california kid had a grudge against his majesty for what events happened in 1992 involving both of their fathers. And this US Black-Ops soldier has racked up kills around the world like it's a video game and scarred his body for his kill list, all leading up to take on the King.
I was also pleased with (Andy Serkis)'s mad character Ulysses Klaue that returned since Avengers: Age Of Ultron when he lost his left arm at the hands of Ultron (ironic). But this smuggler who craves and knows his stuff about Vibranium (the most powerful metal on the planet that came to Wakanda from the sky which has also helped create Panther's suit and Captain's Shield) holds a personal vendetta against the  Wakandan's and plots to "expose their hypocrisy" according to his belief.

I was surprised to actually recognise not only (Forest Whitaker)'s role in the film.

But to also spot out (Daniel Kaluuya) who plays W'Kabi, T'Challa's best friend and husband to the leading General Okoye (Danai Gurira) who leads the Dora Milaje, the all-female special forces of Wakanda, who serve as T'Challa's bodyguards. You know what I praise them all every one of them! It was certainly surprising to see him again after his astonishing performance in the dark thriller Get Out where this time he was participating in what must be his heritage and in an awesome Marvel film too!

Oh and before I forget, the CIA agent Everitt Ross / Martin Freeman returns since his debut in Civil War too. Let's take a moment to pause and realise the fact that this is the 2nd time that Andy and Martin a.k.a Bilbo Baggins and Smeagol / Gollum return and are both not only together again in another huge cinema franchise but their like the only 2 white boys in the first Marvel with a predominately black cast!

The second the "Wakanda" theme came on after the opening fight, my gentle smile turned into a Cheshire cat grin as the hairs on my body shot up at the astonishment of pure beautiful African music and Baaba Maal's voice hit me and flooded me with the nostalgia of my trip to South Africa back in Sept 2016. I know it's stereotypical that the white boy that is me, went out to South Africa for 10 days and suddenly I feel a deeper connection to this film haha. But I mean no offence or anything but this film really hits me in the heart and that special theme from this film will now always have a place in my heart until I return to that magnificent country!
The score was composed by Ludwig Göransson who really went the extra mile since he travelled to Senegal and South Africa to record local musicians to help create and really emphasise African music for this film.
Ya know Kendrick Lamar also helped create the curated soundtrack (the album of music inspired by the film and songs featured in the film) and I just about recognised his voice in the ending credits song "All The Stars" after Rebecca pointed it out as we waited for the secrets after the credits.

In this film, Guns are old fashioned and "primitive" according to General Okoye and boy are they. It's really grand when war and action fights return to the historical combat of swords, spears and actual martial arts of fighting instead of ranged weaponry that cause explosion and more damage.
It's something I've found interesting about history how we chose to evolve in weaponry but sorta forgot the effort and true skill it took to wield heavy blades and be more agile and skilled in combat if you were to emerge victorious, ya know? That's why I adored Game Of Thrones... among other reasons why and if you question any, 1v1 me mate! haha

But I praise the combat for it's ritual duties when it comes to honour and death in the film even if it's actually based on an African fighting style or anything. But it's great to see it in a film as it's something new to witness!

I really liked the amount of detail that went into the costumes for everyone on screen. It looked like a more modernised but still ancient traditional take on African fashion and culture. With the advanced difference of Wakanda to possibly the rest of Africa and the world, it helps stand out much more to past African films portrayed by Hollywood. I took this part from Wikipedia which shows that in Kenya, the Maasai people helped inspire 80% of the costume design for the Dora Milaje Wakanda female special forces. Which just goes to show that the costume designers really bought a piece of the real world into this ficticuous film and country! And I truly admire that even if sadly this nation isn't the same in this film.
See the "Designs" section of the Black Panther Wikipedia for more details.

One thing that kept my attention was seeing how the Vibranium was mined and used into everything to do with the city, people, clothing, weaponry, technology etc.

Seeing Princess Shuri's (Letitia Wright) lab and how everyting runs was just breath-taking. It looked so advanced to anything I could have ever imagined to ever see in Africa (no offence intended) but it also held traditional insight such as seeing patterns on the walls of her lab and despite the vast improvement in technology and CGI used for the film compared to real life, there is still true Africa culture, architecture and lifestyle to behold and never forget.

And not to mention the holographical shifting black sand which made up 3D maps, how bracelets could remote control things and show holograms and their screens on beds is just jaw-droppingly beautiful and make me hope that someday the world might create technology like this in the future haha. And oh my god, that stunning African night sky during a very important scene was stunning and made me wish it was my night sky... if only.

Lastly I want to point out how the film's sparking long-overdue cultural coversations about representation, black identity and the future of superhero franchises. This film really tries to add in the roots of Africa with a big collaboration of characters, costumes, culture, music and traditions in the plot.

The very fact that Wakanda is hidden in plain sight accoding to the world when actually hidden behind it's false identity is the metropolis hidden in plain sight as explained in the prologue history lesson as told by somebodies father. According to the MCU, the fictional Wakanda kingom is located just north of Lake Turnaka at a point bordering Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan.

Another important theme we see in this film is how some people want to help the rest of Africa and black people around the world who are still subjugated and oppressed by bad people and how if their forces rose up and helped them out there then the world would be a better place. With the unforgiving fact that revealing themselves could do more bad than good because their has been balance all this time by looking after their own and should keep it that way.

The ending was the start of something new. How some traditions were meant to be broken long ago but how their is now newfound hope in the future of society outside Wakanda and how change is coming for the better, it might not be easy but I am eagerly waiting to see what the sequel will show and maybe even outdo this one?! "Wakanda Forever!"

I managed to watch Thor: Ragnarok round Tom and Charlie's last week before watching this, I found that one not bad but nowhere near as great as this one haha. Well except for Doctor Strange, which I intend to finally get round to a couple days before the big cheese is on screen!
But now that the18th film and last step in the MCU staircase that has been placed, it's now time to at long last witness the war that was teased since Avengers Assemble. It's time for Infinity War!
Been waiting a long time for this and can't wait to see it on the 28th April with my main Con squad for Megan's birthday! <3 Oh and here's a pretty funny version of the trailer, I found last week haha.