The Protector of His People

Rating: 8/10 (19 October 2018)

This film essentially begins in ancient times with a meteorite composed of an incredible metal known as "vibranium" crashing into an area of Africa which is inhabited by 5 different tribes. Eventually, 4 of the tribes join together to form the nation known as Wakanda and use this new metal to advance their technology beyond anything the world has ever known. Equally important is the fact that a rare herb grown in that part of the world has been affected by the radiation from vibranium and, when ingested, gives a person superhuman abilities. This person is known as the Black Panther and he not only becomes the King of Wakanda but also serves as the protector for his people. Anyway, thousands of years pass and while the rest of the world advances Wakanda remains in geographical isolation and is thought of as an extremely backward country. But little does the world realize that Wakanda has technology beyond that of Western civilization and has chosen to remain isolated for fear of what might happen if their technology-and most importantly their vibranium-were to get in the wrong hands. That being said, when some vibranium is stolen the Black Panther is forced to go to America in secret and deal with the situation personally. Little does he know that his actions will have extreme repercusions for the rest of the world. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an excellent "comic book" movie that combined a dynamic plot, good acting and plentiful action throughout. I especially liked the acting of both Chadwick Boseman (as "T'Challa") and Michael B. Jordan ("Erik Killmonger") who seemed tailor-made for their parts. On the flip side, however, I must also say that there were some minor flaws in the CGI and that I didn't especially care for the character of "Shuri" (Letitia Wright) who was unnecessarily annoying. But that aside, I enjoyed this film overall and I have rated it accordingly.