Fight the power

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2018)

Marvel Films have their formula down to a fine art. Even their lesser known heroes are making hit movies.
T'Challa made his initial appearance in Captain America 3: Civil War. In Black Panther he returns to his mystical homeland of Wakanda to become king after the death of his father. Wakanda so far has kept his its powers, wealth, resources and technology hidden.
However T'Challa's late father hid a dark secret about his own brother, who wanted to use force to aid his fellow black brothers in the USA. Now the dead brother's son, Killmonger wants to battle T'Challa for the throne and he wants Wakanda to lead the struggle for black power and cause chaos around the world.
The film pulls a nice trick in having two foes, at first we are led to believe it is going to be Klaue.
However I found the film rather choppy and in some ways predictable. At times I kept thinking back to the Lion King.
I liked that Marvel is not afraid to enter the debate about discrimination and whether it is right and legitimate to use force to overcome it. It is something Marvel Comics has tackled from its early days.
A well mounted, good looking action film but it lacks substance. The box office figures are shocking. It is good but not that good.