Phenomenal superhero film is groundbreaking with diverse cast and excellent themes

Rating: 8/10 (6 June 2018)

I'm going to start this review off by saying this is one of the best superhero films I have seen in my life. The themes and characters are beyond what we have seen in a recent superhero film. One of the films strongest points is its visuals which are more creative and unique than any Marvel film to date. The clear ingenuity of the crew working on this movie is present in every visually stunning scene, which is practically every scene. This is by far the most beautifully shot Marvel movie to date. Wakanda itself is a visual masterpiece and it only gets better from there. If had to complain about one thing, it would have to be the action scenes, which are good, just a bit average, which makes it seem a lot worse, when everything in this movie is incredible otherwise. Perhaps the best part of Black Panther: the characters. The best part about the characters is their diversity dn excellent representation of a black cast and female leads. T'Challa himself is a sort of bland character. He more or less feels like the typical kind of average lead in a superhero movie, despite excellent acting from Boseman. Similar to T'Challa, Everett Ross is one of the few things keeping this movie from a 10 star rating. He is just a typical white guy stuck in a foreign nation with no clue what to do. Once again, martin Freeman has a great performance, but the problem lies in the character and the fact he really doesn't improve the movie at all. It ends up being Killmonger who steals the show the most, presenting an excellent villain, with a great backstory and very strong acting. He is everything you need in a villain. He is badass, as the scene after the museum heist proves. He is an excellent foe to challenge the protagonist and his goals are understandable. That may not sound like a necessity for a good villain, but trust me, it is. The fact that you are able to see where the villain is coming from helps you understand his character and the fact that he is doing this for the mistake of a previous Black Panther. Klawe is also a great villain, mostly because of Andy Serkis' stellar performance. He doesn't really do much, but he has some great humor and that acting is so perfect. Also, I have never seen a movie handle its female characters as well as this film. Gone are damsels in distress or females who are there to be love interests and nothing else. All of the females in this movie are badass, unique characters. I would especially like to highlight Shuri, who is a character that proves a very young, black, female can be incredibly smart and still be amazing at combat. Shuri is an excellent character, a character most films in general have failed to create as compelling a character. Okoye proves hardass bodyguards don't have to be buff men in tuxes, and Nakia proves that females can actually be the ones to save the day and be the one who has the correct plan for the nation, rather than a simple love interest. In conclusion, this film has some of most well-characterized, original, likable and compelling characters in a movie ever. Another excellent character, this one something of a surprise is M'Baku. M'Baku ends up being a fun, badass, excellent character who doesn't have a huge role but Winston Duke uses his screen time to create an extremely compelling character. Something to go with that same concept is the story of family. T'CHalla might be boring character but he is part of a brilliant family blood relatives or not, that will stop at nothing to save him. It is possibly the best part of the film, when the story focuses on that group of people who has not yet given up on T'Challa. Yet another amazing thing about this film is the politics involved with it. The theme, message, and resolution of the story of Wakanda, and yes the nation does have a story, is a very good, wonderfully thought story. This film captures racial politics unlike any film I have recently seen. In an industry that finally supports fins revolving around a mainly black cast and the story of how black people fit into the world around them, I am glad to see this film made. The themes of Wakanda standing alone and the themes involving the other countries of the world are all amazing themes that will leave you thinking about this film's real-life significance even after it is over. Not since Get Out has a movie done that to me. Lastly, the story in this film is incredibly compelling. All the scenes will have the audience drawn in. You will be at the edge of your seat, caring for all the main characters, hoping that Killmonger is defeated. This is one of the few recent movies that captured my interest all the way through, and not only did it do that, it also used an excellent diverse cast to play amazing character, wonderfully shot scenes and amazing themes.