Black Panther sinks his claws into the MCU

Rating: 7/10 (19 February 2018)

It definitely is wonderful to see a big blockbuster film like this have a majority black led cast and not have the focus be on their oppression. Not that stories of slavery, racism & police brutality aren't important, but I think its important for little black kids to see themselves as Kings or Queens too, who also are self sufficient. So I hope this movie does trigger Hollywood to do more movies in a similar vein. Now with that aside, how does fall within the MCU for me? Overall, I enjoyed it. Though to be fair, there hasn't been a movie yet that I have really hated, a few that Ive been a bit disappointed by thats it. Im still re-evaluating my current standings (so this may change), but I think this is likely around the 5th best movie for me. There is a lot of stuff that is great. In particular I really liked Letitia Wright as Shuri. There's just such a brightness to her. She's incredibly delightful, smart, funny and gets to kick some ass too. Killmonger is a great villain. Hes not just lame villain the hero fights in the 3rd act and is defeated after 10 minutes. He has a presence throughout. He's also such a genuinely dark character who will literally kill whoever's in his path with little to no remorse. He'll blind side and double cross you if he gets the chance. I also thought Klaue was a lot of fun. Yes, he's a bad guy, but he's just crazy, chaotic kind of kooky and Andy Serkis breathes some life into him. There are also some gorgeous costumes and sets. A couple of funny lines here and there (my favourite was the vegetarian line) but it definitely doesnt focus on that too much. There were things I disliked or am nit-picky about. I eye-rolled so hard at the "What are those" line. Its a dated vine/meme/whatever. It was never that funny to begin with and feels like a cheap gag to get some kids in the theater to laugh. I didn't buy into Daniel Kaluuya's character motivations. There is that line about how Klaue killed his parents, so I understand he wants them dead, but it just doesnt seem believable how easily he turned on T'Challa. Also in accordance with his character, him and Danai Gurira are supposed to be in a relationship and yet we barely get any interaction between the two. I think the height of their interaction is calling each other "My Love". I assume they added it in because they wanted to add some stakes when his character supports Killmonger, but I didnt think it added anything. Im not saying we had to devote a 30 minute subplot to their romance, but a few more moments here and there may have helped to solidify them as a couple and make you care a little bit more later on in the film when you see them on opposite sides of the battlefield. Also, I dont understand how Angela Bassets hair SUDDENLY turns white. So yeah, a couple of grievances that stopped me from fully enjoying my experience, but overall a lot of stuff to like as well. I think if you're a fan of the MCU you'll like this one too.