Sorry folks but this one didn't go well for Marvel. I don't even know where to start. Acting was average, more like below average. Screenplay was as much ordinary as it could be. No surprise here. CGI was OK but it's somehow expected from Marvel. But I totally didn't like the idea of Wakanda. Hidden city in the center of Africa with tons of technology and advanced weapons and systems and so on. But how the hell did they build all of that? No explanation. It just happened. Yes, they have Vibranium, but they don't sell it. In fact they never did and for whole world they are just a bunch of shepherds and farmers. So where did they take all that money to build empire like this? I don't like movies without explanations and this is one of them. Almost nothing has been told about Vibranium whatsoever. Oh yeah, it's some super thing from the universe capable of anything. That's all the explanation you get. There are too many clichés we have already seen too many times. And we have to see them again. One example: I challenge someone for a fight because I want to kill him. And when I have the chance to kill him, what would I do? Kill him or throw him down from the cliff to the water where he can survive? But enough. If you hesitate if to watch this, I can recommend not to waste your time. Wait for the Avangers where you can also see the Black Panther. You won't miss anything if you miss out this movie.

Another stunning and thouroughly entertaining movie from Marvel Studios who continue to gain momentum with each successive film. Delivering something new and original all within the framework of the same genre and universe.

A coming of age film of sorts that sees T'Challa return to his native Wakanda following the events of Captain America: Civil War to deal with the pressures of the thrown and fulfill his potential as both warrior and king, T'Challa and Black Panther alike. Thus being an origin adventure without the obligatory origin story.

Wakanda itself is visually breathtaking and looks as spectacular as one can imagine.
Wakanda itself is an unofficial character in the film with a rich visual palette and identity. It's people, along with most visuals in the movie, are brightly coloured and looks like an.artists dream, as rich and colourful as the comics that spawned them.

All the principle and supporting cast bring it. There's hardly anybody that doesn't stand out or get a moment to shine in this deep ensemble, so much so that T'Challa himself is almost outdone in the movie by the performances of Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger) and the female supporting characters who are so good, I'd be disappointed if they didn't at least cameo in Avengers: Infinity War in a few months.

Highly recommended for any fan of Marvel Studios' movies, Superhero movies or action adventures with hints of political.drama thrown in for good measure. Not to be missed.

Without much surprise (but with much disappointment), the one word to describe Black Panther is: overhyped.

Black Panther in itself is not a really interesting superhero, but Marvel has proved in the past that it did not mean that the movie had to be dull. Captain America is even less interesting than Black Panther, but they managed to work around that by making the movies not about him but rather integrate them as a major plot arc in the MCU. No such thing here.

Actually the opposite, they tried to make it NOT a superhero movie. So you get your _James Bond_ scene, your _Fast and Furious_ scene, your _Independance day_ scene, but not that many _Marvel_ scenes. I think it lost its way by trying to look more blockbustery.

There are several good points, **the movie isn't bad, it's just uninteresting**. The whole middle half of the movie was actually boring.

The cast in general is good. The fight scenes are generally ok. The Wakanda city looks really impressive from afar. Too bad you never actually see it. Visually, everything is pretty neat (if you don't mind CGI everywhere, I don't).

Of the main characters, Shuri is definitively the more interesting. She's Bond's Q, but alot livelier and funnier. You also see her much more as you would another Q type character as she's also the main character's sister. Her role in Wakanda is huge. She seems to be the main engineer, urban designer, lead inventor, the vibranium reference expert, and all by herself as we never see anyone working in this huge lab. She seems also to be the person to go to when you need a doctor, instead of say, an hospital. That's maybe a little too much, but it's not like there are no equivalent in Marvel universe. Definitely would love to see her working with Stark and Banner.

The best character by far, although in a way too minor role, is Klaue. It seems he could have been one of the best villain of the whole MCU. Extremely original, fun, half crazy with a Joker-like vibe, every one of his scene was perfect. On a similar vibe, M'baku turned out to be a pretty cool [spoiler]vegetarian :)[/spoiler] character.

[spoiler]So it sucked when he was quickly dispatched to be used as an entrance ticket to Wakanda.[/spoiler] But Killmonger is actually a pretty cool antagonist too, obviously a lot less fun and original, but still. That is, if you totally ignore the ending [spoiler]where he turns out to be a little child crying on the inside that was just mean because he wanted his daddy and see a sunset in his homeland.[/spoiler] COME ON ! Seriously ?? Way to fuck up an otherwise ok character.

The others are less interesting. Okoye is the cliche super loyal royal guard. Her husband sucks (what a waste of a good actor). Nakia is sold as an interesting character, but apart from [spoiler]picking up the plant[/spoiler], I don't think she does anything. Forest Whitaker plays Forest Whitaker as usual, a little less crazy, a little more mystical, but that's it. Martin Freeman's character looks like he could be interesting but firstly it's a little biased (because what character wouldn't be interesting with Martin Freeman ?) and secondly here he's mostly used to make the point that the token white guy should know to stay in his place when the black leads know best. I loved whrn it was mentioned that he was a foreign agent, with a duty to report what he saw, that's something that's usually blatantly ignored for plot reasons in this kind of situations. He wouldn't be a very good agent, or even person, if he didn't do his job. However, after that, nobody ever think of it again, least of all himself.

The plot, it can even be called that, was pretty weak. The intro scene looked cool. The whole Wakandian ceremonial stuff (which makes a huge part of the movie) is ridiculous. The casino scene was a rip-off of a rip-off of a Bond movie. The car chase was ok looking but boring. I kept waiting for the real story to start. The only time where a little story happens is when [spoiler]Killmonger takes power and Nakia and co go to find M'Baku[/spoiler]. The final fight was ok, but a long way to be on level with other Marvels. The ID4 scene is totally out of place. The final duel is disappointing as it's in a full CGI place that's totally unadapted to make use of their powers.

There's a minor point about the place of Wakanda in the world, but it's just extremist protectionism, staying hidden not matter what, on one side, that goes directly to "let's conquer the whole world" on the other. Nobody seems to have though anything else about it until then.

A little plus: the kinetic energy absorption/emission added into the suit allows some really cool effects and fight actions, the only thing making it a little interesting. However he [spoiler]doesn't even use it against Killmonger when it's the one advantage his suit has over the other's. And what's the point of activating the train and the suit disabling thingie, they don't even fight once when it's on.[/spoiler]

And a huge issue for me. I really don't buy Wakanda. Asgard actually makes more sense than Wakanda.
1) First the obvious: nobody knows about it. So no neighbouring country ever tried to go there. And nobody saw any sign of it growing. Because it should have been already pretty huge by the time they invented a technology that allowed to cloak the entire country!

2) They have vibranium, sure. But they don't sell it or exchange with other countries. Which means they are also self sufficient on absolutely everything else.

3) They're total non interventionist. So war and famine in other african countries ? Nope. World wars with tens of millions of deaths ? Nope. An alien race attacks the planet and they're the only ones with an equivalent level technology ? Nope. What a bunch of assholes.

4) We have a nice view of arriving in Wakanda, and then that's it. We never see the city. Well there's a scene where they walk in small streets full of dust, but that hardly fit with the skyscraper's skyline. Why would they keep streets this way with their technology.

5) Even if technology evolved, it does not seem the society did. Lots of antiquated tribal rituals and decorum. The kind of stuff that a society that advanced should leave behind. I mean sure it's fun for children and costumes and the once in a while ceremony, but advanced society usually get rid pretty quickly of superstition and religious ceremonial bullshit. The most important point of that being:

6) They still haven't been able to figure out that maybe, just maybe, having two half naked guys fight to the death with spears on a waterfall is _not_ the best way to choose a leader ? Also the king~god thing. Isn't that weird when everybody knows that it's just due to a technology that only the royals have access to ?

7) They still need to collect the heart shaped herb and crush it with a mortar ? They haven't found a way to extract the active element, industrialize it, even synthesize it as it's vibranium based ? [spoiler]Though they probably miraculously will now, as it's supposedly completely gone.[/spoiler]

Storywise it's definitely the weakest of the MCU. Because it looks good and I really enjoyed Shuri and Klaue, I'd rank it slightly above Iron Man 2 and Thor 2, but the only other time I felt bored watching a MCU movie was the Captain America part of Civil War, and the first half more than made up for it. Not here.

[8.1/10] *Black Panther* doesn’t have the aura of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Yes, it has the allies and enemies we’ve met in prior movies like *Age of Ultron* and *Civil War*. It has the jovial vibe among its main cast. And it has the mandatory, climactic third act battle, draped in CGI and the usual fanfare.

But it also stands apart from the rest of the MCU’s offerings. It is unabashedly Afrocentric in its focus and its approach. It is a plainly political film, meditating on the legacy of colonialism, the oppression of people of color around the world, and the push and pull of isolationism vs. global activism. Though squeezed into the standard, three act superhero structure, *Black Panther* takes its audience to a different space, one untouched by the rest of the world and, in some ways, untouched by the broader cinematic universe the film acts in concert with.

It is a uniquely, profoundly black take on the modern superhero film, one long overdue, if for no other reason than how it breathes new life into the familiar formula. There’s nothing wrong with comic book movies hitting certain standard notes of uncertainty, challenge, and self-realization. But *Black Panther* is a cinematic argument for broadening the franchise, showing the renewed, distinctive character these common stories take on, when they’re told from a fully-formed, confident, and different perspective.

That distinct atmosphere is the best thing about the film, alongside the clear camaraderie among its cast and characters. No hero is an island these days, and while the title character has a notable arc that’s done well, the most enjoyable portions of the movie emerge when the plot mechanics of that arc are set aside for Black Panther to chat, spark, and laugh with his tech-wiz sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), his altruistic ex Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), and his fierce, principled guard Okoye (Danai Gurira). So much of these films depends on the chemistry and connection between the people the audience is asked to spend two hours with, and *Black Panther* soars on that front, building a rapport among those core characters that carries the day.

At the same time, Chadwick Boseman gives one of the best dramatic performances to grace a Marvel film. Thematically, the film centers on the notion of whether someone with a kind heart but also uncertainty about how and where to guide his people can be a good leader, and Boseman brings the inherent decency and heft to make these ideas land.

*Black Panther* constantly puts its title character between conflicting choices and impulses. T’Challa has to balance his inherent sense of mercy, shown to the leader of a challenging tribe, with his desire to deliver swift justice, shown when he threatens enemy of the state Ulysses Klaue in public. He has to reconcile his deep love for his father and his deep respect for his people’s traditions with his growing realizations that his forebears were men, not gods, who made mistakes, and that his homeland may need to change and evolve. He must square his country’s tradition of isolation, with the competing calls to share the nation’s wealth and knowledge in order to help those in need, or to use those resources to bring down the oppressors around the world who keep them in that state.

If there’s one area where *Black Panther* excels, it’s in creating a central character who’s pulled in multiple directions, on multiple dimensions, leaving him unsure what path to take and what sort of man to be, until the right direction is forged in fires of challenge and hardship. The film is a political story, a cultural story, a family story, and a personal story.

It’s just that Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole seem not particularly interested in it being a superhero story. That’s not necessarily a problem. Films as tonally diverse as *Logan* and *Deadpool* have shown you can use the superhero framework to craft a multitude of different films with different approaches within the superhero framework. But there’s a sense in *Black Panther* that the comic book-y elements are perfunctory, that Coogler and Cole had a compelling story to tell about legacy, power, and obligation, couldn’t tell it without including the de jure superhero fireworks.

*Black Panther* is at its best when it shows its title character confronting his responsibilities as a citizen, son, and leader, or finding strength, challenge, and affection among his friends and family. And it’s at its weakest when it shows him punching and kicking those things in comic book movies that inevitably must be punched and kicked.

At times, Coogler and director of photography Rachel Morrison capture the same sort of raw intensity of combat that hews close to a boxing match from *Creed*. The close quarters combat of the challenges for leadership are tight and visceral, giving an immediate sense of the personalities clashing at the same time bodies are, and a digitally-stitched but nominally unbroken action sequence early in the film has the energy and fluidity of a splash page. But too often, the film’s fight sequences are a big jumble, edited to bits and nigh-impossible to follow from one blow to the next. Worse yet, the CGI is especially in these sequence -- digital characters move without weight, animated creatures and vehicles disrupt the immersion of a scene, and climactic fights between fully computer-generated figures in a computer-generated world feel like gameplay clips pulled from *Mortal Kombat*.

Despite the strength of the story that ends in that skirmish, the film ostensibly breaks little new ground in terms of its narrative. Notably, Marvel’s own *Thor* trilogy covers much of the same territory, from the prince questioning his place as king, to far off lands debating the appropriate level of engagement with the outside world, to unruly yet sympathetic relatives with an appetite to conquer angling for the throne.

But what makes *Black Panther* so refreshing is the perspective from which it approaches this material. There is a richness to the cultural wellspring that Coogler and his team draw from, one underutilized in big budget filmmaking. The film is rife with different hues, different pleasures and sore sports, that inform the movie’s sensibilities even as it applies them to the smash-and-then-find-yourself routine that the Marvel origin movies have nigh-perfected at this point.

It’s the critic’s crutch to see a film’s story as a metaphor for the film itself. And yet it’s hard not to see parallels between the story of T’Challa deciding to bring Wakanda into the rest of the world, and Coogler deciding to bring his *Black Panther* into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the wonderful things about the MCU is the way that it can create a cohesive sense of place among different films, and foster the sense, through minor easter eggs and the occasional team-up, that all of these events are taking place in the same world.

But despite having a few of those continuity nods and connections, *Black Panther* feels like it occupies a world all its own, one full of its own color, character, and vibrancy. At the end of the movie, T’Challa opts for outreach, he decides to open Wakanda’s borders, and share his nation’s knowledge and culture with the world. With this film, Ryan Coogler & Co. do the same for Marvel, telling their own story in their own, but also bringing such a distinctiveness and a specificity to it that makes the world of these films a deeper, richer, better place for *Black Panther*’s presence within it.

Now Marvel has officially made a blaxploitation film.

And before some liberal goes on about me being an entitled heterosexual white male and thus racist, let's set it straight.

I love black characters done right. Spawn is one instance. Static is another. Static Shock the Animated Series is an amazing instance showing black communities, their problems, gang violence - and the good people trying to help.

Black Panther is another thing entirely.

It's self-serious and unfunny.
It's ham-fisted in its message - using a stereotypical "African" accent just to nail in how "black" the characters are, and even the (quite terrible) song in the end sings "I hate people who feel entitled". The only white protagonist is referred to as "colonizer".
There's no character buildup for the villains - so much that they might as well be cardboard cutouts.
The mandatory strong independent female characters - remember, if you can only define a character as a "strong independent female", before defining who they are as a person, that is a comically bad character. As bad as the "testosterone-fueled bad-ass dude" and the rest of them.
The CGI is cheap, the soundtrack is bland and not memorable.

It is a sad time when movies think of not offending the overly sensitive audience, instead of telling a good story.