Black Panther (2018)

Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o

Synopsis:
The Prince of the African nation of Wakanda must succeed his father as King and take up the mantle of the Black Panther.

Impressions:
I rather liked Chadwick Boseman's portrayal of Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, so I figured we might be in for a good ride with his solo outing. However, the politically charged atmosphere in Hollywood made me reluctant to see this. I was afraid of a lot of hamfisted soapboxing instead of a simple comic book action movie. Now, there is soapboxing, but it isn't nearly as insufferable as I feared. It actually works in the character of Killmonger, who plays into the stereotype of the angry black man with a persecution complex. When the soapboxing comes from other corners, though, you can tell it's more the writers than the characters. A little annoying, yes, but nothing you can't shrug off. There is some creative set designs and tech on display and while the core conflict wasn't perfectly executed, there were good elements at work. Chadwick Boseman continues to impress and I also want to give particular note to Michael B Jordan as Killmonger (with his role as the brash young usurper reminding me of Zach from Hell Up in Harlem) and Winston Duke as M'Baku. I also liked the sibling dynamic with T'Challa and sister Shuri (played by Letitia Wright). Unless you're just that averse to wading into the potential minefield, it's definitely worth a watch at the very least.

Rating:
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