*** outta *****

3 outta 5

Black Panther is a pretty great movie that is probably too long for its own good.  The awesome thing about Black Panther is that it has a singular story to tell, even though there are fringe details that flesh out the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.   But it’s definitely too long, as evidence by a winking reference by a supporting character shouting “Are you finished?!” at one point.  Still, the big moments hit and the movie is very cool.  There are some awesome villains, even though the movie kind of wastes baddies who could have been a part of the larger epic MCU tapestry, but they work wonders in this singular experience.  There’s a bit too much happening at once and the movie seems to be iffy on exactly who is the hero.  But that’s okay because it’s neat. 

T’Challa aka The Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is the leader of the hidden, technologically advanced nation of Wakanda who has inherited the position of King after his father was killed.  Wakanda has gotten its superior technology from the substance of vibranium and they hide behind a holographic façade of sheepherders and huts.  When the new king finds out that their hated enemy, Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) has resurfaced he goes out with his trusty solider, Okoye (Danai Gurira), his tech assistant sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright) and T’Challa’s love interest, Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), to track Klaue down assisted by American agent, Everett Ross (Martin Freeman).  What they don’t know is that Klaue is being helped by a brutal assassin, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) who has an interest in the hidden kingdom of Wakanda that could change Black Panther’s life and his people’s forever. 

The mythology is incredibly dense and having a working knowledge of the MCU or at least watching Captain America: Civil War beforehand is almost required, but when the movie starts rolling, it’s pretty contained.  T’Challa is a new king trying to figure out how to run his kingdom but when Killmonger shows up, it throws a wrench into his plans.   The movie has a weird pace wherein Klaue is seemingly the main bad guy but then Killmonger becomes the main antagonist.  It’s a decent swerve, and Serkis makes the most of his time on screen, but the first hour is a tad ambling.  The best stuff about the first half is Klaue and Serkis’ mugging.  Jordan’s Killmonger is a great baddie, even though it takes a good long while for him to step up to the forefront.  

When Killmonger takes centre stage, it’s really compelling as Jordan gets a few monologues he totally nails.   What is so good about Killmonger is that he has a legitimate point that the hidden technologically advanced nation of Wakanda can use its considerable resources to steer the world on a different path.  Jordan’s performance is so great that one ends up sympathizing with him, which makes for good drama but is a bit of a stumble in the superhero genre where mostly the bad guys are all bad and the good guys are all good.  While a few MCU baddies have been weak, Killmonger and Klaw are solid. 

The baddies are so compelling it makes T’Challa a bit of a side character in his own film.  Even though the movie is called Black Panther, the actual title character just sort of tags along.  Still, Boseman is very good at projecting regal nobility, quite the feat for a guy who has had the gig of King for about a week at that point.  His best moment is near the end where T’Challa surprises Killmonger before their final confrontation.  T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, is basically Q from the Bond movies, the person who doles out the superior technology for the field agent and Wright does the job with enthusiasm.  Gurira is the kickass sidekick but since Gurira is such a good actress she infuses a random superhero sidekick role with tons of badass moments.  As the girlfriend of the hero, Nyong’o fulfills her role dutifully but every once in awhile she puts a bit of flair on a thankless character type.

This movie has some expansive visuals like most MCU films but the best action involves moments in close quarters.  There is a slightly annoying running bit where T’Challa is frequently stripped of his superhero powers and then gets them back about five minutes later, which only really makes sense for superhero geeks.  But that lets T’Challa have some close quarters one-on-one combat for the throne of Wakanda over a waterfall which are some of the movie’s best scenes.  The finale involving Black Panther versus Killmonger is a bit too heavy on CGI giving it a sense of unrealism however the emotional pathos makes it worthwhile. 

Black Panther is a solid film.  For MCU geeks it fleshes out the character of Black Panther who will be a major component in the forthcoming Avengers: Infinity War in May.  For people who don’t know the complex continuity of Marvel, it’s a movie about two people fighting for the throne. It takes a while to get to the point but when it does the experience is thrilling.