Black Panther

Black Panther (2018)

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guirra, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forrest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Following the death of T'Chaka (which occurred in Captain America: Civil War), his son T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) rises to the throne of Wakanda, an African country that has secretly created a wide array of high-tech weaponry and science-based technology thanks to a metallic substance called vibranium which arrived via a meteorite centuries ago.  A black-market arms dealer Klaue (Andy Serkis) teams up with Erik Stevens AKA Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) to steal some Wakandan artifacts in order to use the weaponry on the Wakandan people.  Upon his arrival in Wakanda, Killmonger sets out to take down T'Chaka and change the mindset of the Wakandan people.

• Black Panther is obviously a ground-breaking film as it places black superheroes front and center for the first time.  It's certainly heavily steeped in African culture, yet it's also inherently a Marvel movie.  It strikes a nice balance between the two.
• The stars of the flick are actually the women, with Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guirra, and especially Letitia Wright mixing the right amount of charisma and strength.  The titular character as portrayed by Chadwick Boseman is certainly fine, but he's honestly a little bland.  
• Ultimately, the film is held back a bit by the typical origin story problems that plague any initial superhero flick.  While this one isn't quite a tedious as other origin flicks, it still is building a universe and oftentimes the building blocks aren't quite as exciting as what will inevitably be the final product.
• In addition, the flick's story structure feels like two separate tales -- the first dealing more with arms dealer Klaue and the second with Killmonger.  While the two are certainly appropriately pieced together, by the end of the film, the first half almost feels unnecessary when you look back upon it.
• I do think the film actually carries some deeper political meaning...and I'm not quite sure I can agree with its statements.  However, Black Panther as a film brings a solid new addition to the Marvel pantheon.  One may think that the rating below is low, but it's actually in the upper half of Marvel movies to me.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+