My Review of Black Panther

Just got back. Let's do it.

THE GOOD:

The themes of the movie include betrayal, duty vs patriotism, and covering up the past. It works well as a political thriller/ spy movie. As advanced as Wakanda is, it's no utopia and kings can make mistakes.

The world building was John Wick levels. It really took it's time to explore the world and all its tribes and tech. It never feels crowded or over stuffed, either.

The supporting cast was really good. I loved all the side characters. Okoye is badass. M'Baku is pretty funny. Suri is like the bratty little sister. Martin Freeman even gets to kick a little ass.

Andy Serkis as Klaw steals the show IMO. He's just over-the-top enough to be entertaining but not so much that he looks cheesy. I've been looking forward to seeing more of Klaw since Age of Ultron. Serkis is an underrated actor who should stop doing mo-cap and let his natural talent shine.

Killmonger is also a good bad guy. You get a feel for why he's doing what he's doing, but he's also an evil bastard so he's never too sympathetic.

The action scenes are pretty good too. The casino fight is especially fun.

Chadwick Boseman is even better here than in Civil War. He's perfect.

The soundtrack was great too. It defied the Marvel movie music problem.


THE BAD:

They still have the "bad guy is the evil version of the good guy" thing that most Marvel movies have done. I wish they found something else for Killmonger to use in battle.

They go to South Korea in the middle of the movie and the actor who plays Nikia speaks really shitty Korean. Most people won't care, but I did. The Koreans in the audience were laughing a lot.

I wish they would have had more of a set-up for future movies (see spoilers below).


The Spoilers

[spoiler]So no Soul Stone? It seems like they should have it since there is obviously an afterlife associated with Wakandans (and not just the kings since Killmonger meets his father in the after life). I guess they're saving that for Infinity War.

I like the after credits scene with Bucky at the end, which I think a lot of people suspected would happen. I like the nod to White Wolf even if Bucky wasn't him. The other scene was just T'Challa in front of the UN. It's good but nothing too exciting.

Killing Klaw was a mistake. I think he could have made a great villain down the line.[/spoiler]