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I saw it in 3D... Didn't want to
But its worth it. The ending credits in 3D alone is mesmerizing
Official Black Panther MCU Thread
- Thread starter Birnin Zana
- Start date
But its worth it. The ending credits in 3D alone is mesmerizing
SPOILER ALERT: The Deleted Scene Ryan Coogler Couldn't Keep in 'Black Panther'
Long before the theatrical cut of Black Panther was ever made, director Ryan Coogler submitted a four-hour cut of the film to Marvel, of which was naturally rejected. However, during a recent interview with Empire, executive producer Nate Moore touched on several crucial moments that were either written or shot that didn’t make it into the theatrical cut of Black Panther. Spoilers for plot points in Black Panther below, read with caution.
There’s a scene in particular both Moore and Coogler fought over before agreeing to cut to keep the film’s pacing tight. There was a key scene between Danai Gurira‘s Okoye and Daniel Kaluuya‘s W’Kabi discussing their conflicting opinion of Erik Killmonger before their battle towards the end of the film. It’s said it would have emphasized their relationship and foreshadowed their face-off during the third act.
“So in the film it is more than hinted at that they’re a couple, but there is a scene directly after Killmonger takes the throne where you hear both characters articulate their point of view as to why they should or shouldn’t follow this man and it’s one of the most well-acted scenes I’ve ever been a part of.
Unfortunately, it occurred at a point in the movie where audiences just wanted to get to the resolution and so it slowed down a part of the movie and we were afraid audiences were checking out. We were also afraid if we took it out we’re going to ruin this movie—‘guys we’re going to ruin this movie; let’s not take it out.’ We didn’t take it out for three or four screenings and we finally took it out and I think Ryan and I were probably the last men on that beach saying don’t take it out.”
Long before the theatrical cut of Black Panther was ever made, director Ryan Coogler submitted a four-hour cut of the film to Marvel, of which was naturally rejected. However, during a recent interview with Empire, executive producer Nate Moore touched on several crucial moments that were either written or shot that didn’t make it into the theatrical cut of Black Panther. Spoilers for plot points in Black Panther below, read with caution.
There’s a scene in particular both Moore and Coogler fought over before agreeing to cut to keep the film’s pacing tight. There was a key scene between Danai Gurira‘s Okoye and Daniel Kaluuya‘s W’Kabi discussing their conflicting opinion of Erik Killmonger before their battle towards the end of the film. It’s said it would have emphasized their relationship and foreshadowed their face-off during the third act.
“So in the film it is more than hinted at that they’re a couple, but there is a scene directly after Killmonger takes the throne where you hear both characters articulate their point of view as to why they should or shouldn’t follow this man and it’s one of the most well-acted scenes I’ve ever been a part of.
Unfortunately, it occurred at a point in the movie where audiences just wanted to get to the resolution and so it slowed down a part of the movie and we were afraid audiences were checking out. We were also afraid if we took it out we’re going to ruin this movie—‘guys we’re going to ruin this movie; let’s not take it out.’ We didn’t take it out for three or four screenings and we finally took it out and I think Ryan and I were probably the last men on that beach saying don’t take it out.”
They should have kept it in, it would have added more clarity to W'Kabi's character (and why he felt justified in turning on BP so fast. Killmonger was a stranger to him and whereas him and BP supposed to be close friends...... its not as if BP didnt TRY to get Klaw, he just got away....Wkabi turned heel so quickly) but thankfully it wasnt wholly needed. We got just enough in the previous parts of the movie to put it all together ourselves.
I think they made the right choice to take it out.
We got Okoye and W'Kabi verbalizing their POV in the throne room scene with Killmonger ("Wakanda has survived this long by fighting only when absolutely necessary" "The world is catching up. Soon it will be the conquerors and the conquered. I'd rather be the former"). This deleted scene sounds like it would have been redundant.
Plus, it also sounds like it came right before the Okoye/Nakia argument over following Killmonger. That's two very similar arguments, back-to-back, slowing down the third act.
I look forward to seeing it on the Blu-ray though.
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have no idea what its saying but this song goes hard
My Review is too big, so I have to split it into two parts.
PART 1
Without further ado, I present my Black Panther review.
Before I go into it, I want to say this from the jump because I see a lot of people tip toeing around it: Black Panther is CLEARLY the best Marvel movie to date in terms of acting, script, costume design, social commentary, and characters. Frankly, none of the others come close.
Winter Soldier, which has superior action and asks the questions of how much should we trust our government, and what is the cost of safety, is definitely a step or two below it in every other category.
Civil War, while more flawed than both, was the ultimate fan service package that introduced Black Panther and Spider-Man to the MCU while asking strong philosophical questions about the duty of the powerful and those who oversee them.
So, in my opinion, those are the 3 best Marvel movies, with the first Avengers and the Guardians movies being honorable mentions.
With that out of the way, this Black Panther review has a few very light Spoilers and is specifically for those who have already seen the movie, but I will put the heavy stuff in spoiler tags.
After seeing Black Panther, I wanted to step away from it before giving my thoughts with a review. I wanted time to reflect on it, discuss it with personal friends, and let that feeling of newness wash away so I can come through with the review as unbiased as possible.
But it's been 5 days now and I still can't stop thinking about this movie: How outstanding it is in every facet, how much it means to my people, and just how in love I am with the world Ryan Coogler brought to life.
Ryan had the daunting task of…
1. Making a superhero film that was digestible to the world as a whole so it would be profitable.
2. Making sure black people from all over the diaspora with wildly different views and life experiences would appreciate it.
3. Tactfully incorporating social commentary and coded language that speaks directly to black people, providing us with mind fruit that made us laugh, made us think, made us cry and gave us hope.
I'm happy to say that Ryan aced the exam with flying colors, and I couldn't be prouder to say I am a fan of his. I pray that I can paint pictures as vividly as him one day.
Black Panther at its core is about what Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker all those years ago - with great power comes great responsibility. What is the responsibility of black people who either have made it out of oppressive circumstances or perhaps avoided it all together? What is their duty to those of us who haven't?
Should we as black people be prideful about just the nations we represent, or the diaspora as a whole? Why is there such a disconnect between Africans who never left and the descendants of slaves (African Americans, Afro-Carribeans, etc), and can that relationship be repaired? Is the hatred that comes from being oppressed your entire life ever justifiable, and are those who challenge that arguably righteous rage heroes or villains?
The movie also explores the difficult decisions black fathers must make, and how they have long term ramifications on their children. Perhaps most obviously, the movie encapsulates exactly why black women are so strong, and why we as black men would be wise to listen to and cooperate with them as much as possible.
God bless the makeup, costume, and design team. Ruth Carter, queen, you are an absolute gem. That woman did the damn thing when it came to every costume in this movie. How every tribe had their own unique, gorgeous patterns and color schemes, how majestic and regal T'Challa looked throughout the film, how absolutely BAD ASS and beautiful the Dora Milaje was....smh...I love you, Ruth.
And Hannah Beachler, who's creative vision brought Wakanda to life. Is there anything else to say about how amazing she was? Wakanda was breath taking. My favorite sets were Warrior Falls and the Jabari's mountain keep. Utterly gorgeous.
I already bigged up Ryan as a director, but I now have to big him up again, along with co-writer Joe Robert Cole, for this absolutely masterful script. I mean damn, what is there to say? Passionate, heavy hitting, soul wrenching dialogue, timely humor that has actual weight to it (Example, how M'Baku's joke about eating Ross was a nod to the stereotype of African savagery and inhumanity...brilliant). Just wow, and that last line from Killmonger. If that doesn't hit your soul hard as a black person, as a human being in fact, I don't know what would.
I also want to big up Ludwin Gornansson for the incredible film score – right up there with The Avengers and Winter Soldier. That white boy did the damn thing. What impressed me most about this guy is the fact that he flew out to Africa to take in the culture and sound so he could create the best music possible for the movie. That says a lot about his character, so I appreciate him a lot.
Let's get into the actors/characters.
I want to start off by giving a huge big up to Chadwick Boseman. Chad was AMAZING in his lead role, and I just want to emphasize that first, because with all the (deserved) hype for MBJ's portrayal of Killmonger and Letitia Wright's portrayal of Shuri, I feel my man Chad isn't getting enough love. At the end of the day, he was the core of the movie, and every role he was asked to cover in a scene - whether it was joy, anger, heartbreak, or stoicism - he absolutely hit a grand slam. Black Panther, who was introduced in Civil War, isn't the shiny new toy anymore. We already know who he is, so it's natural that people will gravitate towards new aspects like Shuri, Killmonger and M'Baku, but my man did his thing, and was arguably the best actor in this movie. This movie was all about how T'Challa would differentiate from his father and be his own king, and I can't wait to see where the character goes next.
Michael B. Jordan, my guy, wow. I actually grew up watching MBJ on a soap opera called All My Children with my momma. To see him go from that scrawny little kid just trying to get his big break in Hollywood to the talk of the movie world right now is one of personal pride, especially because he grew up right here in Newark, New Jersey. An inspiration to me, to be sure.
MBJ was asked to channel the rage of the oppressed, disenfranchised, and abandoned black people all over the world and use it to portray a villain that was wicked and violent, but also worthy of empathy. He did that and more. I see a lot of people saying that Killmonger was really the hero, which is patently ridiculous and somewhat sociopathic: he nearly strangled an elderly woman for merely questioning him, he killed droves of his own people (including his lover who supported him devoutly), and his plans would destroy thousands, if not millions of people. With that said, there was heaps of truth in almost everything he said, and the fact that his views had enough of a lasting impact on T’Challa that it influenced him to change Wakanda’s views on diplomacy and use its resources to help black people around the world shows exactly why some see him as a hero to begin with. That’s the power of a good script and some damn good acting.
Is there a more perfect display of black beauty than Lupita Nyong’o? Maybe there is, but after leaving the theater, I was firmly convinced that there is no woman more beautiful in the world. While I love all of our queens of all shades and sizes, it was important for T’Challa’s love interest to represent dark skin beauty. No implied mixes to “help” with the beauty, no features that in any way reflects the damaging standards of beauty that the west created to propel their children “above us” while leaving the oppressed to question the features God gave us. It was important that beauty was represented through her, and she wasn’t just a really pretty face – she knocked her portrayal out of the park. She was strong, but gentle, fearless but emotional. She really embodied the grace, power and beauty of black women. We all want Storm to be a part of this eventually, but after seeing Nakia and T’Challa together, maybe that inclusion would be best implemented in the platonic sense.
Letitia Wright’s portrayal of Shuri was everything I imagined it to be in more. She brought a charm, wit, humor and grace that no one else could match, and was a real scene stealer. Her relationship with T’Challa was a beautiful brother/sister dynamic. Most importantly, she was the smartest person in the room, and words cannot express how her essential role to Wakanda will inspire young black girls everywhere. I adore her, and I can’t wait to see her in Infinity War taking the fight to all the “colonizers”.
Danai Gurira is probably the best thing about the Walking Dead, but the show doesn’t do her justice at all. She exuded more badassness and beauty in 2 hours of Black Panther as Okoye, the General of the Dora Milaje, than she ever did in 4 seasons of that show. I notice that she was the favorite of most black women I talked with. Can you blame them? Tough as nails, magnificently pretty even in her baldness (The TWD producers really go out of their way to make her unattractive, I hate it), and arguably the best fighter in all of Wakanda. What’s not to love? Her character arc was really nice: through Okoye, they highlighted the flaw in devout loyalty to an idea rather than to people and her love for her man vs love for her country. Anyone peep the duality of her hatred for that wig she had to wear and how it speaks to the views some of us have towards hiding our natural features? Commentary through humor…again, Ryan and Joe did damn thing with this script.
Daniel Kaluwa did his thing as W’Kabi. While I consider his character arc the weakest part of the film
, he was captivating in every scene he was in. I loved him, and he remains the master of the “side eye” lol. It was beautiful to me that what encouraged him to surrender wasn’t necessarily his love for Okoye, but looking around and seeing all these black men and women tearing each other apart. Symbolism…
The real MVP of this entire movie IMO was Winston Duke’s portrayal of M’Baku aka Man Ape. I mean, how lovable was this guy? Prideful and rude, but a good-hearted man deep down. I thought he was utterly captivating and both the funniest and most physically imposing character in the movie. I loved how, despite his tribe’s disconnect with Wakanda and his own wounded pride, he did the right thing when it mattered most. LOVED this character. My mom loves him for entirely different reasons. Stop drooling, mom.
Angela Bassett’s role as Ramonda and Forrest Whittaker’s role as Zuri were both magnificent. Would have loved for both of them to get more screen time, but Angela embodied a black mother’s love (which was important to include) and Forest did a great job of displaying Zuri’s wisdom, as well as regret over his foolishness.
Andy Serkis was magnetic as Klaue and served his purpose to a T. His cybernetic arm was awesome, and the chase scene he was a part of was one of the film’s highlights. Everything Serkis does, he gives his all too.
Martin Freeman’s expressions were gold, as he took in Wakanda with a child-like wander that would exactly how I reacted to seeing it. He played well off the other characters, never doing too much, but adding his veteran presence.
Before I wrap up this review, can I give a quick shout out to Sterling K. Brown’s 3 minutes or so as N’Jobu, the brother of T’Chaka? This guy is a brilliant actor who sold you completely in his motivations for
, and was as seamless in his faux-Oakland accent as he was speaking Wakandan tongue. Don’t think I’ll ever be watching “This Is Us”, but I do hope this brother has something soon that I can rock with. Jon Stewart (Green Lantern) maybe?
PART 1
Without further ado, I present my Black Panther review.
Before I go into it, I want to say this from the jump because I see a lot of people tip toeing around it: Black Panther is CLEARLY the best Marvel movie to date in terms of acting, script, costume design, social commentary, and characters. Frankly, none of the others come close.
Winter Soldier, which has superior action and asks the questions of how much should we trust our government, and what is the cost of safety, is definitely a step or two below it in every other category.
Civil War, while more flawed than both, was the ultimate fan service package that introduced Black Panther and Spider-Man to the MCU while asking strong philosophical questions about the duty of the powerful and those who oversee them.
So, in my opinion, those are the 3 best Marvel movies, with the first Avengers and the Guardians movies being honorable mentions.
With that out of the way, this Black Panther review has a few very light Spoilers and is specifically for those who have already seen the movie, but I will put the heavy stuff in spoiler tags.
After seeing Black Panther, I wanted to step away from it before giving my thoughts with a review. I wanted time to reflect on it, discuss it with personal friends, and let that feeling of newness wash away so I can come through with the review as unbiased as possible.
But it's been 5 days now and I still can't stop thinking about this movie: How outstanding it is in every facet, how much it means to my people, and just how in love I am with the world Ryan Coogler brought to life.
Ryan had the daunting task of…
1. Making a superhero film that was digestible to the world as a whole so it would be profitable.
2. Making sure black people from all over the diaspora with wildly different views and life experiences would appreciate it.
3. Tactfully incorporating social commentary and coded language that speaks directly to black people, providing us with mind fruit that made us laugh, made us think, made us cry and gave us hope.
I'm happy to say that Ryan aced the exam with flying colors, and I couldn't be prouder to say I am a fan of his. I pray that I can paint pictures as vividly as him one day.
Black Panther at its core is about what Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker all those years ago - with great power comes great responsibility. What is the responsibility of black people who either have made it out of oppressive circumstances or perhaps avoided it all together? What is their duty to those of us who haven't?
Should we as black people be prideful about just the nations we represent, or the diaspora as a whole? Why is there such a disconnect between Africans who never left and the descendants of slaves (African Americans, Afro-Carribeans, etc), and can that relationship be repaired? Is the hatred that comes from being oppressed your entire life ever justifiable, and are those who challenge that arguably righteous rage heroes or villains?
The movie also explores the difficult decisions black fathers must make, and how they have long term ramifications on their children. Perhaps most obviously, the movie encapsulates exactly why black women are so strong, and why we as black men would be wise to listen to and cooperate with them as much as possible.
God bless the makeup, costume, and design team. Ruth Carter, queen, you are an absolute gem. That woman did the damn thing when it came to every costume in this movie. How every tribe had their own unique, gorgeous patterns and color schemes, how majestic and regal T'Challa looked throughout the film, how absolutely BAD ASS and beautiful the Dora Milaje was....smh...I love you, Ruth.
And Hannah Beachler, who's creative vision brought Wakanda to life. Is there anything else to say about how amazing she was? Wakanda was breath taking. My favorite sets were Warrior Falls and the Jabari's mountain keep. Utterly gorgeous.
I already bigged up Ryan as a director, but I now have to big him up again, along with co-writer Joe Robert Cole, for this absolutely masterful script. I mean damn, what is there to say? Passionate, heavy hitting, soul wrenching dialogue, timely humor that has actual weight to it (Example, how M'Baku's joke about eating Ross was a nod to the stereotype of African savagery and inhumanity...brilliant). Just wow, and that last line from Killmonger. If that doesn't hit your soul hard as a black person, as a human being in fact, I don't know what would.
I also want to big up Ludwin Gornansson for the incredible film score – right up there with The Avengers and Winter Soldier. That white boy did the damn thing. What impressed me most about this guy is the fact that he flew out to Africa to take in the culture and sound so he could create the best music possible for the movie. That says a lot about his character, so I appreciate him a lot.
Let's get into the actors/characters.
I want to start off by giving a huge big up to Chadwick Boseman. Chad was AMAZING in his lead role, and I just want to emphasize that first, because with all the (deserved) hype for MBJ's portrayal of Killmonger and Letitia Wright's portrayal of Shuri, I feel my man Chad isn't getting enough love. At the end of the day, he was the core of the movie, and every role he was asked to cover in a scene - whether it was joy, anger, heartbreak, or stoicism - he absolutely hit a grand slam. Black Panther, who was introduced in Civil War, isn't the shiny new toy anymore. We already know who he is, so it's natural that people will gravitate towards new aspects like Shuri, Killmonger and M'Baku, but my man did his thing, and was arguably the best actor in this movie. This movie was all about how T'Challa would differentiate from his father and be his own king, and I can't wait to see where the character goes next.
Michael B. Jordan, my guy, wow. I actually grew up watching MBJ on a soap opera called All My Children with my momma. To see him go from that scrawny little kid just trying to get his big break in Hollywood to the talk of the movie world right now is one of personal pride, especially because he grew up right here in Newark, New Jersey. An inspiration to me, to be sure.
MBJ was asked to channel the rage of the oppressed, disenfranchised, and abandoned black people all over the world and use it to portray a villain that was wicked and violent, but also worthy of empathy. He did that and more. I see a lot of people saying that Killmonger was really the hero, which is patently ridiculous and somewhat sociopathic: he nearly strangled an elderly woman for merely questioning him, he killed droves of his own people (including his lover who supported him devoutly), and his plans would destroy thousands, if not millions of people. With that said, there was heaps of truth in almost everything he said, and the fact that his views had enough of a lasting impact on T’Challa that it influenced him to change Wakanda’s views on diplomacy and use its resources to help black people around the world shows exactly why some see him as a hero to begin with. That’s the power of a good script and some damn good acting.
Is there a more perfect display of black beauty than Lupita Nyong’o? Maybe there is, but after leaving the theater, I was firmly convinced that there is no woman more beautiful in the world. While I love all of our queens of all shades and sizes, it was important for T’Challa’s love interest to represent dark skin beauty. No implied mixes to “help” with the beauty, no features that in any way reflects the damaging standards of beauty that the west created to propel their children “above us” while leaving the oppressed to question the features God gave us. It was important that beauty was represented through her, and she wasn’t just a really pretty face – she knocked her portrayal out of the park. She was strong, but gentle, fearless but emotional. She really embodied the grace, power and beauty of black women. We all want Storm to be a part of this eventually, but after seeing Nakia and T’Challa together, maybe that inclusion would be best implemented in the platonic sense.
Letitia Wright’s portrayal of Shuri was everything I imagined it to be in more. She brought a charm, wit, humor and grace that no one else could match, and was a real scene stealer. Her relationship with T’Challa was a beautiful brother/sister dynamic. Most importantly, she was the smartest person in the room, and words cannot express how her essential role to Wakanda will inspire young black girls everywhere. I adore her, and I can’t wait to see her in Infinity War taking the fight to all the “colonizers”.
Danai Gurira is probably the best thing about the Walking Dead, but the show doesn’t do her justice at all. She exuded more badassness and beauty in 2 hours of Black Panther as Okoye, the General of the Dora Milaje, than she ever did in 4 seasons of that show. I notice that she was the favorite of most black women I talked with. Can you blame them? Tough as nails, magnificently pretty even in her baldness (The TWD producers really go out of their way to make her unattractive, I hate it), and arguably the best fighter in all of Wakanda. What’s not to love? Her character arc was really nice: through Okoye, they highlighted the flaw in devout loyalty to an idea rather than to people and her love for her man vs love for her country. Anyone peep the duality of her hatred for that wig she had to wear and how it speaks to the views some of us have towards hiding our natural features? Commentary through humor…again, Ryan and Joe did damn thing with this script.
Daniel Kaluwa did his thing as W’Kabi. While I consider his character arc the weakest part of the film
(he turned his back on T’Challa way too quickly IMO. Would have preferred if he was a traitor from the jump, or if we had about 10 more minutes of run time to explore how betrayed he felt by Wakanda’s ideologies)
The real MVP of this entire movie IMO was Winston Duke’s portrayal of M’Baku aka Man Ape. I mean, how lovable was this guy? Prideful and rude, but a good-hearted man deep down. I thought he was utterly captivating and both the funniest and most physically imposing character in the movie. I loved how, despite his tribe’s disconnect with Wakanda and his own wounded pride, he did the right thing when it mattered most. LOVED this character. My mom loves him for entirely different reasons. Stop drooling, mom.
Angela Bassett’s role as Ramonda and Forrest Whittaker’s role as Zuri were both magnificent. Would have loved for both of them to get more screen time, but Angela embodied a black mother’s love (which was important to include) and Forest did a great job of displaying Zuri’s wisdom, as well as regret over his foolishness.
Andy Serkis was magnetic as Klaue and served his purpose to a T. His cybernetic arm was awesome, and the chase scene he was a part of was one of the film’s highlights. Everything Serkis does, he gives his all too.
I’m a little sad Klaue died to be honest.
Martin Freeman’s expressions were gold, as he took in Wakanda with a child-like wander that would exactly how I reacted to seeing it. He played well off the other characters, never doing too much, but adding his veteran presence.
I was glad he didn’t die.
Before I wrap up this review, can I give a quick shout out to Sterling K. Brown’s 3 minutes or so as N’Jobu, the brother of T’Chaka? This guy is a brilliant actor who sold you completely in his motivations for
betraying his homeland
PART 2
I don't think I've ever wanted to watch a movie again as fast as I do this one. I want to go back to Wakanda, and I don't want to wait until Infinity War to do it. I have a second showing this Sunday, with a few of my non-black friends. It will be interesting to see how they react to the film to be certain, but ultimately, it doesn’t really matter to me. Though viewed by the world, this movie was for us, and I left it changed and inspired.
A few extra notes
1. It’s really important that this movie is viewed with your antennas up. I can’t stress enough how layered a lot of this dialogue is, and how Joe and Ryan clearly put their all into making it as relatable to us as possible. Not to come off as elitist, but there’s simply certain stuff in here that viewers will not understand unless they come from the diaspora.
2. Did you know that the opening was a N’jobu telling his son, a young Erik Killmonger, about the history of Wakanda? I assumed it was T’Chaka talking to a young T’Challa. After discovering this fact, it made what Killmonger said about “My dad used to tell me all about Wakanda when I was a kid. Imagine a kid from Oakland hearing about those fairytales.” With
3. Speaking of Killmonger, I wouldn’t write off a return, even if its just a cameo through the Ancestral Plain they use to communicate with the deceased.
4. One of the most beautiful things about this movie is how it inspired the diaspora to embrace their African heritage through costume and dance. I hope it always moved our African family to be more embracing of us – The Lost Tribe.
5. I honestly don’t know how they’re going to top this with Black Panther 2. Where do they go from here? How do you improve upon the essentially flawless?
6. If you liked it, go watch it again! Let’s see if we can get this to a billion!
7. The mid-credits scene was masterful. A little bit all lives matter-y lol, but what I loved most was how the white guy snobbishly asks T’Challa “What can a third world country do for us?” to which T’Challa smirked. Another stroke of social humor, used to highlight the perception of Africans/black people as having nothing to offer on their own merit.
8. Good to see my guy Winter Soldier looking healthy. Wakanda gonna need him big time in a few months lol.
Ah yes, before I forget…the flaws. I’ll cover those quickly, lol.
1. This movie could have benefited from an extra 10-15 minutes of run time. I would have liked to have seen more scenes with Ramonda and T’Challa, more scenes with Erik as king, and more scenes that flesh out W’Kabi’s turn. Remember when Coogler said the director’s edition was like 4 hours long? Well, I want all that for the 4k Blu Ray. PLEASE.
2. The CGI wasn’t great in some spots. The only time I was somewhat disconnected from the experience is when some fight scenes (particularly the final battle between Erik and T’Challa) went HAM on the CGI. I don’t know who Marvel gets to do their stuff, but they need to up their game. This is more so a Marvel problem than a Black Panther problem. However, all the CGI for the city of Wakanda and their technology was amazing!
3. I see a few complaints about the action, particularly that they wanted more from T’Challa. I feel the opening scene when extracting Nakia, the Korea casino fight + chase, his ritual battles with M’Baku and Erik, and the final battle was a decent helping, but wouldn’t have minded one more fight, or for one or two of those to be extended. Still, one of the biggest complaints about Marvel movie are they lack substance in exchange for heavy action, right? Well, this movie chooses to focus on the plot and dialogue over epic fight sequences, and still has some pretty good ones. I don’t have much issue. You’ll get all the fights you want in May with Infinity War.
Final score? A 10/10 of course! No movie is perfect, but this one is as close as it gets. Bravo to all involved. Can’t wait to see it again Sunday, and I already pre-ordered the blu ray!
Acting - A+
Writing - A+
Depth - A+
Action - B
Set/Costume Design - A+
Score - A+
CGI - B
I don't think I've ever wanted to watch a movie again as fast as I do this one. I want to go back to Wakanda, and I don't want to wait until Infinity War to do it. I have a second showing this Sunday, with a few of my non-black friends. It will be interesting to see how they react to the film to be certain, but ultimately, it doesn’t really matter to me. Though viewed by the world, this movie was for us, and I left it changed and inspired.
A few extra notes
1. It’s really important that this movie is viewed with your antennas up. I can’t stress enough how layered a lot of this dialogue is, and how Joe and Ryan clearly put their all into making it as relatable to us as possible. Not to come off as elitist, but there’s simply certain stuff in here that viewers will not understand unless they come from the diaspora.
2. Did you know that the opening was a N’jobu telling his son, a young Erik Killmonger, about the history of Wakanda? I assumed it was T’Chaka talking to a young T’Challa. After discovering this fact, it made what Killmonger said about “My dad used to tell me all about Wakanda when I was a kid. Imagine a kid from Oakland hearing about those fairytales.” With
his dying breath all the more heart wrenching. RIP Killmonger.
3. Speaking of Killmonger, I wouldn’t write off a return, even if its just a cameo through the Ancestral Plain they use to communicate with the deceased.
4. One of the most beautiful things about this movie is how it inspired the diaspora to embrace their African heritage through costume and dance. I hope it always moved our African family to be more embracing of us – The Lost Tribe.
5. I honestly don’t know how they’re going to top this with Black Panther 2. Where do they go from here? How do you improve upon the essentially flawless?
6. If you liked it, go watch it again! Let’s see if we can get this to a billion!
7. The mid-credits scene was masterful. A little bit all lives matter-y lol, but what I loved most was how the white guy snobbishly asks T’Challa “What can a third world country do for us?” to which T’Challa smirked. Another stroke of social humor, used to highlight the perception of Africans/black people as having nothing to offer on their own merit.
8. Good to see my guy Winter Soldier looking healthy. Wakanda gonna need him big time in a few months lol.
Ah yes, before I forget…the flaws. I’ll cover those quickly, lol.
1. This movie could have benefited from an extra 10-15 minutes of run time. I would have liked to have seen more scenes with Ramonda and T’Challa, more scenes with Erik as king, and more scenes that flesh out W’Kabi’s turn. Remember when Coogler said the director’s edition was like 4 hours long? Well, I want all that for the 4k Blu Ray. PLEASE.
2. The CGI wasn’t great in some spots. The only time I was somewhat disconnected from the experience is when some fight scenes (particularly the final battle between Erik and T’Challa) went HAM on the CGI. I don’t know who Marvel gets to do their stuff, but they need to up their game. This is more so a Marvel problem than a Black Panther problem. However, all the CGI for the city of Wakanda and their technology was amazing!
3. I see a few complaints about the action, particularly that they wanted more from T’Challa. I feel the opening scene when extracting Nakia, the Korea casino fight + chase, his ritual battles with M’Baku and Erik, and the final battle was a decent helping, but wouldn’t have minded one more fight, or for one or two of those to be extended. Still, one of the biggest complaints about Marvel movie are they lack substance in exchange for heavy action, right? Well, this movie chooses to focus on the plot and dialogue over epic fight sequences, and still has some pretty good ones. I don’t have much issue. You’ll get all the fights you want in May with Infinity War.
Final score? A 10/10 of course! No movie is perfect, but this one is as close as it gets. Bravo to all involved. Can’t wait to see it again Sunday, and I already pre-ordered the blu ray!
Acting - A+
Writing - A+
Depth - A+
Action - B
Set/Costume Design - A+
Score - A+
CGI - B
If the writing of the film wasn’t sufficient enough to make you give a fukk about Wakanda, like Killmonger didn’t, then say that, instead of conflating a comic movie with real world. Erik’s father regretted not sending his son home sooner for that very reason
Killmonger character really is underrated. Even though his plan wasn't the best, it was a damn good plan, especially in the real world v. White supremacy
Only twice so far.
I still haven't given no reviews for it either, although I suppose it would be redundant to say it was a dope movie for all the obvious reasons like plot, villain and score. One thing I would give the movie props for that hasn't been mentioned yet, is that it didn't feel like it an advertisement to sell merchandise like certain other mcu properties do (looking at you, baby groot) so I'm thankful for that.
Minor complaints would be for the lack of Bast and the lack of strategic T'Challa. Black Panther is special for not only being the richest hero, but being one of the smartest/tactical heroes, so I need that covered in BP2. Also the dialogue could be improved but I assume we got the best they could accomplish because it's really hard to pull off an african accent and deliver snappy coherent lines lol
I don't wanna put this in any top 5's or top 10's list of MCU movies anymore because the phase 3 movies have all been fukking amazing and it's unfair to my mental to make me decide on what goes where so fukk yall
Underrated where? Before the movie came out barely anyone knew who he was, now damn near everyone on here is a stan
NobodyReally
Superstar
“The PanAfrican flag is red, black and green, so when you see Okoye, T’Challa and Nakia in their covert looks, you’re seeing the PanAfrican flag.”
- Ryan Coogler.
I swear to god my cousin said Letitia wright is ugly. I wanted to knock her the fucc out.
RammerJammer
#RollTide #TSC #RiseUp #BullsNation #RIPKobe
Came out of that movie last night having a crush on her she was looking GOODT in the movie
.Amazing movie, I like how almost every character learned from each other, well except Klaw, that motherfukker was crazy. Is Killmonger one of the least evil villains ever? Not in a bad way but his message was not bad in any way, shape, or form.
