Black Panther
Ryan Beaupit

Review by Ryan Beaupit Patron

Black Panther 2018

★★★★½

Watched 15 Feb 2018

The Circle of Film Podcast Review Episode: www.circleoffilm.com/2018/02/19/review-74-black-panther/

The Circle of Film Podcast Statistics Episode:
www.circleoffilm.com/2018/02/21/statistics-57-black-panther/

41 years ago we got the first Star Wars movie, a film so beloved that spawned diehard fans for generations. The world was turned on its head and blown away by the creativity, the world building, and the fantasy. Along the way we saw glimpses of the same majesty in movies like Jurassic Park, Alien, Back to the Future, Toy Story, The Lord of the Rings (which has come the closest to reaching that level in my opinion), Avatar, and finally, we landed on the MCU.

The MCU has released over a dozen films that have grossed billions of dollars, and it felt like that feeling of discovery so many had with Star Wars was achieved. Except, we kept getting more MCU movies. And while I think they're generally quite good, the repetition and poorly written villains are problematic to say the least. So, what did we do? We rebooted Star Wars (again). And The Force Awakens absolutely crushed the Box Office, becoming the second biggest earner of all time.

But my friends, as great as I think the new Star Wars movies are, as great as most of the movies I've named in this review are, none felt as much like Star Wars as Black Panther. It has a conflicted hero that sees the good his people could be doing but can't get over the hump of changing the ways of tradition. It has powerful female characters that have their own stories, conflicts, and strengths, mastering the science of vibranium, the power of loyalty, and the truth of clear-sight. There is a villain that isn't a CGI monster. He's a human. He has a backstory that is tragic, but real, indirectly related to our hero. He is bloodthirsty, but not purely evil, hoping to right the evils of the world in the only way he understands. And he takes the power away from our hero! He strips him of his essence, reducing him to a mere man that must earn his way back to his rightful place.

And that's just scratching the surface. This movie has a James Bond flare, Andy Serkis being adorably evil, Martin Freeman as a fish out of water, Daniel Kaluuya, Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, and Lupita Nyong'o play opposite sides of the same coin, seeking to save the lives of those less fortunate but none of them really knows the best way to go about doing it.

The film crescendoes to a brilliant 3 part war, a la Empire Strikes Back, as T'Challa duels Killmonger, the rival factions of Wakanda fight for the king they believe in, and Martin Freeman?!?!?!? takes to the sky. There are war rhinos and warriors that can't help but steal the screen every time they grace it.

I'd say that Letitia Wright steals the film, but that still leaves Danai Gurira, Andy Serkis, Daniel Kaluuya, and Winston Duke, who all get their time in the sun.

Go see this thing. It's beautiful. The first challenge sequence has some of the best costume design ever created. The production and effects are gorgeous. The performances are top-notch. The sound, the score, the music. It all culminates in (at first blush) my favorite MCU film.

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