Black Panther – Welcome to the shared universe, Your Highness

‘Black Panther’ has received a lot of hype surround it being the first superhero film with a black leading man (even though that mantel probably should have gone to 1997’s ‘Spawn,’ but it is correct at least in terms of the current Marvel Shared Universe).  However, I really don’t believe its success will have much to do with anything so shallow.  In short: it’s a modern day Marvel film and, if you’re a regular at the multiplexes, you’ll probably already know what to expect: a hero with superpowers taking on – basically – an evil version of themselves.  So, if that’s what you’re into (and current Box Office trends says that many of us are!) then you’re going to enjoy this just as much as ‘Iron Man, Thor’ and all the others.  The reason: it’s just a cool, colourful, charismatic film which is great to eat popcorn to.

It’s set just after ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ but perhaps one of the first things I should mention is that you don’t really need to have seen any other films in the MCU to fully understand everything that happens here.  We meet up with King T'Challa of (fictional African nation) Wakanda who, along with ruling his nation since the recent death of his father, also moonlights as the super-powered ‘Black Panther,’ who, as yet, has kept his and his country’s ‘special’ abilities a secret from the rest of the world.  Now, faced with exposure of just what Wakanda is capable of, he is faced with whether to continue its current way of existing, or enter the fray (which will no doubt take him further into the path of the Avengers and their exploits).

So, there’s nothing new in terms of plot, but it’s definitely a distant cousin of the recent Marvel movie ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ in terms of its look and feel.  It’s very colouring to look at (nothing DC-like by being all ‘dark and gritty’ here!) – you may even say its looks like a ‘living comic book!).  It’s a great-looking film visually, but, if you’re being overly-critical, you could say that there’s a little too much CGI, especially in the backdrops.  I know this is a criticism levelled at all ‘fantastical’ films where whole new planets/civilisations have to be created, but sometimes you can tell the King is talking to someone up against a greenscreen.

Also, it’s worth noting that there isn’t – quite – as much humour in this film as other recent Marvel entries.  I guess this is down to – sort of – handicapping its leading man by making him a King.  Before, we’ve had leading men who are gods/thieves/playboy billionaires – all of whom are allowed the freedom to let a witty quip roll of their tongues at a moment’s notice.  However, here, if the Black Panther did that, it would probably feel a little out of character.  Luckily, the film makes up for this by surrounding him with a stellar supporting cast who are well-schooled in letting off steam with a one-liner or two.

Overall, ‘Black Panther’ is just another excellent and enjoyable thrill ride in the Marvel universe.  Don’t expect anything too deep or revolutionary – just expect a good time and be prepared to bow at not just His Majesty – the King of Wakanda – but also yet another amazingly-successful in a film franchise that never seems to be able to run out of steam.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one