Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Andy Serkis
Director: Ryan Coogler
Release date: 13th February 2018
Many years ago a meteor from space struck the Earth and landed in Africa. The meteorite contained ‘Vibranium’, the strongest element on the planet. Flash forward to Oakland, California, 1992, and a large block of flats. A deal is going down but things do not end well. Present day Nigeria and the King of Wakanda is dead. The eldest son must succeed the throne. Meanwhile in a London museum a violent robbery is taking place. Vicious and callous Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Back in Wakanda, the eldest son of the King, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is attending his coronation ceremony. After a few hiccups, he is crowned King and also ‘Black Panther’. A weapon containing huge power has been stolen from the Museum and T’Challa must find it. It’s a race against time for the new King.
This new ‘Black Panther’ movie pretty much follows on from ‘Captain America (Civil War)’ and also from the explosion at the meeting of the UN that kills the Wakandan King/ T’Challa’s dad. The character of the Black Panther first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1966 and was the first superhero of African descent to appear in mainstream comic books.
You always know what you’re getting with Marvel movies. It’s like a nice comfy pair of slippers that make you feel all fuzzy when you put them on. After seeing T’Challa make his debut, it was pretty obvious that his origin story would have to be told sooner rather than later. He just kind of popped up in ‘Captain America (Civil War)’ and with the eagerly anticipated ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ coming out this year, it plugs the gap between the two movies nicely. This new movie tells you everything you need to know about the technologically advanced Wakandan civilisation. T’Challa is a pretty likeable guy and you can tell that he is a very passionate ruler who cares about his people.
Just like pretty much all of the Marvel movies, ‘Black Panther’ is a long old film. Coming in at 2hrs 14mins, it could have just been a film that just rambled on for the sake of it, but far from it. Sometimes with films of this length, you’re starting to look at your watch after the first hour and a half but with this one you definitely won’t be. Tribal rivalry, massive car chases, huge battle scenes with Rhinos, massive punch ups, and Andy Serkis as the mean tattooed villain with a South African accent, makes this a movie that you shouldn’t miss watching on the Big Screen. If you’re a fan of The Avengers then I think you’re going to love this movie, it really does have something for everyone. With a 12a certificate on it, it can be a movie to watch as a family as well as a night out with your mates. A real ‘popcorn movie’, just make sure you go see it on the big screen!
Overall: 9/10
