My Thoughts on the Black Panther Movie

I thought I’d share my thoughts and feels about Marvel’s new Black Panther film. In case you have no idea what I’m talking about (How is that possible?), I’ve posted the trailer below.

Obviously, this movie was very highly anticipated. My roommate has seen it at least three times, that I know of. It’s a cultural phenomenon now, and I’m totally happy it’s made such an amazing impact. But for me, personally, this movie wasn’t my favorite of the MCU films. I think it falls somewhere in between Spiderman: Homecoming and Ant-Man for me. Both of those films were good, but I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about them. Same with Black Panther.

The characters in this film were amazing. The plot was as well. Instead of a one-off villain with no real backstory or motive, we got a decent antagonist, Killmonger, who just wanted to help those who’d been put down by a corrupt system. And of course, Michael B. Jordan is very good looking, unlike a lot of Marvel’s other villains.

I thought Chadwick Boseman and all of the other actors did a good job with their characters. The only thing I would complain about in this regard is how Letitia Wright, though a good actress, looked a lot older than the sixteen-year-old she was supposed to be playing. I know it’s common to hire older actresses and actors for teenage roles, like Tom Holland for Peter Parker, but I just don’t really like it when a 21-year-old plays a 16-year-old.

My other major complaint had to do with the CGI. It was so obvious, and I was expecting better from a movie in the MCU. I’ve heard that maybe this was a stylistic choice from the filmmakers, but I just don’t know why they would take a step back, considering how far they’ve come in their CGI over the years.

Overall, this particular film wrestled with some big issues. I think Captain America: Civil War is the only film that really tackles societal issues somewhat head on, and it definitely didn’t have as much of impact as Black Panther does. I’m glad we got to see a hero struggle with such a major concept. I also think the ending fight scene had a lot of power.

Now, I don’t think I need to tell everyone to go watch this movie. It’s the last MCU film before Avengers: Infinity War comes out, and obviously, everyone needs to be caught up before the biggest film in the franchise is released. For the sake of my sanity and yours, please go watch this film.