'Black Panther' REVIEW: Boasts to be One of the More Thought-Provoking Superhero films in th

'Black Panther' is the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is directed by Ryan Coogler, the director behind films like Fruitvale Station (2013) and Creed (2015), both of which are great films which is why I was very excited to see him helm a huge spectacle tent-pole blockbuster. We've already seen this character portrayed by Chadwick Boseman introduced in the film Captain America: Civil War (2016) which showed us a hint at what might his standalone film be like. I mean it when I say, it's worth the hype.

The story of 'Black Panther' takes place shortly after the events of Civil War and now T'Challa (played by Chadwick Boseman), the prince of the fictional country of Wakanda has the take on the position as king while still being the warrior of the Black Panther. The problems that come with being a king are that he has the pay for the mistakes made by his ancestors and a villain named Erik Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan) challenges T'Challa for the right to be king.

Chadwick Boseman once again shows us why he was chosen for the role of T'Challa. He's hugely charismatic and likable while also being stern as he is a king. Knowing before going into this film I knew that he was first and foremost an English actor, but while I was watching this film I just completely forgotten that he was by using a strong African-ish accent. What I also loved about this movie was how extremely well realized the culture of Wakanda was. Even though it's heavily inspired by real-life African culture, it still manages to be believable as well as colorful even. I believe that this film has presented to us with a more tragic villain of the MCU so far that of Erik Killmonger. I think that this is the first time in on of the MCU films that I've also once in a while sided with the villain and I don't want to spoil why. To me that was unexpected about this film was its themes of political ethics and what to do when one country has resources that may or may not benefit the whole world. Those themes got me out of nowhere and I was glad that it gave me food for thought. Ryan Coogler once again shows us that he's a great director of action sequences and they were all very good. I wouldn't say they were as good as Creed's fight scenes, but they were still exciting enough to watch.

Some people have said already that the film is somewhat over-hyped or overrated and I both agree and disagree on a number of occasions during the film. People should understand that this is a standalone film that takes place before the year's biggest film 'Infinity War' hits theaters, so it doesn't come as a surprise that Black Panther isn't as grand as people might've thought. It's just more of a character driven movie than a huge spectacle film. The film does slow down in between the second and third act as T'Challa is missing throughout that portion of the film, but he does come back fairly quickly. The last confrontation between our hero and villain did feel rushed and the action sequence took place in a dark room while they were battling in dark color suits which was problematic to see.

In the end, Black Panther manages to exceed my expectations. The trailers made it seen like a typical MCU film, but not in a good way. I'm glad that the film surprised me with its thought-provoking themes and interesting character moments. It's a movie that I'll remember for not just being a great superhero film, but a great film in general.

'Black Panther' gets an A