Release Date: 16 February, 2018
What's It About: T'Challa returns to Wakanda in the aftermath of the assassination of the king during the events of Civil War, and must take his first footsteps into being king and ruling his country.
The Good: Fantastic plot and worldbuilding, as well as strong performances from Boseman, Nyong'o and Jordan. The fictional nation of Wakanda is an interesting fusion of technology with African tribal culture. The production team performed alot of research in creating a Wakanda that didn't feel like it had shoehorned into the world, and rather more like a nation that had organically developed within it. I also really liked how the film fits into the others, particularly the chain of events that started with Age of Ultron and leading down into Black Panther through characters like Helmut Zemo.
The Bad: The film changes some of the content from the comics. For example, in the comics T'Challa had been the king since childhood but in the film he was newly crowned as an adult. This film is also highly charged with politics, which could make viewers uncomfortable but I believe the discomfort is necessary in order to raise awareness of the real-life social and political issues that African-Americans face on a daily basis.
Best Performance: The whole cast was exceptional, but I really liked Michael B. Jordan's performance as Erik Stevens (Killmonger). Stevens is without a doubt one of the best villains in the MCU, who, if anything, is more of a heroic figure in his own right. His story has him rising up from a life of oppression to challenging the throne of Wakanda, which brings him into conflict with T'Challa. Jordan brings an impressive physicality to the role, such as the presence of scars on his built body for every person he had killed.
Should I Watch It: One of the best MCU films in a long time. This film is a watershed moment for African-Americans and generates strong positive media representation for them. It fits in very nicely into the film anthology and generates plenty of interesting ideas for a sequel.
Post-Credits Scene: Yes
Similar Films: Any of the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Trailer:
