Black Panther felt different from most of the MCU movies I watched before. After seeing T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War, I was interested to see more of Wakanda and learn what kind of king he would become. The movie gave me that, but it also built a much bigger world around him.
The first thing that stood out to me was Wakanda itself. The country looked amazing, with traditional African influences mixed with advanced technology. I liked how the movie did not make Wakanda look like just another futuristic city. It had its own identity, and that made the setting feel much more interesting.
Chadwick Boseman was a great choice for T'Challa. He played him in a much quieter way compared to some of the louder MCU heroes. T'Challa had confidence, but he was also learning what kind of king he wanted to be. I liked that he was not presented as someone who already had every answer.
The supporting characters were also one of the movie's biggest strengths. Okoye, Nakia and Shuri all had their own personalities, and none of them felt like they were only there to support T'Challa. Danai Gurira brought a lot of strength to Okoye, while Lupita Nyong'o gave Nakia a more thoughtful side.
And then there was Shuri.
Shuri's energy was completely different from T'Challa's, and their conversations were some of my favorite lighter moments. She was intelligent, funny and clearly comfortable with technology, which also gave Wakanda's advanced side a more personal feeling.
The action was enjoyable too. The fight scenes had a strong physical style, and the traditional weapons and clothing mixed with futuristic technology in a way that looked great. I especially liked how different characters fought in different ways instead of everyone simply throwing punches and explosions around.
The movie also had a strong visual style. The colors, costumes and locations made it easy to tell when I was in Wakanda, and the costume design was one of the things that stayed in my mind after watching it. Everything felt connected to the culture of the fictional country.
For me, the most interesting part of Black Panther was the idea of responsibility. T'Challa had inherited a powerful country, but being king meant making decisions that affected people far beyond his own life. The movie asked what someone should do when they have the ability to help others but also have reasons to protect what belongs to them.
That gave the story more weight than I expected.
I also liked the relationship between T'Challa and Killmonger because they represented two very different reactions to the same larger problem. The movie did not make their conflict feel completely simple, and that gave me more to think about after it ended.
Of course, Black Panther still had plenty of the usual Marvel humor. Some of the jokes came from Shuri, while others came from characters like M'Baku and Everett Ross. The comedy helped keep the movie from becoming too serious all the time.
Overall, Black Panther was one of the more memorable MCU movies for me. The world of Wakanda was easily one of its biggest strengths, but the characters were what made me care about it.
All photos of the post are collected from The Movie Database and/or IMDB and/or Rotten Tomatoes.
Until next time.
Rating: 75/100
