Black Panther Movie Review
Wakanda forever!
It's been a hot minute since Marvel gave us an origin story. So I'm glad we got this one instead of them just throwing T'Challa into Captain America: Civil War and then just continuing with Avengers: Infinity War. Black Panther needed his own solo movie, and Marvel did not disappoint.
And while I love Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, he wasn't my main focus. Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and Shuri (Letitia Wright) stole the show.
While some people put love interests in a movie and then just walk away like "We're done! We did it! We put a love interest in the movie! Any other qualities about them will be diminished or dismissed because their sole purpose is to be the love interest." Nakia does not play by your rules. T'Challa might like her, but she will not be tamed or have her life dictated by anyone but herself. She is a badass that fights for what she believes in and I need more of her in Infinity War.
Okoye, leader of the Dora Milaje, and new found lady crush. NOTHING stands in the way of her and her country. NOTHING. She will kick your ass for even looking at the king wrong. I love her...
Shuri is the best princess/little sister anyone could ask for in life, or in a Marvel movie. She's the sassy tech genius that makes sure her brother T'Challa stays in one piece while he's out fighting bad guys.
Killmonger...where do I begin with Killmonger. This is probably one of the first Marvel villains that I felt empathy toward. I mean, I felt a tiny bit of empathy toward Zemo when his backstory was revealed in Civil War, but in the end I was like "That's sad...But you're still a dick. I mean, you murdered a LOT of people...I'm not going to feel THAT bad for you..."
Black Panther, however, isn't just about T'Challa's origins; it's about Killmonger's too. And it hits home. Both he and T'Challa are fighting for what they believe is right. They both want to help people, but go about it in VASTLY different ways.
So while he is a villain, you see exactly where he's coming from. And that hurts me in my heart place.
It's an amazing movie with a killer soundtrack and visuals and you should definitely go see it now!
(Also, there are TWO post credit scenes. Stay until the VERY END of the credits for a tiny teaser into Infinity War.)