Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Black Panther


DIRECTOR: Ryan Cooler  LEAD CAST: Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Jordan, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya,  Andy Serkis, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke  SCREENWRITER: Ryan Cooler, Joe Robert Cole  PRODUCER: Kevin Feige  EDITOR: Michael Shawver, Claudia Castello  MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Ludwig Goransson  CINEMATOGRAPHER: Rachel Morrison  DISTRIBUTOR: Walt Disney  GENRE: action, science fiction, fantasy  LOCATION: United States  RUNNING TIME: 145 minutes
Technical assessment: 4
Moral assessment: 4
CINEMA rating: V14
MTRCB rating: PG13
T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) returns to Wakanda in Africa to assume the throne of his late father King T'Chaka. Not long after being crowned King, T'Challa is faced by challenges to protect his homeland from the bad elements in the outside world and to stop the irresponsible sharing of its very own vibranium technology. T'Challa together with Okaye (Danai Gurira) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) launch the South Korea mission when he learns that his American cousin Killmonger a.k.a. Erik Stevens (Michael B. Jordan) in connivance with Klaue (Andy Serkis) is due to sell the stolen vibranium-made weapon artefact to American CIA Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) in Busan. The plan to intercept the deal turns into a high speed car chase that takes Klaue into federal custody. Killmonger breaks into the compound and frees Klaue. The confrontation seriously injures Ross for saving Nakia.  The  mission team brings him to Wakanda where he is cured. Killmonger kills Klaue and takes his body to Wakanda as an offering to the tribe elders. He challenges T'Challa for a fight to claim the throne that he eventually wins and throws the comatose body of T'Challa into the waterfalls. Killmonger takes the liberty to inject the heart-shaped herb to gain the powers of the Black Panther and to start his greed mission to distribute the Wakandan weapon to the whole world.
The Black Panther has a well-developed plot. The story progresses to climax as it unravels secrets and characters of the movie. The director did a good job in giving a light treatment to a supposedly hardcore action sci-fi genre. This helps the viewers to focus on the story and its message.  The fight scenes and the stunts including those by women actors bring excitement and the dialogue in African accents is commendable. The power cast showcases the pool of excellent acting skills especially Boseman. The cinematography gives significant shots in different locations and scenes that blend well with applied advanced technology. It has an impressive production design that puts together the elements of tribal culture and science fiction. Equally notable are the sounds, lights music and the amazing visual effects. Overall, the film is entertaining and watching it is worth one’s time and money.
Sharing is a noble act.  However, just like any well-meaning gesture, this can be manipulated by bad elements in society and may result in more harm than good. This is the dilemma of the character of T'Challa. While this issue is all male orchestrated, woman power comes to the rescue and support of the male leader who is on the side of truth. Hence, there is value in investing and trusting in women’s skills even when it comes to major concerns and serving the national interest. A country, no matter how small and naïve, may possess a treasure in the form of people with values and amazing technologies.