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.
