«Black Panther» (2018): Review

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WAKANDA FOREVER.


Black Panther is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther), Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger/Golden Jaguar), Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia), Andy Serkis (Ulysses Klaw), Martin Freeman (Everett K. Ross), Letitia Wright (Shuri) and Danai Gurira (Okoye). It’s the eighteenth film of the MCU, grossing over 1.3 billion of dollars worldwide, making it the highest grossing movie of all time directed by a black director. With a nearly all afro American cast and an unbelievable hype after the character’s inclusion in Civil War, this movie was underwhelming for me.

If there are two words that could define this film are “overrated” and “hype”. I can understand that its box office numbers are due to the Marvel phenomenon, but the fact that the critics say that this movie “redefines the superhero genre” is something that’s beyond me. 


WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT BLACK PANTHER

While it is true that I have a hard time finding positive aspects of this movie, not everything that the Coogler directed film is bad. Ludwig Goransson’s soundtrack is fantastic, with African tribal nuances that are combined with very epic military music, resulting in a soundtrack that recalls warlike scenes of war; anticipating that there will be a battle for the throne of Wakanda. The whole soundtrack, and especially the main theme «Black Panther Main theme by Ludwig Goransson”, is a work of art.

The fact that this movie has such strong and independent women characters such as Shuri, Nakia, and Okoye is something excellent; since even though they may just be secondary characters, they are tremendously helpful, helping the main characters and push the story forwards. The inclusion of an all-black cast (apart from Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis) is a very powerful weapon when fighting against racism in Hollywood. However, this is not enough when it comes to making a good movie. 


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WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD ABOUT BLACK PANTHER

The movie has a strong recurring theme of learning from past mistakes and being able to forgive. In a day and age where racism and immigration are very hot talking points worldwide, I felt as if Black Panther had a great chance to send a strong message about all of this, making it a solid and consistent movie. However, its biggest weakness is that its story is nearly identical to the The Lion King.

We have the rightful heir to the throne (Simba/T’Challa) that sees his father die (Mufasa/T’Chaka), and accepts the throne. However, a family member (Scar/Killmonger), characterized by revenge and vengeance, feels betrayed stating he should be the one to rule the kingdom. The relative starts a new rule, based on oppression and changing everything that used to be. The rightful heir steps away (Simba goes into hiding while T’Challa is supposedly dead), only to come back to defeat his relative in a final battle, who eventually dies. The new king then finds love with one of his friends (Nala/Nakia).

If this movie doesn’t sound exactly like a film previously released back by Disney in 1994, I don’t know what does.


Why Killmonger Was Such A Compelling Villain In 'Black Panther'

The story feels quite shallow and lacks originality for the most part. While it is true that the first 40-50 minutes are quite fun since we get to discover Wakanda and its culture, along with the car chase scene in Korea; the rest of the movie just feels too slow at times, since you have this feeling of having already watched the movie, but in a cartoon version (just like it happened in Iron Man 3 and its resemblance to The Incredibles). There’s also a villain problem: there are two of them.

While Klaw is easily captured by the Black Panther, he is then killed off by Killmonger in a matter of minutes. And as for Killmonger, he shows up in the first act of the movie to come back in the third, besting T’Challa in hand-to-hand combat, and thus becoming the new king of Wakanda. And then he dies. It just feels as if both of these characters are wasted for the potential they had, and their only purpose was to really flesh out T’Challa’s character.


Por qué deberías ver la nueva película de Marvel Black Panther?

The only thing we know about these characters is that Klaw is a smuggler, while Killmonger feels tremendously frustrated by being left out by Wakanda; but it’s never explored as if the decision to leave him was for his own good (since he’s the son of a traitor).

The movie has the potential to explore all of these things, but it seems like its primary focus was on just arriving to the finish line with a happy ending, resulting in a very shallow storyline, where both villains are killed off. I have the feeling that this film is being sold as revolutionary, where the superhero concept is redefined, but I feel like that’s overselling it. It’s really nothing special. It’s a fun, easy-going film, but it really falls into Marvel’s bottom tier of movies. However, being a Marvel film, and having a nearly all-black cast are two ingredients that make Black Panther a gigantic money-making machine.

I am 100% supportive of any type of inclusion in Hollywood, and it’s absolutely necessary to defeat any existing racist, sexist, and any community stereotypes. But I don’t feel as if it’s a sufficient argument when it comes to making good movies. An audience is moved first by the story, not by who is interpreting it; that comes later. This is like motorsport; no matter how good your driver is, if you give him a bad car, he won’t be able to fight for championships. This movie’s script is something close to banality, and there isn’t much that “breaks the mold” when it comes to these types of movies. The fact that this movie had such ridiculous expectations was also a factor when it came down to judging it, just like any type of blockbuster.

Aquí pasa igual. Si el guión es banal, del montón, superficial, si no se presenta nada que rompa con lo establecido y además se crean unas expectativas ridículamente altas; lo más seguro es que no termine de convencer al completo. Bien es cierto que, si no se dieran las opiniones antes de que se estrenasen este tipo de blockbusters; las expectativas bajarían y a lo mejor las opiniones cambian (aunque uno es libre de crearse sus propias expectativas en su cabeza). 


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What is this?

Black Panther also has a flaw that I consider it to be quite nasty; for the budget it had, and the year which we live in, with all the technology that surrounds us. It is none other than its CGI: there are some shots in Wakanda where it seems like the special effects are unfinished, and they really stand out from the rest as fake. The final battle between Killmonger and T’Challa is reminiscent of the final battle in Spider-Man 3, where Tobey Maguire’s face was digitally inserted very poorly onto his body. But you know that movie is from 2007, it was limited by its technology back then. This movie is from 2018 and I think CGI has sufficiently evolved to the point where the mine scene shouldn’t feel like it was pulled out of a videogame.

También es cierto que no aparecen durante mucho tiempo, pero si lo suficiente como para que resulte bastante extraño. La batalla final entre T’Challa y Killmonger en las minas evoca recuerdos de lo mal que eran los efectos de Spider-Man 3, pero era del 2007. Black Panther es del 2018 y aún podemos distinguir facilmente que escenas parecen un videojuego y cuáles no; cuando realmente no debería de ser asi a día de hoy; y si se logra diferenciar, tiene que ser para cambios muy sutiles.


Erik Killmonger: 7 datos clave que debes saber sobre el enemigo de ...

IN CONCLUSION

Black Panther perfectly represents what Marvel is nowadays: quantity before quality. It’s a money-making machine that baits the audience with the inclusion of characters that we have already seen before so that theaters worldwide are all full. It’s a very effective technique, that’s for sure.

If your objective is to make as much money as you possibly can, then you obviously have to write a very generic script; with a generic introduction, generic obstacles, and a happy ending. I think that’s a perfect way to resume Black Panther. It’s a very standard superhero movie that doesn’t really bring anything new to the table (apart from the afro American cast), wasting all the potential it had, and making some noticeable mistakes. The movie won three Oscars (Original Score, Costume Design, Production Design), and if we’re to investigate as to why that is, I think it’s because of the previously mentioned cast, and because Hollywood rewards these actions. If we were to judge this movie on its story, we have the feeling that we have already seen it, and we can predict how it would pan out. If you haven’t watched Black Panther yet, as well as its trailers, interviews, and so on; do it without any kind of expectations. If you have done of the previously mentioned, watch The Lion King. It’s shorter, and you won’t feel cheated.

Si se juzga estrictamente en cuanto a la historia que nos tiene que contar, tenemos la sensación de haberlo visto antes; teniendo un guión carente de personalidad y superficial, donde se está preocupado por hacer una trama genérica más que nada. De cierto modo, sabemos perfectamente cómo va a terminar; y en esta, si estamos suficientemente atentos desde el principio, sabremos de qué manera se va a desarrollar toda la trama. Si aún no has visto Black Panther y no has escuchado ni leído ninguna crítica y/o tráiler, mírala sin prejuicios ni expectativas. Es realmente lo ideal, y dejar que la trama tenga la capacidad de poder sorprender. Sin embargo, si has hecho alguna de esas cosas; es preferible que te vuelvas a leer el Rey León: tardarás menos, y, sobre todo, no te sentirás estafado.


VERDICT: 4/10

Cine] Crítica: 'Black Panther' (2018), de Ryan Coogler | Los Lunes ...
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