Second Viewing: Black Panther

Yeah yeah, I still haven't found a better name but it's all I could think of.

It was great going back to this, and yet another good example of a standalone movie. I literally had no idea we were going to see Andy Serkis and Black Panther in Age Of Ultron, because this movie did such a good job being a self contained movie. I never once had a question of who these people were, where are we, or when are we, which is good storytelling. I was just like, oh snap Black Panther's father was killed in an embassay bombing, oh he knows Martin Freeman because of his reputation in the CIA, oh Andy Serkis is a weapons dealer with stolen tech from Wakanda. It's another great beginner's movie for this series, and I do genuinely love the story. T'Challa is kind of a modern King Arthur, very strong moral compass, might for right, has difficulty accepting his role as a king, violence is not strength and compassion is not weakness, all that good jazz. So Black Panther is waaay up there as one of my favorite Marvel characters, and Chadwick Boseman is really damn good. In fact, all the cast is good! Michael B. Jordan though great as a hero can play a villain with conviction and presence, fuelled by rage and contempt for centuries of horrible actions that harmed his ancestors and the dilemma given that if he goes through with his plan he is no better than the people who subjugated his ancestors is a strong one. It's a great dynamic between hero and villain, not just on physical prowess but their own sense of morality and mindsets. Lupita Nyong'o is great, Danai Guira is a lot of fun, Angela Bassett is astonishing as always, and Martin Freeman proves himself as an ally even though he was kind of a dick before. So cast is still very strong in my eyes, the visuals are amazing, the tech I honestly don't have a problem with at all because this is a culture that has been refining their technology for thousands if not tens of thousands of years so I can buy how their city and machinery works, the spiritual aspect I appreciate with the ancestral plane, and the action is pretty good but it's kinda more of a drama because the action is spread out. But I'm okay with that because I really do like the characters, I'd probably go so far as to say this is the best ensemble cast of the entire Marvel series, now I know the Avengers are good but even I have slight issue with them. But with Wakanda? I like all the main characters, I like their personality, I like their design, I like their roles in the movie, it all just works incredibly well for me. Truth be told the issues I would have for this movie are nitpicks at best, I think we got another great Marvel movie....even though it took almost the whole damn series to get to this point, with a lot of bumps in the road, and I'm still wondering why people fell so hard for this series, but we got here. Doctor Strange and Black Panther are not only the two Marvel movies I've seen in theaters, but also the only two I own on video. They are the ones I would like to watch every so often, even with the praise I gave for The Winter Soldier and Civil War I don't honestly think I would buy them. I'm happy I saw them, but I'm in no rush to watch them again. Hell the only one I might buy after all this so far, is The Incredible Hulk. But tomorrow we talk about Infinity War, the birthday present I didn't ask for and never did see, until now. No seriously, it came out on my birthday so I slightly take pride in the day of my birth also being the day where millions of Marvel fans were crushed and broken emotionally and left the cinemas severely depressed. I'm a heartless bastard I know, but sometimes it feels so good being evil. 4 stars, 8/10!

And I say to you now what I said to you in 2018 when this movie was released, he is the best king I have seen in cinema and I would have followed him to the end and beyond. Long live the King.