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A rare #fail by Marvel: Review of Black Panther by Rashid Irani
The new king of Wakanda is under attack. There’s a lot of clanging of swords and spears, little plot. It’s all more exhausting than entertaining.
This will go down as one of the rare comic-book adaptations by the Marvel movie factory to fail.
Yes, Black Panther finally brings the first Black comic-book superhero to the screen. But sadly that’s about it.
Introduced in Captain America: Civil War (2016), the prince of the mythical African nation of Wakanda has ascended the throne following the murder of his father. The vibranium-rich region now faces a fresh challenge — an American mercenary aptly named Killmonger is determined to unseat the new king.
The rest of the two-hour-plus narrative is mostly frenetic action set pieces — swords and spears, car chases, an armoured rhino.
The ensemble cast features plenty of African-American talent, including Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett (as the Queen Mother) and best of all, Letitia Wright, as the tech-whiz younger sister.
To the credit of the film, the crew is predominantly Black. Besides writer-director Ryan Coogler (Creed), there’s also production designer Hannah Beachler.
The stunts are feeble, though; the special effects fail to wow. Even the end-credit teasers aren’t fun. Expect to leave the theatre more exhausted than entertained.