Black Panther (2018)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2018
	Director: Ryan Coogler (Creed)
	Actors: Chadwick Boseman (Gods of Egypt, Captain America: Civil War), Michael B. Jordan (Fantastic Four, Creed), Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit 1-3, Love Actually, Sherlock TV-series), Forrest Whitaker (Ghost Dog, Rogue One), Angela Bassett (Contact, Olympus has Fallen), Andy Serkis (King Kong)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, SF
	Conditions of visioning: 18.02.2018, Cineplanet Costanera Center
Synopsis: After his father's death, the prince of Wakanda T'Challa (Boseman), also the super-hero known as Black Panther, climbs on the throne and has to face the responsibilities that come with it.
Review: Ten years after Iron Man, and now that we are close to coming to a conclusion on that part of the huge Universe they have created for the big screen with Avengers: Infinity War this spring (and a final sequel next year), I am surprised that Marvel decided to launch his own movie for this character we have first seen in Captain America: Civil War. It is based on a comic book character created in 1968, half a decade after the other heroes in the same Universe, maybe to attract to buying comics some young afro-american kids that didn't identify to white blond gods or millionaires. Realizing that the movie may have the same purpose (attract afro-american audience) I started to count the non-white people in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) as you can find after this post. In summary, the movie has a full Black cast (including director and costume designer) except for Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis (maybe my favorite character in the movie). The story is a bit hard to swallow: this rich hidden African country possessing futuristic tech?!! Maybe it helped that the character was slowly introduced in Captain America. In the Marvel Cinematic tradition the movie looks good, is fluid, has rich special effects and this time the added touch of very colorful costumes and sets. But I didn't manage to get into the movie and stayed passive, maybe a bit tired of the classic succession of fist fights, highway car chases, gunfights, tech exposition (via the sister / princess / teenager / pseudo-Q from a James Bond movie)... What annoyed me more actively are the actions of some tribes that don't make any sense: good friends end up fighting to the death based on a quick decision, and enemies become you friend in the blink of an eye. Many deaths (off-screen of course) to no reason. Maybe the downside of have only two enemies in the movie (characters of Michael B. Jordan and Andy Serkis) and no evil army to display on-screen. At first glance one could also criticize that the stakes are not really important or interesting, but it becomes different if replaced in the whole Marvel Universe, and I would conclude that for me the interest of Black Panther is as (long and expensive) introduction to Avengers: Infinity War. To the question raised at the end of the first post-credit sequence: "what can a country of farmers have to offer?" I have an answer that also gives full sense to the trailer of that next Avengers movie: (possible spoiler, highlight to read): Vibranium weapons to fight against the armies of Thanos the conqueror.
Rating: 4 /10 My list of non-white people in the MCU: of course Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury (originally white in the comics), lieutenant James Rhodes (played by Terrence Howard and then Don Cheadle), Sam Wilson a.k.a. Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and that's all for the movies. In the TV-series we find more: Trip (B.J. Britt), Deathlock (J. August Richards) and Andrew Gardner (Blair Underwood) in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., plus the Hispanic Mack (Henry Simmons), Yoyo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) and Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) and of course the dedicated series Luke Cage starring Mike Colter. One could see a deliberate purpose at equality if you have a fair look, an attempts at attracting the maximum audience if you think more capitalism.