As far as generic superhero movies go, BLACK PANTHER (2018) isn’t bad. It offers plenty of great action, an intriguing world, likeable actors, and a fast pace. The badass general is the most fun and engaging character in the bunch. Nonetheless, I found it fairly empty as a viewing experience. Even for a light piece, I just didn’t find it as fun as similar movies like WONDER WOMAN.
Now I’m not the best judge. I don’t really go for superhero movies. I like my superheroes dark, conflicted, and living in the real world. Give me LOGAN, DARK KNIGHT, WATCHMEN.
Besides the general, the best part of BLACK PANTHER for me was the African angle. I kept wishing they would just tell a story about one of the great African empires of the Middle Ages, and stop kitchen sinking it. Instead, we get ethics that aren’t challenging so much as convoluted, boring villains, a boring hero, a hero who has to be both a king of a technologically superior and hidden country and a free-ranging superhero, and stakes I didn’t really care about. In the end, it had plenty of heart but, for me, no real discernible soul.
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