Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Black Panther
May 7, 2018
Black Panther - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Black Panther was expected to be a hit; after all, it’s part of the MCU. However, almost no one was expecting it to become the biggest hit in the MCU. It is also considered the best film in the MCU by a lot of people. Am I one of them? If not, where does it fit?
The movie begins with a prologue detailing the history of Wakanda from the impact of a vibranium filled meteorite to the uniting of the tribes, all but the Jabari Tribe, the mountain tribe. The people of Wakanda used vibranium to advance their technology, but as the rest of the world descended into chaos, Wakanda used its technology to hide itself from the rest of the world. While Wakanda hides itself from the rest of the world, they are no dummies. They have spies throughout the world keeping an eye on what’s happening.
The plot begins in Oakland in 1992 with King T’Chaka visiting his younger brother, Prince N’Jobu. However, this is not a happy family reunion. T’Chaka is here because N’Jobu betrayed Wakanda by helping Ulysses Klaue steal some of the vibranium. T’Chaka orders N’Jobu to face the Council.
Flash forward to the present day, we get a recap of the Civil War and are told about the death of King T’Chaka and how T’Challa is the likely heir. Before he can deal with that, he’s got a mission to go on, one that he decides to go on alone, despite Okoye's concerns. He’s there to get Nakia, another Wakandian agent who is undercover with human traffickers. He is to be crowned king the next day and wants Nakia to be there. When they arrive in Wakanda, T’Challa is greeted by his mother, Romanda, and his younger sister, Shuri.
Before we can get to the coronation, we skip to London, where Eric Killmonger is planning a heist of the British Museum, which unbeknownst to them has an artifact made of vibranium. He’s working with Ulysses Klaue, who already has a buyer for the item.
On the coronation day, part of the ceremony is a physical challenge. T’Challa is stripped of the power and each tribe is allowed to challenge him in combat for their chance at the throne. One by one the tribes decline to challenge him, until the Jabari Tribe unexpectedly show up. Their leader, M’Baku, challenges T’Challa to the throne. He think’s T’Challa is unfit to lead, because he let his father die, despite being there to protect him. He also dislikes Shuri, who is only 16, being in charge of Wakanda’s technological development. (To be fair to Shuri, she is canonically the smartest human in Marvel comics.) It is a rough fight, but T’Challa prevails and even convinces M’Baku to yield, because the Jabari Tribe need a good leader. After T’Challa is crowned King, he is given his powers back and travels to the Ancestral Plain, where meets the spirit of his father.
T’Challa tries to get Nakia to stay with him, but she’s seen too much suffering in the world and wants Wakanda to help them. W’Kabi agrees with T’Challa. If they help the world, the world will discover what they have and it will ruin their way of life. They can’t really get into a philosophical discussion, as a real world problem comes up. Okoye informs them that Ulysses Klaue has popped up on their radar and this is the best opportunity to catch him. T’Challa, Nakia, and Okoye are to go to Seoul, where Klaue has a buyer lined up.
But first, T’Challa has to go to Shuri’s lab for some tech upgrades.
Once in Seoul, we are reintroduced to a character we’ve met before, Everett K. Ross, and then a lot of spoilers happen.
I want to start off by saying Black Panther is an amazing movie. I need to say that right away, because I’m going to say something controversial next. It’s not my favorite installment in the MCU. It doesn’t even make the top five. I think I have it in seventh place, but admittedly, I haven’t watched some of the MCU movies in a long time, so I’m not sure about all of the placements. I think I’m going to try and watch each of them again so I can have a definitive ranking by the time Infinity War hits the home market. That’s a lot of movies to watch.
There’s a lot to love about this movie, including the cast. There’s not a bad performance in the film, although there were a couple of actors who didn’t get enough screen time in my opinion. Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan are getting a lot of the praise for their performances, and for good reason, but the supporting cast also deserves recognition. On a side note, Shuri’s the best Q since Desmond Llewelyn in James Bond. She better become a regular player in the wider MCU. Also, her and T’Challa’s chemistry as brother and sister are fantastic. It is the film’s main source of humor and you need laughs in a film like this to help the action and drama have more of an impact.
I also like how the story is more personal. This isn’t an “End of the World” story, but a story about a man, T’Challa, learning to become king and realizing his ancestors were wrong. He has to learn that Wakanda’s past actions are at least partially responsible for the problems they face today. This is surprisingly similar to Thor: Ragnarok’s plot. Fortunately, this film stands apart thanks to its incredible production design. I would hope this film earns an Oscar nomination for production design, as well as costumes, makeup, and other technical categories. However, I think it will be dismissed as just another comic book movie.
On the other hand, this is a movie where the plot moves forward because two characters don’t talk to each other. Had T’Challa told W’Kabi that Klaue got away because Klaue had help from a Wakandan, then I don’t think W’Kabi would have taken Killmoger’s side. And this information is something a high-ranking member of the Border Tribe should have been told. That said, that’s the only real problem I had with the movie.
Extras begin with an introduction by the director, Ryan Coogler, who is also part of the audio commentary track with the production designer, Hannah Beachler. There’s a four-part, 25-minute long making of featurette, starting from the character’s introduction in Civil War, the production design, making Wakanda into a fleshed-out world, and more. There is a short collection of outtakes and four deleted scenes with a total running time of seven minutes. Up next is a 20-minute roundtable discussion with the comic book writers and the filmmakers. They talk about the original comics, as well as the movie itself. There is a 9-minute look at the first ten years of Marvel Studios. Finally, there’s a two-minute look at Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Black Panther is a Pick of the Week contender. While the movie isn’t among my favorite in the MCU, it is absolutely worth owning. The extras on the DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack add even more value to the overall package.
Video on Demand (Movie Only)
Video on Demand (With Bonus Features)
The Movie
The Extras
The Verdict
Filed under: Video Review, Black Panther, Thor: Ragnarok, James Bond, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman, Michael B. Jordan, Desmond Llewelyn, Andy Serkis, John Kani, Daniel Kaluuya, Danai Gurira, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, Ryan Coogler, Hannah Beachler, Sterling K. Brown, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke