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'Black Panther' Quick Hits

No, he's not Marvel's Batman.

By Michael BauchPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Much more practical than a mask that shows half your face

So, I don't often review movies that are still in theaters because of the obvious spoiler factor. Good, bad, or meh I want you to want to see a movie regardless of what I think and I want you to enjoy the ride.

That said, I will try my best to keep spoilers down to a minimum.

I said "try." So our movie is the story of Prince T'Challa rising to the throne of Wakanda, and I was very surprised that the story did not follow the traditional flow of almost every superhero movie out there. Essentially there is a kind of rough outline almost all writers use now and then called "The Hero's Journey." Star Wars and the story specifically of Luke Skywalker follows it beat for beat, so of you want to know how it works without digging into some books (shame on you), then watch A New Hope and pay attention to Luke's story.

The point being that in the outline for the hero's journey there is a point where the hero rejects the call to destiny/fate/adventure/whatever. In most superhero movies, it's the point where the titular hero questions or doubts his choices of becoming the hero. Black Panther addresses this, but with a spin.

Back in Captain America: Civil War T'Challa adopts the mantle of the Black Panther to avenge his father's death, the previous Black Panther, without question. In this movie, he has already decided to be the Panther and to rule Wakanda. His point of doubt isn't to be the hero, but rather whether or not to adhere to the old methods of ruling or make changes which could potentially destroy the Wakandan way of life.

His dilemma is perfectly illustrated by his two chief rivals for the throne, M'Baku, leader of a gorilla themed tribe, and Eric 'Killmonger' Stevens, T'Challa's cousin that was abandoned in America. M'Baku feels T'Challa is unfit to rule because he is too modern and is gradually pushing aside old traditions where Killmonger wants Wakanda to extend its influence across the globe, using their technological might to conquer the world.

Ultimately, the story is Shakespearean in design, with arguably happier results, and everyone has a pretty satisfying arch, even if I don't necessarily agree with how their part of the story ended. There is one character who dies in the climax, that I think would have been better served if he'd lived and grown from his experience in the film. That and I think the combination of actor/character could have made a badass anti-hero that would have come in handy in Infinity War.

So, is Black Panther worth your movie dollar? Hell yeah! There is some wonky CGI here and there and I question the reliability of riding a rhino into combat, but the whole is a great film that leaves you actually thinking, and a film I look forward to viewing multiple times in the future. I mean, for most of Marvel's latest films, once has been enough (sometimes more than enough) for me. Black Panther I'd like to see again.

I'll be doing a deeper character analysis later this month into March covering each of the principal players in the film, but not now as I want everyone to get a chance to see the film for itself on their own terms.

Hope you enjoy, and as always...

Thanks for reading.

Black Panther, the film and all related characters belong to Disney and Marvel.

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About the Creator

Michael Bauch

I am a writer with a wide range of interests. Don't see anything that sparks your fancy? Check back again later, you might be surprised by what's up my sleeve.

You can follow me on Twitter @MichaelBauch7

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