Black Panther (2018)

After his father (John Kani) dies, his son (Chadwick Boseman) assumes the throne of Wakanda, a country in Africa. Centuries ago, Wakanda was hit by a meteorite made of vibranium which allowed their nation to develop advance technology and isolate themselves by posing as a third world country. Based on the Marvel comic book and directed by Ryan Coogler (FRUITVALE STATION). I'd given up on the Marvel/DC movie universe as I found their movies bombastic, shallow and pretty much the same. So in spite of the praise, I skipped BLACK PANTHER in theatres. But I got a "for your consideration" DVD in the mail and thought, why not? Give it a chance and I can always turn it off. So I was surprised at how very good it was, not great mind you, but very good. It's a grand entertainment! The film has more depth than the usual Marvel/DC concoctions and visually, it's stunning. It's not perfect (Andy Serkis' over the top vulgar villain is cringe inducing but not in the way intended). The film also has a strong feminist bent as its multitude of female characters are strong women and even behind the camera, there's an impressive array of female talent (its cinematographer, editor, production designer, set designer, costume designer are women) too. It's quality and intelligent film making and while I can appreciate its cultural significance for the African American community, in the end it's still a comic book movie. The excellent cast includes Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Guria, Martin Freeman, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke and Letitia Wright.