Forget your fear that Marvel will take over movies as we know them. Never mind those haunting urges that attending might mean you’re supporting the “man” of the movie industry. That cash cow should not keep you from enjoying a night at the movies.
Give Marvel’s new James Bond that sweet Panther suit, a sassy brainy sister with access to more tech-power than Iron Man can boast, an army of spear-wielding women, and a backstory littered with the weight of royalty, alien metal, and starlit Lion King nods, and you’ve got the action-packed two plus hours of Black Panther.
The perfect cast pounces into action while Andy Serkis gives chase. You may have to overlook the piece-meal religious appropriations and some overly charged CGI, but this movie is everything you’ve come to expect: lively and exhilarating action in a stand-alone story that introduces a slew of new likable characters who jump battle-ready from scene to scene.
The tribal traditions offer depth of culture to the every-hero-an-Island usual Marvel landscape. Here heroes are born, made, and continue to fight for place earning the respect of a nation with a secret that could change the world if shared.
She befriends the newest droid addition: a tall, almost Real Steel-esque bot who drops one-liners like parade candy. Erso’s small Rebel battalion also includes a repetitive blind ninja and his gruff and grubby sidekick protector, as well as an angsty Rebellion fighter called Cassian.
Meanwhile, the weak script sadly weighs the action down. Formula without mystery is story structure without voice. Characters announce each move, “I am going to go over there and then light it up.” Even heroic speeches felt like glib driving directions. “I will find out how to find them.” Audiences should get to play detective by engaging curiosity and problem solving before the film leads them to the destination. Even the final line was too much given in an already simple, dark, and scattered story.
Splatter: on FILM 