Skip to main content

Rating: 4.6/5
Review: "Black Panther IMAX 3D movie review" (135 minutes)

"Marvel and director Ryan Coogler has jump-start the year with a great adaptation of Black Panther. The plot may not be very fresh but its political and culture views, bolstered by great acting, makes this a mighty watch." 

Black Panther is not only the first big-budget movie released so far but it is also the first Marvel blockbuster for the year. And it has definitely amp up the expectations of the blockbusters coming soon in this year. Black Panther may be marketed as an action adventure movie but it delivers more than a generic superhero fare. Aside from some thrilling action scenes and a fast paced plot, Black Panther is intelligent and political. I am not saying Marvel does not create intelligent movies (Captain America: Civil War is one of the smarter movies), it is just that the engaging politics stands out in this. Director Ryan Coogler also did not shy away from creating an interesting and vibrant culture of Wakanda that is based on the African cultures. What he created was a smart, action adventure that is one of the best solo superhero movies.

The story: Black Panther does not waste time introducing its titular hero. Everything in this has a purpose even the unseemly beginning scene. Director Ryan mentioned that he likens this to a James Bond movie and he is not wrong. The first two acts are similar to a spy plot. There is espionage, cool technology and gadgets and action. It takes a turn for its final third act with a battle for the throne. Aside from the familiar themes, Black Panther has time to reflect emotionally. Powered up by some great acting by Chadwick Boseman as the new king of Wakanda, T'Challa and Michael B.Jordan as the villain Killmonger, the movie is a hoot to watch. It would be best to go in without any spoilers. Killmonger is one of the better Marvel's villain because his motives are more humanely understandable. However, he still can be improved. Shuri (played by Letitia Wright) shines as a witty sister of T'Challa. On the whole, the humor could be toned down a little too. It is more serious than Thor Ragnarok but its burst of humor at times ruined the mood of the scene. Music by Swedish Ludwig Göransson is a great mixture with African Tribal and modern music. However, there is no main theme for Black Panther which is a must-have for a superhero movie.

3D: It looks great on a huge screen. Details are sharp on IMAX. Though the 3D is immersive, it pales in comparison with Thor Ragnarok. My guess that 3D works the best with a fantasy action flick. When comes to a movie that is grounded in realism, the effect is not as enjoyable. There is still a strong sense of depth between characters and background. The 3D does not really work during its action scenes. Ryan likes his action frenetic and grounded so most of the action is shot with a shaky cam style and edited with fast cuts. It works best with quieter moments such as sweeping shots of the city and landscape. My take is that if you have the extra cash, IMAX 3D would be fine. If not, 2D would be great enough.

Overall: Black Panther kicks off a great start of the year in full gear. Marvel is going full on by ramping up the action and interesting perspectives of different superheroes. Black Panther is a great stand alone superhero movie that will interest and engage almost any target group. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rating: 3.4/5 Review: "The Spirit of Ramayana" (103 minutes) "A passable Thai horror movie with an interesting concept but weak execution." As a low-budget horror movie, it has enough entertainment values. In the recent years, there are a few strong Thai horror movies with decent production values and there are many mediocre low-budget horror movies. The Spirit of Ramayana is somewhat in the middle. It may not look that polished but its themes and concept are intriguing enough. The story: The narrative is straight forward however its editing made the movie look messy and disjointed. It is a simple story about Mintra, a young dancer who is rejected for the main role because she cannot pull off an evil and sensual side. However, a spirit helps her to unleash her dark side. On paper, it sounds like a supernatural Black Swan. It lacks the emotional depth of Black Swan as the director seems only interested in churning out cheap scares. As the plot develops fur...
Rating: 3.5/5 Review: "G-Force movie review" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is not all that bad, at least it tries its to be an enjoyable family movie flick. But as usual, Disney movies now are getting haters around the world due to its popular teens and live-action animals-talking movies. So now, when they see a live-action Disney movie whether it has teenagers singing or animals yapping away, they would be put off immediately. Whatever it is, G-force is fun with 3-D. Kids would like the cute animals coming near them. The story: G-Force has a simple story which is also not creative. But that it is not what kids want, they would want to see action blazing through their ways. As this being a Jerry Bruckheimer production, you can expect at least a car chase and some explosion but only more mild. Trevor Rabin did a good work in creating epic music. Though a kid movie, expect some rude humour but also at the same ti...
Rating: 3.9/5 Review: "John Carter movie review" Unfortunately, I didn't catch it in 3D. I wasn't sure of how the post-conversion would turn out. Back to the movie. To tell the truth, before John Carter opened, I was not sure if I should give the movie a try. The posters are boring and uninspired and trailers are not really exciting. It was only the week that it opened that I decided to catch it in cinema. I am glad that it is actually a fun and entertaining movie that is worth to watch in cinema. The story: It does pack a lot during the 132 minutes runtime. And it does feel slightly bloated. But it is still fun entertainment. The movie starts with a short action scene on Mars and moves on to John Carter on the human world. Then the next 20-25 minutes show John on Earth. So Sci-Fi will have to wait a while to see John on Mars. The story is simple to understand but the number of characters may confuse. It is sort of a chase movie. The action scenes while short are many...