Black Panther Film Review

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Directed by Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o

Rated PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action violence, and a brief rude gesture

After hearing the shocking news of actor Chadwick Boseman’s unfortunate passing, I decided to revisit the film that arguably made him a household name, Black Panther. Black Panther is a Marvel superhero film directed by Ryan Coogler. In this film, T’Challa (played by Boseman) is the new king of Wakanda, a country that lives in secret and also harbors the world’s supply of vibranium. After becoming the king, T’Challa is challenged for the throne from Kilmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan), T’Challa’s cousin who was an orphan after an incident.

Black Panther is probably Marvel’s finest film. To start off, the film feels isolated in its own universe, mostly due to its setting. As where other Marvel films have easter eggs to previous films and sometimes even rely on the audience to view the other films, Black Panther does not have this feature. Anyone can jump into this film without having to view the other films and the audience would not miss anything. Also, this is the first film where it actually feels like the director wants to stand out from the other Marvel films. With the notable exception of the Russo Brothers and Taika Waititi, this is one of the few times where the director is memorable and leaves his mark on the film. Director Ryan Coogler brings Michael B. Jordan, an actor who has appeared in all of Coogler’s films. This film also features a wonderful costume design and production design. I cannot count the multiple times I was in awe of the sets or the costumes the characters were wearing. This is all due to the excellent work of customer designer Ruth E. Carter and set designers Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart. All there individuals were awarded Oscars for their fantastic work.

The film also features a stellar cast who is impeccable. From the likes of Boseman to Martin Freeman, there is not one false note in the casting. The standouts in the film are actually the villains, Michael B. Jordan and Andy Serkis. While Serkis only appears for the first half of the film, Jordan appears throughout the film. They both work excellent together when they are on screen together. And when Jordan is the only remaining villain in the film, he still makes his presence known. Killmonger doesn’t come across a typical cliche villain, but a misunderstood man who is actually going about his mission the wrong way. Killmonger is one of Marvel’s best villains because his motivations are understandable. While Wakanda has sat on the sideline for centuries and has let the world fight their own battles, Killmonger has the idea that Wakanda should not be silent anymore. He is on a mission to stop Wakanda’s isolationism and help people fight their oppressors by giving them weapons. While Killmonger has the right idea, he is going about it the wrong way. This is what makes Killmonger standout from the rest of the other Marvel villains.

In addition to Serkis and Jordan, Boseman is also a standout. He takes the character of Black Panther and makes it his own. His character is a humble man who is also willing to fight others to protect his ideals and values. He has a deep affection for friends and family and they define who he is. He interacts well with his sister Shuri (played by Letitia Wright). These two naturally work well off each other and I always get the impression they are truly siblings. While viewing the film, I never got the impression these two were just actors, but I felt the sibling connection most siblings have. In regards to characters connecting well, there is one flaw and that is T’Challa and Nakia’s (played by Lupita Nyong’o) relationship. I never got the impression these two used to have a romantic relationship, only having a professional relationship. It is mentioned once that Nakia is T’Challa’s ex, but besides that, there was not much connection between these two. I don’t blame the actors here, I place blame on the writing that missed an opportunity.

Speaking of the writing, the film has a great screenplay all due to Coogler and Joe Robert Cole. The film never drags and the film keeps moving forward at a steady pace. The screenplay brilliantly sets up the exposition by having it being told by a character as a bed time story. Also, as mentioned before, the film is written so anyone can jump into this film without having to view any of the other Marvel films. It educates the viewers on what happened in the previous film by showing flashbacks. Furthermore, I got the impression that I was watching a James Bond film. I am not sure if Coogler and Cole were influenced by those films, but the film does have the same set up of a Bond film. By having T’Challa be given a mission to go to a foreign country, visiting Shuri to get his gadgets, to having a villain who is set on world domination, it does have the same elements a Bond film would have.

Black Panther is one of those films that is pleasant and satisfying to view. Coogler brings his best work to the director’s chair by making a standout Marvel film. All the actors in the film bring their A game and are clearly having fun with their roles. Upon revisiting Black Panther, it is no surprise why this is the best Marvel film. Not only does it propel black culture forward, but is has one of the best superhero performances. Even if one Black Panther film is made, Boseman’s legacy is left on this film. His role as the titular character is one that will not be forgotten throughout the years.

4/4

Spider-Man: Far From Home Film Review

Directed by Jon Watts

Starring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some language and brief suggestive comments

Spider-Man: Far From Home directly follows the events after Avengers: Endgame. So if any viewer has not seen Endgame and is coming into Far From Home without seeing the previous Marvel film would confuse the viewer. But considering that Endgame is the second highest grossing film of all time, its hard to find one viewer who has yet to seen Endgame. With the events that proceed Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a wonderful addition to the MCU.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is the 23rd MCU film and newest addition to the Spider-Man series. Peter Parker/ Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) goes to Europe with his classmates for a vacation. His vacation is suddenly cut short by Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) who needs Spider-Man to help save the world with Mysterio (played by Jake Gyllenhaal).

Spider-Man is a story that has told multiple times throughout the years. The first Spider-Man film that came out in 2002 with Tobey Maguire tells the origin story with Uncle Ben and MJ as his love interest. The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield told the same origin story with the exception of MJ being replaced with Gwen Stacey. But ever since Tom Holland has stepped into the role, we have yet to see the origin story or Uncle Ben. I give props to the current series not giving us the origin story since we have seen in multiple times. But I also think the reason being that we have yet to see or hear the mention of Uncle Ben is because Tony Stark is Uncle Ben. Stark is certainly a father figure to Parker who passed away. Stark’s death certainly has a toll on Parker that carries with him throughout the film. I enjoy that we don’t have to see the traditional Uncle Ben story arc, but instead the story arc is swapped out for one character for another.

Both Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal as Spider-Man and Mysterio, respectively, are a joy whenever they are present on the screen. Holland’s acting as Spider-Man has progressed since we first saw him in Captain America: Civil War. There are multiple scenes where Holland acts emotional due to Stark passing in the previous MCU film. On the other hand, Gyllenhaal proves why he is a great actor. Without giving any spoilers, Gyllenhaal certainly has fun as Mysterio in the second half of the film. In addition to both Holland and Gyllenhaal, Zendaya as MJ breaks away from the traditional MJ character we have seen in previous films. MJ is a totally different character from audiences are used to, it is also refreshing having one character arc being different than we were expecting.

The biggest problem with Far From Home is the first half of the film feels slow. Not that the film is not to par but there are certainly scenes that could have been left in the cutting room floor. It is not until we see the reveal of one character does the film actually pick up. The reason for this is because we now know the actual streaks and serious danger the other characters are in. And of course, the reveal in the half way point of the film was very predictable, for me at least. The moment I saw the trailer for the film, I knew how the film would play out. To keep it short and simple, I felt like I was watching The Incredibles (2004).

Nevertheless, Spider-Man: Far From Home is fun and exciting that audiences will enjoy. Although the first half of the film moves on at a slow pace, the second half is great that ends with a jaw dropping cameo that fans of the series will enjoy. I highly recommend to view Far From Home, casual viewers and fans of the series will certainly have a blast with this one.

3/4

Dark Phoenix Film Review

Directed by Simon Kinberg

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action including some gunplay, disturbing images, and brief strong language

The X-Men series was a game changer when it first arrived in 2000. The X-Men series is a precursor to the superhero genre overload we are getting today .With that being said, it is unfortunate that we are seeing an end of an era with the Fox X-Men series coming to a close. But after a viewing of Dark Phoenix, it is more unfortunate that the X-Men series comes to disappointing end.

Dark Phoenix is the newest installment in the X-Men series, in which Jean Grey (played by Sophie Turner) has uncontrollable powers that turn her into the Phoenix, an all powerful force that wrecks havoc. The X-Men try to track her down and help her before she can hurt anyone else. Meanwhile, there is also a villain (played by Jessica Chastain) who is wanting Jean’s power and tries to extract it from her.

From the plot line, the audience is lead to believe that this is something that would be interesting. But Dark Phoenix is very dull and boring, despite the possibility of being very interesting. Most scenes feel tedious to watch and feels like a chore. All the dialogue and “character driven” scenes add to nothing. Towards the middle of the film, you want to film just to end. But when you think its over, its not. Dark Phoenix has a run time of just under two hours, but the long, overdrawn scenes make it seem like it has the run time of a Transformers film.

The film is also filled with multiple continuity errors. Most of these are more than likely not errors, but director and screenwriter Simon Kinberg being lazy and not doing his job well. In X-Men First Class (2011) which takes place in the early 60’s with McAvoy, Fassbender, and Lawrence playing young characters of Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique, respectively. But Dark Phoenix takes place in the early 90’s and none of those characters mentioned have aged a day. Dark Phoenix also takes place several years before X-Men (2000) and its hard to believe that McAvoy and Fassbender will turn to Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan in just a few years. If Simon Kinberg wanted a somewhat believable continuity, he should have had those actors in makeup just to avoid a huge error.

As mentioned before, Dark Phoenix is supposed to take place several years before the original events of X-Men. Without giving away some spoilers, some of the events happening in this film make some of the events happening in X-Men and its original two sequels impossible. This is another failure on the part of the screenwriter who lazily wrote this with no references to the previous X-Men films.

With the cluttered mess of Dark Phoenix, the highlight of the film is Sophie Turner as Jean Grey. Turner does a well job portraying a young woman who is confused on what to do with her powers. Upon further research, Turner did study dissociative identity disorder and schizophrenia which does show when Turner is on the screen. Turner’s co-star, Jessica Chastain plays an uninteresting villain who wants Jean’s powers. Most of the blame is on the screenplay, which writes Chastain as a boring villain with a cliche motivation.

Dark Phoenix is a total failure and a disappointing end to a once beloved film series. The film has nothing to offer with the exception of Sophie Turner doing a good job with the mess of a screenplay given to her. The continuity “errors” make the film unwatchable for fans of the series, Dark Phoenix is a poor excuse for a film that is not necessary to watch.

1/4

Avengers: Endgame Film Review

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language

Non Spoiler Review

Avengers: Endgame is a film that is certainly filled with many spoilers. Of course, no one wants spoilers ruined for them, therefore there will be no spoilers in this review. I will try to keep the plot brief and not mention any particular scenes.

The wait is over. After waiting a year and seeing the trailers, the posters, the ads, we are finally seeing the conclusion to the epic saga of Avengers: Infinity War. The wait does not disappoint. It was worth the wait. Avengers: Endgame is the newest Marvel film in which the Avengers have to undo what Thanos has done in the previous film, Infinity War. If you are unfamiliar with the story line, then you will feel lost. If you have not seen any previous Marvel films and just start watching Endgame, you’ll feel lost. This is a film designed for the fans. The fans will love this and so will the casual fans.

The best way to describe Endgame is that is an experience. This is more than just than just than just a film, it is an experience that needs to be seen, heard, and felt. A good director, or directors in this case, make the audience feel joy, fear, excitement when watching a film. There are many scenes that the audience feels all types of emotions. The reason why we feel these emotions is because we have seen these characters for years.

Avengers: Endgame feels like perfect note. There is nothing in which it feels pointless or slow or uninteresting. There is humor as is the usual with all Marvel films and it is perfect. The humor works very well, there is never a moment of cringe worthy humor or bad humor. Everyone from Robert Downey Jr to Chris Evans to Brie Larson brings their A game. This may sound repetitive but there is not one character that brings the story down. It’s hard to say what went wrong because there is very little that is wrong.

This is a film that needs to be viewed on the big screen. This is more than just a film, it is a film that transcends into an experience that needs to be felt. This is the best way to describe Endgame. It’s not every film that makes the audience feel this way. Endgame is a great comic book film, certainly ranks high with comic book films The Dark Knight and Logan. Avengers: Endgame is a perfect end to the Avengers saga, this is a film I highly recommend.

4/4