https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_panther_2018/
Review by Louise Keller:
The trouble with the highly anticipated Black Panther is that it doesn’t know what it wants to be: super hero extravaganza, activist action flick, James Bond wannabe or Coming to America. Yes, writer director Ryan Coogler has much to answer for. But will the fans care? Probably not. First and foremost it is championed as the first black superhero movie. In that it succeeds.
Dialogue heavy with a confused sense of place, this mega-budget Marvel marvel might be a misfire for anyone beyond the fan-base, but it does have colourful moments. Rhinos in armory, athletic warriors with stunning profiles and nippled breastplates, traditional African lip plates, spectacular waterfalls, intense battle scenes and two passionate contenders for the throne of Wakanda, who represent good and evil. Hell hath no fury as a crazed African...
The first challenge is the screenplay. Patience is required to sit through the stilted dialogue as the exposition tries to find its rhythms. The 134 minute running time drags. When the rhythms of Africa kick in, things start to look up. Looking down the cast list there is no shortage of talent, including Forest Whitaker as the Black Panther’s mentor, Lupita Nyong’o as a free-spirited beauty, Andy Serkis as a nasty arms dealer, Martin Freeman as a CIA agent, Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright as the mother and sister. The locations (Atlanta and South Korea) look impressive, although Coogler flits from one location to the next; we are not sure where are supposed to be. In the battle scenes I was confused as to who was fighting whom. As for Ludwig Goransson’s music score, it is dirge-like, weighing down the action instead of giving it the desired lift.
http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=22139&s=Reviews
Review: Black Panther’s natural instincts have been dulled
REVIEW: In an effort to be all things to all people, Marvel’s Black Panther has lost its roar in a dull and longwinded story that packs few surprises.
The review that dropped the films from 100% fresh