The Dork Knight’s Black Panther Review

The Dork Knight’s Black Panther Review for Cosmic Comics

Heyo, loyal Cosmic Comics fans! The Dork Knight is back after two and a half years since his last movie review. Today, I bestow upon you my Black Panther Review.

This past Tuesday night, I was fortunate enough to be invited by the fine folks at Cosmic Comics to watch the Black Panther screening and boy am I glad I did. Marvel Studios knocks another one out of the park with Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, a movie that will definitely make a ton of money this opening weekend.

Black Panther & Creed Explore The Same Subject With Different Outcomes

Those close to me know just how much I loved Coogler’s last movie Creed and after seeing Black Panther, let me tell you that he was perfect for the job. In addition to bringing Creed alums Michael B. Jordan along to play Killmonger and composer Ludwig Göransson to score the movie, he also brought another element from Creed that really resonated with me: the story of a boy forced to grow up without a father and what kind of an effect that can have on you, only with two very different outcomes.

Creed Shows the Rise of a Hero

In Creed, Jordan played the illegitimate son of former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Apollo Creed, who died prior to his birth. By the end of Creed, Adonis Creed (Jordan) acknowledged that his drive to win was to prove that he’s “not a mistake,” words that choked me up when I saw it in the theater and that are honestly getting to me a little as I write this even now. It was a beautiful story that showed what good could come from the heartbreaking situation of growing up without a dad.

Black Panther Shows the Rise of a Villain

In Black Panther, Jordan gets to explore what bad could come of a similar situation. Killmonger (Jordan) also grows up without a father (due to circumstances that would spoil the film if I divulged them, so I won’t), but instead of having the drive to prove himself and honor his father’s legacy, like the character of Adonis did, Killmonger is consumed with anger and hatred; he only wants to kill or control those who he feels are responsible for his father’s death. Similar ingredients to make the man, but two entirely different outcomes.

Like Creed, Black Panther tells a beautiful story of the heartbreaking situation of growing up without a father, but this time things go very badly. In fact, as much as I love Black Panther, I wish they could have found a way to redeem Killmonger. Chadwick Boseman, who plays the lead role of Black Panther, does a great job of showing his willingness to help Killmonger based off his understanding of how Killmonger became the way he did, while balancing the fact that he must stop Killmonger at all costs. I was very impressed by the emotional range of Boseman and Jordan in a big-budget superhero flick. It was something that I honestly didn’t expect.

Enough of the Creed Comparison

Another thing I loved about this movie was it totally works as a stand alone film AND it works within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You can completely enjoy this film without seeing ANY of the other Marvel films, but it still fits completely in with them. Oh, which reminds me, do stick around until the very end of the credits. There are two P.S. scenes. The first deals directly with the movie, while the latter connects it to the overall MCU.

I hope you enjoyed this Black Panther Review and I highly recommend you see Black Panther in the theater as soon as possible.  Your friendly neighborhood Dork Knight gives it 5 out of 5 stars. I honestly believe that Marvel Studios is simply incapable of making a bad movie.

Thanks for checking out my Black Panther Review. Be sure to check out my posts over at Nerd Farm and Rise Up Daily, follow me on Twitter, and check out my company’s website too. Until next time, be sure to #getyourfix at Cosmic Comics in Las Vegas!