Blu-ray Review: Black Panther
By John Corrado
Since its February release, Black Panther has easily cemented itself as a legitimate pop cultural phenomenon, receiving rave reviews and becoming one of the biggest hits of all time at the box office, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an exciting and very well made blockbuster that injects fresh blood into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while addressing the want for more diverse casts in superhero movies.
Guided along by the solid direction of Ryan Coogler, Black Panther boasts an excellent cast, delivers plenty of cool action sequences, and has a villain (Michael B. Jordan) who is far more interesting than the typical bad guy. It’s also an integral part of the lead up to Avengers: Infinity War, which is currently lighting up the box office. For more on the film itself, you can read our three reviews right here.
The Blu-ray comes packed with bonus features, including a commentary track with Ryan Coogler and production designer Hannah Bechler; a brief intro by Coogler; four deleted scenes; a short gag reel; and a bunch of featurettes. Crowning a New King focuses on the character of T’Challa (Cadeick Boseman) and how he was first brought to screen in Captain America: Civil War; The Hidden Kingdom Revealed looks at the fictional African nation of Wakanda and how the production designers brought it to life; The Warriors Within focuses on the strong female characters in the film; and finally Wakanda Revealed: Exploring the Technology talks about the importance of vibranium to both this world and the MCU.
There’s also From Page to Screen, an interesting roundtable discussion with the filmmakers and comic book writers where they talk about issues of race and how revolutionary it was for Stan Lee to introduce the character during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s; Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years – Connecting the Universe , which provides a solid overview of the MCU so far; and an exclusive sneak peak at Ant-Man and the Wasp, the next film in the series.
Black Panther is a Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment release. It’s 134 minutes and rated PG.
