Movie Review: Black Panther (2018)

Hello to all of you.

I was so sad to hear a month ago, on August 28th, that Chadwick Boseman had passed away from cancer. I had already been contemplating reviewing a movie with him in it several times this year with the goings on, but this helped me make up my mind.

I can't tell you how many times I've started this review. I write something, delete it. Try something new, and delete it again. It's weird to talk about a movie when the main actor isn't with us anymore. I know that I talk about old films all the time, and this isn't any different, yet it seems like it for some reason. I'll try to get one with it anyway.

The film is Black Panther (2018). I was originally going to review all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies in order that they were released, but this circumstance made me change my mind, so I could write this as a sort of tribute to him. If you want to watch this, and haven't yet, there are two ways to do it. This is one of those things were you do as I say, not as I do, because I've watched all of the MCU movies in random order (and I still haven't seen a few). 

You can watch them in the order in which they were made:

Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2014), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Dr. Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

Or chronological order:

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain Marvel (2019), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2014), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Dr. Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnorok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

I've been the worst example with the MCU, watching things in a helter-skelter way which has caused a lot of confusion. If you're not that interested in the MCU, but still want to see Black Panter (2018), you can do that, but his story begins in Captain America: Civil War (2016). And another semi-important character's story begins in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

I think I've covered all of the bases, so it's time to get started on the actual review!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


Black Panther (2018):

Based on: the comic books by Stan Lee.
Long ago, five tribes came together where they found a meteorite containing the valuable metal vibranium. Since then they have created technological wonders, but have hidden from the world. T'Challa is preparing to take the throne in Wakanda. That comes with the duties of the Black Panther to protect his people. When he hears of someone dealing with and selling vibranium, he and a few others go to South Korea to track him down. That releases a series of events that reveals a past to T'Challa that he wasn't aware of, and he begins to wonder, how will this change things?

"You get to decide what kind of a king you're going to be."

Genres: Action, Superhero, Science Fiction.
Length: approx. 134 minutes.
Costumes: 9, they are so vibrant and vivid! I love the colors and design that went into all of them. They won an Oscar. There are only a few times when some guys aren't wearing shirts, but it's when they are in a planned fight and there is war paint, and it is fine.
Costumes by: Ruth Carter.
Script: 8, a couple of bad words. But, just two or three, I believe.

"Please don't make me listen to your music." (My sisters say this to me all the time.)

Crew: Directed by: Ryan Coogler. Written by: Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole, Stan Lee, & Jack Kirby.
Starring:
Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa.

Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia.

Danai Gurira as Okoye.

Letitia Wright as Shuri.

Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger.

Martin Freeman as Everett Ross.

Angela Bassett as Ramonda.
Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue.

Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi.
Winston Duke as M'Baku.
Sterling K. Brown as N'Jobu.
Forest Whitaker as Zuri.
Florence Kasumba as Ayo.
John Kani as T'Chaka.
Connie Chiume, Isaach De Bankolé, Danny Sapani, Dorothy Steel as Tribe Elders.
Marija Abney, Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, Christine Hollingsworth, Maria Hippolyte, Marie Mouroum, Sydelle Noel, Jénel Stevens, Zola Williams, & Shaunette Renée Wilson as Dora Milaje.
Seth Carr as Young Killmonger.
Atandwa Kani as Young T'Chaka.
Ashton Tyler as Young T'Challa.
Denzel Whitaker as Young Zuri.
Cameos: Stan Lee, Sebastian Stan, & Trevor Noah.
Cinematography: 9, the costumes help add to this, but the cinematography is really good! The action scenes are never dull, the lighting in South Korea is so impressive, and there are a couple of scenes with a waterfall that just make you say,"Wow!" I took one little itty bitty point off for sometimes when the CGI felt too much like CGI, but other than that it was impressive.

Cinematography by: Rachel Morrison.
Music: 10, it has streaks of the MCU theme while taking on different levels of Africa instrumentals which are woven through out.
Music by: Ludwig Göransson.
Quotability: 8, "Wakanda forever!" is an endlessly quotable line. In addition to that there were a couple other good ones.

Oscars won: 3: Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design. It was nominated for Best Picture.
Content: 7, there is fighting, injuries, killing, and death. Maybe it was something about the CGI that didn't make it seem that gruesome, though? If that's case, then I might be fine with that. In addition to that there is a rude gesture, one character who purposely hurts himself, and one character has mechanical arms that are gross at times. I know that doesn't make sense, but my brain can't figure out another way to say it.
Originality: 7, the structure and storyline was...kind of predictable. But, the elements were very unique in their own right!

Good For: Superhero fans, everyone.
Age Range: PG-13 for the violence, and intense scenes and I'd agree with that. As I can't go without saying, it depends on the person though.
Overall Score: 8!
Worth watching?: Very much so! For the visuals alone I'm glad I watched, but I'm also glad I watched to learn about all of the awesome characters.
Will I watch again?: My older sister still hasn't seen this, so yes, I'll watch it with her sometime.

Bonus thoughts:
This. This film. This is an important movie. With everything going on this year, especially in the U. S., I keep thinking about it. This is the ONLY superhero movie to ever have been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It was the second highest grossing film of 2018. It is currently the twelfth highest grossing movie of ALL TIME. I feel that this will become one of those movies that everyone sees sometime in their life, not necessarily because of the story (which is still good!), but because of the statistics and all the records that it broke.

Now, Chadwick Boseman was the perfect person for T'Challa. I loved this movie for his sake. For the journey that T'Challa goes through! Chadwick was so regal in his performance. He gave the character a grace and dignity. He made him someone who is always looking for a better world. The way he and Letitia Wright played the relationships between siblings was one of the best parts of this movie. He will be missed tremendously.

My thoughts are just kind of scattered lists right now, but I'm getting emotional so I should stop. Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think of this movie, or if you haven't seen it tell me your favorite superhero movie (you can tell me that even if you've seen it!)!

One last thing:

"Wakanda forever!"

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Hello, everyone!!!

I saw STAR WARS IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) the other day!!! Aaaahhhhh!!! You read about my thoughts on the trailer, and, now I am here to review it. I've only seen it once and I was way to excited to take notes, so please excuse my paraphrasing for quotes. But, first things first:
My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. 
This review is 100% SPOILER-FREE! There are no spoilers here at all. For any of you who are wondering, "What do you mean by spoiler-free, MovieCritic?" It means that in this review all of the wonderful surprises that are in the movie are still intact and not mentioned here. I just give a plot summary (like a trailer or on the back of a DVD [except spoiler-free]), who plays who in the cast (I exclude anyone who is a surprise), and tell you what content it has, meaning things that could disturb people. I just want to make sure that we are all on the same page.

Secondly, I don't blame any of you at all if you decide to read this after you have already seen it even though there are no spoilers. I was so worried about spoilers everywhere that I avoided the internet (not counting my email and school things) and I didn't even want to know if my sister's friend liked it or not. Haha, I'm a bit extreme, but it is my favorite movie series. So I completely relate to you if you do the same thing. I hope that this review is helpful to anyone who is not sure if they want to see it because they are wary about any possible content.

Third, I am sorry that I have such a long intro, but this is a very important bit. If you haven't seen any STAR WARS movies, it is so, so, so, so, so, so important that you see them in this order:
IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
Please do this and don't follow the numbers, because there are so many wonderful surprises that you don't want them ruined!

Now, getting down to business, I hope that you enjoy my spoiler-free review!

STAR WARS IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019):

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
Kylo Ren is looking for Sith lords of the past, searching for the entrance to the Sith domain. Our rebels have found a base and Rey is continuing her training. When a mysterious message is heard, Rey must journey with Finn, Poe, Chewy, and droids to find a hidden clue that could show them the way to defeat the evil in the galaxy. Can they rise to overthrow something so huge?

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action.
Length: approx. 145 minutes.
Costumes: 8, the costumes are all very suitable, but nothing super fancy.
Script: 8, a few bad words.
"Don't be afraid of who you are."
Crew:
Directed by:  J. J. Abrams.
Written by: J. J. Abrams, Chris Terrio, Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, & George Lucas.

Starring:
Daisy Ridley as Rey.
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.

Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa.
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron.
John Boyega as Finn.

Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.

Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca.
Naomi Ackie as Jannah.

Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian.

Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux.
Richard E. Grant as General Pryde.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.
Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico.
Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata.
Keri Russell as Zorii.

Greg Grunberg as Snap Wexley.
Shirley Henderson as Babu Frik.
Billie Lourd as Lieutenant Connix.
Dominic Monaghan as Beaumont.
J.J. Abrams as D-O (voice).
Josefine Irrera Jackson as Young Rey.
Cailey Fleming as Young Rey.
Annie Firbank as Tatooine Elder.
Cinematography: 9, there are a some really neat shots in here! Wow!
Cinematography by: Dan Mindel.

Music: 10!!! I love it!!!!
Music by: John Williams!
Notes: There are some references to the Sci-Fi book Dune - by Frank Herbert which both my parents and I spotted.
Quotes: 8, once again, please forgive my paraphrasing.
"They win only by making us think that we are alone."
Oscars won: N/A.
Content: 7, explosions, fighting, killing, death, a suggestive thing, and a graphic death. Some themes in here are healing, rebirth, and sacrifice, which might be weird to some people, but I thought that they did a really good job on that bit.
Originality: 10, it is so neat how they tie in the other STAR WARS movies as well as other themes and messages. I would never have thought of it, but it was a perfect finale.
Good For: STAR WARS fans, anyone who is finding themselves.
Age Range: This movie is rated PG-13 for a lot of violence in fighting and explosions. Because of that, I would say it depends on each person's tolerance level, but it would probably be fine for a lot of 10 year olds, even.
Overall Score: 8.5!

Bonus thoughts:
What do I even think? Man, ever since I saw it my head has been in a crazy whirl. I needed to think about it before I could even say if I liked it or not. When my family asked me about it I said, "I don't even know." After all of this thought, what did I come up with?
I liked it. To me, and my family, it was the only ending that could have been the end this epic saga. Something that I was hoping to happen did, which pleased me greatly. There were a lot of plot holes, but I still enjoyed it and am willing to overlook all of those except for the one very impossible thing. STAR WARS is one of my favorite things, and seeing it come to an end is very bittersweet. My mom keeps saying that in another 20 years there will be more, and that is probably true. I am so attached to all of these characters, they are so relatable and I find myself asking the same questions that they do. Another bittersweet bit was the fact that Carrie Fisher is in it. I was so surprised about how many scenes they filmed before she passed away, and I shed a few tears there and through the entire thing. Also that Peter Mayhew passed away this year. Can I tell you how happy I am that Lando was there?? He is one of my favorites. Though, there was one character who there was not nearly enough of...
Now, some people might not like this, and that's okay. I loved what they brought in and used. The only thing is a pretty huge plot hole around a big point and while it was creative, and I would never have expected it, I am still very confused. To me this one doesn't beat A New Hope or The Last Jedi (which are my two favorites), but it is still very high on the list. I'll probably go see it again in theaters, and that is something that I never do, but it means that much to me.


I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas! I meant to have this review up sooner, but as I said, I couldn't decide of what I thought about it! Have you seen this? Let me know your thoughts on STAR WARS because I would love to discuss it with you!

Thanks for reading, and as always,

"May the force be with you."

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

Hello!!!!
The time has come for me to do another STAR WARS review! And I only do these on very special occasions therefore today must be special! (I mean, every day is special, but STAR WARS related). Today, September 25th is Mark Hamill's birthday, and because he is the last jedi, that is exactly what I'll be reviewing.

I am very excited about this because A New Hope will always be my favorite because it is the original, but this one is a very close second! I also have visited two of the locations where they did a lot of the filming! Eeek!

Time for my necessary note: If you watch the STAR WARS movies you have to watch them in a certain order, or a lot of things will be spoiled. This series is awesome, and so please don't spoil it for yourself. Watch it in this order:
IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), and VIII: The Last Jedi (2017).

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

STAR WARS VIII: The Last Jedi (2017):

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
The Resistance has been found! With the First Order right on their heels, and running low on supplies, they don't know what they will do when time runs out. Finn, Poe Dameron, and Rose decide that desperate measures must be taken. They come up with a plan to hack into the First Order's security long enough for them to get away, but that involves finding a master code breaker. Meanwhile, Rey wants to become a jedi, but Luke Skywalker has given up. She wants him to be her master, but is he hiding the truth about the past?
"We are the spark that will light the fire the will burn down the First Order."

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy.

Length: approx. 152 minutes.

Costumes: 7, nothing amazing, and there is a scene where someone isn't wearing a shirt.

Script: 7, there are a few bad words (thank you, Finn and Poe).
"Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it then you'll never make it through the night."

Crew:

Directed by: Rian Johnson.

Written by: Rian Johnson and George Lucas.

Starring:
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. "The galaxy may need a legend."

Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa.

Daisy Ridley as Rey. "Something inside of me has always been there and now it's awake."

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.

John Boyega as Finn.

Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico.
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. "Happy beeps."

Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke.
Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Holdo.
Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux.
Benicio del Toro as DJ.
Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca.
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. "Wipe that nervous expression off your face."
Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata.
Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma.
Veronica Ngo as Paige Tico.

Cinematography: 10, it is amazing. I know since I've been there. There is just one thing which looked really cool, but when I think about it it doesn't make a lot of sense. Oh well. In the storyline it helps the opposing side.
The animals are CGI, but they are so cute!

Cinematography by: Steve Yedlin.

Music: 10!! Forever and ever I'll give it a 10.

Music by: John Williams.

Quotes: 10! "That's how we're going to win this war, not fighting what we hate, but saving what we love." (This might be my favorite line of the whole franchise).

Storyline: 7, there is a lot of violence, torture, and shooting, then killing and death. There is also one suggestive line (thanks Maz) and a few gross things.
"There are things that you cannot solve by jumping into a cock pit and blowing something up."

Good For: STAR WARS fans!

Age Range: It is rated PG-13 because of the violence, but I think it just depends on what each person is comfortable with. I've known younger kids to watch more violent things and be fine.

Overall Score: 8.5!

Bonus thoughts:
Okay, I know that quite a few STAR WARS fans didn't like this one, but I love it! A lot happens in the 2 and a half hours and there is never a quiet moment. I really relate to Luke Skywalker, and Mark Hamill did such a great job playing him (as always)! I have watched this movie so many times but never get tired of it. This movie deals a lot with fear and selflessness. Ack, these characters are so amazing!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Hamill!

Thanks to all of you for reading! Have you seen this? If you have I would love to chat about it in the comments! Have a great day!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: STAR WARS VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

Greetings, everyone!

Today I'm doing a STAR WARS review, so you know what that means... it means that it must be an event of some kind! You are pretty close with that guess, it is a birthday! Yesterday was (sorry it's a day late! I was travelling) Harrison Ford's birthday, and he plays the iconic Han Solo in the STAR WARS series! I have reviewed the originals, and the prequels, but now onto the sequels!

Even though A New Hope is my second favorite movie of all time, I only saw it for the first time in 2015! My mom had us catch up on all of them so we could see episode VII in theaters. We did and it was awesome.

As always, I have to remind you that if you haven't watched them, you need to see them in this order:
IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), and VIII: The Last Jedi (2017).
Because otherwise, it won't be as good.

Sorry, I'm finally getting to it!

"So, who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?"

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

STAR WARS VII: The Force Awakens (2015):

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
A new threat is trying to rule the galaxy: the First Order. It is like the empire, complete with stormtroopers, a huge weapon, and a sith lord--the mysterious Kylo Ren. Luke Skywalker has vanished and the Rebels are looking for a map that could lead them to him. One little droid has it and is stuck on Jakku until he makes friends with a scavenger, Rey. With the help of Finn, a stormtrooper who is running away, they begin to bring BB-8 back to the Rebel base, but they are easily recognized. The First Order begins to use its weapon, will their next target extinguish the Rebellion?

'"What fight?"

"The only fight: against the Dark side."'

Genres: Sci-Fi, Fantasy.

Length: approx. 135 minutes.

Costumes: 8.

Script: 8, one or two bad words (thank you, Finn...not.)

'"Is that even possible?"

"I never ask that until after I've done it."'

Crew:

Directed by: J. J. Abrams.

Written by: Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams, Michael Arndt, & George Lucas

Starring:
Harrison Ford as Han Solo.
Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa.

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.
(Usually I list them in order of importance, but those three always have to be next to each other.)
Daisy Ridley as Rey.

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.

John Boyega as Finn, FN2187. "Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku?"

Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron.

Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata. "If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people."
Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca.
Andy Serkis as Snoke.
Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux.
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.
Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma.

Cinematography: 9, ah!!! They did such a good job! A lot people complain about light speed being weird, but it is like that in the originals, too.

Cinematography by: Dan Mindel.

Music: 10! The STAR WARS soundtrack is my favorite of all time, so I always give it 10.

Music by: John Williams.

Quotes: 10! Poe and Maz are the most quotable. "I assume you need something, desperately."
Notes: There is one stormtrooper who has a very small part who is played by Daniel Craig and his name is JB-007 (Get it? Daniel Craig plays James Bond whose code number is 007!)

Storyline: 8, there is violence, gross things, killing, and death.
"The garbage will do."

Good For: STAR WARS fans, sci-fi fans, people who have lost others, everyone!

Age Range: The official rating is PG-13 for all of the violence, and I get that, but I think that most kids over 10 would be okay with it.

Overall Score: 8.5!

Bonus thoughts:

Why do I love this so much?

"A good question for another time."

I just do. A lot of fans say that it is too close to the original movie, but that is one of the reasons it is great! They are weaving such an interesting story, showing how the Force connects things, I love it! I haven't watched this one as much as I have watched some of the others, but I squeal happily every time I do. Also, R2-D2 will always be my favorite droid, but BB-8 is so adorable!

Happy late birthday, Mr. Ford! What do all of you think? Do you like this one? Thank you so much for reading!

MovieCritic