Black Panther

Doomsday: T-Minus 21 Weeks

Welcome to week 18 of the 39 week countdown to Avengers: Doomsday. I’m watching the MCU films in order of release, one per week, in the buildup to December 17, when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters. This countdown will culminate the following day, with my thoughts on that film.

Big News! The first Avengers: Doomsday trailer was released this week! I’ll link it below, but first here’s an early poster advertising this week’s film. This was exciting stuff at the time. One by one, all the classic Marvel heroes, heroes we never expected to appear in a film, much less star in a film of their own, were getting big budget movies.

This is another solid effort from Marvel. It’s not my favorite of their films, but like nearly all of them, at least to this point, it’s a really, really good film. When you see where I rank it, you may think I disliked it, but honestly, all 18 of the films so far have been good, and only the lowest-rated two aren’t great movies, at least by my reckoning.

Chadwick Boseman is yet another perfect casting choice. He embodies the Black Panther as we know him from the comic books. As you may know, he’s passed away since this was filmed, and he continues to be mourned to this day, both by family and fans.

The cast around Boseman is mostly superb. Danai Gurira, who I didn’t care much for in The Walking Dead, shines as Okoye. She is so expressive, and her looks of disdain and disapproval are high points of the film, as is her fierceness when she explains her loyalty to the throne. Winston Duke steals the show as M’Baku, as does Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue. Rising above all of them is Michael B. Jordan, who magnificently continues the tradition of stellar villains in the MCU. Killmonger is funny, charismatic, and scary. He’s evil, but like the best evil villains, he is self-righteous. He believes the death he deals out is for a good cause, and that makes him scarier than a just-born-this-way evil villain.

Shuri, Nakia, and Agent Ross are less interesting to me. They feel a little outclassed, and don’t quite have the acting chops to match up to the rest of this cast. They tend to deflate the scenes in which they appear.

And now, the promised Avengers: Doomsday trailer!

How Good Is It?

As I wrote above, it’s really good. The filmmakers kept the film from veering into any political or racial diatribes that would have derailed it. This is especially noteworthy when you consider the world as it was when this film was released. Disney could very easily have used the film as a Message-with-a-capital-M movie, but instead kept it fun, and kept racism and political messaging out of it.

The movie is like the rest of the MCU films, serious at times, funny in moments, and unique in its own way. The mix of African imagery and fantastic technology is brilliant. The River Tribe Elder, played by Isaach de Bankolé, is such a clever inclusion. His dapper green suit, juxtaposed with his lip disc, is a sight to behold. I love that director Ryan Coogler didn’t shy away from what might have been labeled stereotypes if presented by a white director, but rather leaned into them. It really made the movie feel real.

What Did Giacomo Think?

“I loved that the last thing Black Panther’s cousin got to see was a Wakandan sunset. He wanted that his whole life, and Black Panther gave him that wish before he died, even though his cousin tried to kill him.

“I also thought it was a great surprise when everyone thought Black Panther had died, but he was only in a coma, and since he hadn’t died, the fight hadn’t ended, and he was still the king.”

My Watch History

I watched this at its Thursday night opening, on February 15, 2018. Letterboxd reminds me that I watched part of it on July 9, 2024, but turned it off partway through the film because my sons got bored with it. I watched it in full for the second time last night. Carmine didn’t watch, but this time Giacomo was invested all the way through.

How Did I Watch?

This is the first film I’ve watched for the countdown that I don’t own, so I watched on Disney+.

You can click the image below to buy a copy, but the link will take you to the 4k version. You can always click to the cheaper, regular Blu-ray if you want the same one I have. (I get nothing if you do, so this isn’t a ploy to make money.)

Best Scene in the Movie

I had a little trouble with this. No one scene leapt out at me. There are a number of powerful scenes, a number of exciting scenes, and some funny scenes. I’m going with one of the funny ones.

After Black Panther’s (apparent) death, his family turns to rival leader M’Baku for help. He is an intimidating figure, to say the least.

Will This Tie Into Doomsday?

Probably not. This is a pretty self-contained story, and the major players are both dead. It can’t hurt to know a little bit about Wakanda, but this is unlikely to be required viewing to understand Avengers: Doomsday.

How May Stars Does It Get?

While contemplating this project my biggest question was whether or not I should rate the films. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m terrible at assigning films a score. I either like ‘em or I don’t. However, I know readers like ratings, so I’ve come up with something close. I’m going to rank the films as I go along. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, and with each week it grows more difficult.

The Updated Ranking

1. The Avengers

2. Spider-Man: Homecoming

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

4. Thor: Ragnarok

5. Guardians of the Galaxy

6. Captain America: Civil War

7. Ant-Man

8. Iron Man 2

9. Iron Man

10. Avengers: Age of Ultron

11. Iron Man 3

12. Black Panther

13. Thor

14. Doctor Strange

15. Captain America: The First Avenger

16. The Incredible Hulk

17. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

18. Thor: The Dark World

What’s Next

Next week I’ll write about the 19th installment in the MCU, Avengers: Infinity War.