Black Panther
Dir. Ryan Coogler
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At only 31, Ryan Coogler is the youngest person so far to direct a Marvel movie. Why did the Disney brain trust invest so much good will in someone with only two other directorial features under his belt? Because those films were Fruitvale Station and Creed! Two of the best movies of their respective years, each with a fantastic sense of drama and character, I found it tough not to hype myself up for Coogler's Black Panther. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966, Black Panther was the first mainstream black superhero - before Falcon or Luke Cage - and Coogler seemed like the perfect choice to bring him into the 2018 cultural zeitgeist. After the hype-dust settled, I admit that huge parts of this movie disappointed me - it's not even in the same ballpark as his previous two films - but Black Panther is still a promising new direction for the Marvel brand.
