Movie Ratings That Actually Work    Become a Member

"One of the 50 Coolest Websites...they simply tell it like it is" - TIME

Black Panther | 2018 | PG-13 | - 2.6.3

After the death of his father, a man (Chadwick Boseman) returns to the fictional African nation of Wakanda to claim the throne and guide his people. He also has to protect Vibranium, an otherworldly metal that redirects energy and is responsible for Wakanda's prosperity, from being stolen. Also with Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis, Florence Kasumba and John Kani. Directed by Ryan Coogler. Many lines of dialogue are spoken in foreign languages with English subtitles. [2:14]

SEX/NUDITY 2 - A man and a woman kiss in the back of an EMT vehicle. A man and women kiss a few times. Two men hug in greeting.
 A man unzips his fly and pulls out an artifact wrapped in paper to give to another man (no flesh is shown). Two men discuss an "ex." A man and a woman refer to each other as "My love."
 Men and women do ceremonial dances that include thrusting chests and hips. Women wear costumes that reveal cleavage, bare upper chests, shoulders, backs and abdomens throughout the movie. A woman wears a dress with a slit in the skirt that reveals her bare leg to the hip. Men and women wear ceremonial garb that reveals men's bare chests, abdominals and backs of women's cleavage, bare shoulders and legs. Women are shown wearing tight-fitting, low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage, bare legs, abdomens, shoulders and backs in a gambling club scene.

VIOLENCE/GORE 6 - Two men fight using spears and swords, punches and kicks: one man is slashed on the face and we see a bloody gash, one man is slashed on the leg and across the abdomen (we see blood), and one man is stabbed in the abdomen and the chest before being thrown over a ledge and falling a great distance, presumably to his death. A woman is held with a blade to her throat and is slashed; she falls to the ground dead (no blood is visible). A man is stabbed in the chest and when he pulls the blade out he falls over dead (no blood is shown; we do hear a squish). Two men in panthers suits fall and fight mid-air, they crash onto a train track and continue to fight as trains speed past and between them. A man is thrown into a wall and when he lands on the ground he tears up a car's tire causing it to flip and when a man crawls out of the car, the first man pulls the other man's weaponized prosthetic lower arm off (we see the man with a stump at the elbow and some blood on his shirt and face).
 A man challenges another man to fight for a throne: the men fight using spears and shields, punches, kicks and head-butts (we hear crunching and they both end up with bloody faces) as guards with spears surround the fighters and push close to a ledge over a high drop off; one man is stabbed through the shoulder (we see blood) and one man holds the other around the neck until he taps out. Several men enter a museum and shoot the museum guards; one is shot in the back as he runs away (no blood is shown). An extended fight scene shows many men and women fighting with spears and swords and clubs and we hear crunches and see bodies thrown in the air (no blood is evident).
 A man shoots another man and a third man holds a gun to a woman's head until the woman is shot and the two remaining men shoot at each other; one man is shown with a bloody bullet wound on his shoulder and he is shot again (we do not see the result but we know he is dead and we see him in a makeshift body bag later with blood on his face). A man draws a gun on another man who stabs him in the chest with metallic claws (the stabbed man lies dead on the floor; no blood is shown). A young boy finds his father dead and holds him while crying. A man slashes a woman on the leg (we see bloody cuts). A man strikes a woman and she falls to the ground; he holds a blade over her (he does not strike).
 An explosion blows a hole in a wall and a man taped into a chair is taken out of the building as gunmen shoot at people inside; one man is struck in the back and we see the bloody wound as someone says that it struck his spinal cord, an explosive is thrown into the room and a man throws himself on it to squelch the blast (he is unharmed). Several cars and a truck with many women huddled in the cargo area travel on a dark road until their vehicles lose power; the armed men in the vehicles get out and take defensive positions as a man throws another man against the truck and fights with several of the others as they shoot at him (the bullets ricochet off the man's panther suit); a woman with a spear arrives and stabs a man through the abdomen (we hear a crunch and do not see blood).
 A man in a flying vessel shoots down several other vessels as they dodge and chase through the air. A man in a flying vessel crashes into another vessel and both blow up (we see the man unharmed later). A flying vessel takes off and explodes mid-air as a man collides with it (he is OK); the man fights with several guards with spears and throws a spear into a flying vessel that crashes and rhinos charge many people engaged in the fight (the people are thrown).
 Several men in cars speed away from a fight and one man is shown riding on the roof of a car; the man leans off the side of the roof to lift the car onto two wheels to avoid a collision in an intersection, men in the other cars shoot at the other two chasing them, a woman throws a spear through the windshield of one car causing it to flip and crash and the man on the roof of the car jumps onto another car causing it to explode and another man shoots another car with a blast of energy that blows the car to pieces (the occupants appear unharmed).
 Several armed men enter a gambling club and others prepare to fight; a woman with a spear stabs a man through the foot, she strikes another man between the legs with the staff, she pushes a man over a balcony and fights with several other men as another woman fights with several men, breaking one man's arm as he screams and gunshots are fired in a crowded gambling club. A man grabs a woman by the throat and lifts her off the ground when she does not do what he asks (he puts her down and she is OK).
 A woman grimaces with abdominal pain and falls to the floor (we do not see the end result but it is implied that she has been poisoned). Two women with spears enter an apartment and another man appears behind them. A man glows and quakes after drinking a potion and he is covered with sand as he falls into a trance; he wakes up shortly after and gasps for air. A man is shown unconscious and lying in snow; we are told that he is in a coma (he has a bloody slash on his face). A man is given and covered with snow; he awakens with a gasp and is OK.
 A flashback shows an explosion that caused a man's death and we see rubble and the man lying motionless in his son's arms. A man remembers being a young boy and talking to his father about his ancestral home (his father is dead now).
 A man in a trance state is transported to another realm where we see several panthers with glowing eyes perched in a tree and one panther transforms into a man and they talk. Two men talk about an attack and many lives being lost. We see flashbacks to tribes warring with spears and hear of more wars and chaos along with images of men shackled and being forced onto ships, as well as fighter planes flying overhead. Two men talk while standing over a table where there are guns and a map (presumably planning an attack). We hear that a meteorite struck Africa and left behind an element that allowed a tribe to advance technologically and with the development of new weapons. A man tells a woman that his father is dead. Two men argue about who is going to take out another man. A woman threatens to impale a man to a desk. A man says, "I killed my brother." People argue and yell in a few scenes. Several men grunt loudly like gorillas when another man tries to speak. A man says, "I don't need a suit to kill you." A man says, "Death is better than bondage."
 A man is shown taped into a chair and we see that he has blood on a deep gash on his forehead and blood on his shirt. A man kicks a mannequin and he is thrown across a room and into a table breaking things (he is unharmed). A man shatters a protective case surrounding an artifact in a museum.
 Men drink a potion that causes them to tremble and their veins are seen through their flesh for a moment (we see this a few times).
 People are shown with scarification on their heads and bodies. A man is shown with a brand on his neck. A man has many scars on his chest, abdomen, back and arms and we are told that each scar represents someone that he killed. A rhino licks a woman's face (we see the tongue and a bit of saliva). A cave opening is surrounded by a giant stone panther with large teeth.

LANGUAGE 3 - 1 obscene hand gesture, 4 scatological terms, 1 anatomical term, 4 mild obscenities, name-calling (Grace Jones-looking chicks, show off, monster, colonizer, disgrace, trouble, antelope in the headlights, greased lighting, amateurs, kill monger, savages, genius, broken white boy, stubborn).

SUBSTANCE USE - Men drink a potion made from glowing flowers that gives them power or takes it away. Men and women are shown holding and drinking whiskey and cocktails in a gambling club scene.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Responsibility, leadership, doing the right thing, betrayal, lying, spies, terrorism, siblings, defending ones country, doubting oneself, trust, being good, technological advances, hardship, U.S. Government, CIA, fairy tales, arms dealers, perfection, assassination, destabilizing nations, oppression, refugee crisis.

MESSAGE - The world is changing and it's better to be on the good side of change.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


how to
support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $1/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

how to
support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we will accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter

Know when new reviews are published
We will never sell or share your email address with anybody and you can unsubscribe at any time

You're all set! Please check your email for confirmation.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This