The Blu-Ray:
If you have a 4K-compatible TV and player, you’ll want to go for the 4K UHD release but the standard Blu-ray release has all the same bonus materials, so there’s really no reason to spring for the former unless you want a superior visual experience.
Really though, it’s the bonus features that are the main draw here and in this regard, Black Panther contains a small, but interesting array of supplemental material:
Audio Commentary: The audio commentary from director and co-writer Ryan Coogler and production designer Hannah Beachler is enthusiastic and gives a lot of valuable insight into the production. Given the deep thematic concerns of the film, it’s a bit surprising that the pair spend so much time focusing on the technical side of things (not that that’s a bad thing!) but they do discuss things like plot, characters, and the action on-screen. Coogler’s passion for the material really shines through here.
Featurettes: There are four separate segements looking at different parts of Black Panther’s production:
Crowning of a New King: A look at T’Challa’s story and his ascension to the throne.
The Hidden Kingdom Revealed: Exploring the fictional land of Wakanda and how it went from page to screen
The Warriors Within: A look at various characters, with the most attention given to the film’s female characters.
Wakanda Revealed: Exploring the Technology (pretty self-explanatory)
These behind-the-scenes features add up to about a half hour of content and while they don’t delve too deep into things, they serve as a nice overview of all the work that went into Black Panther’s production.
From Page to Screen: Probably my favorite of all the extra features. This is a roundtable discussion that brings together the original creators of the Black Panther comics, as well as current writers and director Ryan Coogler to discuss the cultural impact of the character both in the late 60s and today, as well as the success of the film and what it means for future stories focused on minorities in the superhero space.
Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years – Connecting the Universe: A brief, entertaining look back at the first decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how it all leads up to the events of Avengers: Infinity War.
Deleted Scenes: A set of four scenes that didn’t make it into the movie. These mostly serve as additional character-building moments, with one scene focused on T’Challa’s grief over his father’s death and another between Okoye and W’Kabi that confirms they are married.
Director’s Intro: Ryan Coogler kicks off the film talking briefly about the production. A nice but not essential extra.
Sneak Peek: A very brief look at Ant-Man and the Wasp. Basically an extended ad for the film, but the behind-the-scenes interviews with Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Douglas are still fun to watch.
Gag Reel: You know what it is.
All-in-all, the only extra that feels like a true must-watch is that roundtable discussion but Marvel releases generally aren’t overloaded with special features, so Black Panther falls right in line with that trend. The Black Panther Blu-ray is an easy recommendation for anyone who’s already a fan of the movie and for collectors to add to their MCU library.
Marvel Studios