Black Panther Review

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis

Black Panther is probably one of the most culturally significant movies of all time. It's the first blockbuster movie with a cast made up of predominantly African-Americans, with only two white actors. The entire plot is set around black culture and most of the movie takes place in Africa. Despite all of this, and likely because of this, it has become a smash hit. Its opening weekend almost topped The Avengers, and it broke nearly every record possible. Black Panther sold more tickets than Captain America, Iron Man, or Thor in any of their openings. This is in part to massive African-American attendance, but Marvel did an excellent job of selling this film as more than a movie: it's a movement. With an all-star cast, Black Panther centers around the fictional nation of Wakanda, a technologically advanced African country hiding their achievements from the world. Their sovereign leader is given supernatural abilities through ritual, and is crowned "The Black Panther". As soon as the first reviews came rolling in, there were whispers that Black Panther is an extremely politically relevant film without alienating any culture or side. It comes out at a period in our history in which divisions are tense, and Black Panther is able to entertain while being a poignant story resonating with all who will listen. Having seen the film twice before attempting to dissect it in review, I am astounded by the liberties director Ryan Coogler has taken with his film, and even more surprised that Disney / Marvel allowed it. Yet it is by not holding back that Black Panther is able to become possibly the best Marvel movie to this date. It is unique and distinct, both in its story and its cinematic qualities. Almost everything is executed to perfection.

Contents

Cultural Relevance

Killmonger

T'Challa

Wakanda

Okoye & The Dora Milaje

Nakiya & Shuri

"Tolkien" White Guys

Music

Visuals

Conclusion

Cultural Relevance

The major conflict of Black Panther is between T'Challa, the current Black Panther, and Killmonger, who challenges T'Challa for his throne. Killmonger has seen the hardships of black people in America, and seeks to use Wakanda's technology to help all suffering blacks overthrow the whites and become the dominant race. This hits at a lot of cultural issues, yet it does so respectfully and has not seemed to anger anyone. T'Challa is an African king, oblivious to the hardships African-Americans endure simply because he is not there to personally witness them. Killmonger represents an American black man, still furious over slavery and generations of oppression and prejudice in his country. He lashes out with violence and anger. There have been good strides and poor strides in the current Black Lives Matter movement, as there are in every movement. Killmonger represents the negative qualities of it, including bitterness and the need for violence to convey a message. He has certain aspects of Malcolm X in him, and I have seen publications compare him to Magneto of the X-Men, whose relationship with Professor Xavier was based off of Malcom X and Martin Luther King. The first post-credits scene for Black Panther contains no spoilers, but rather a political message that seems to be speaking directly to the audience. It calls for us to put aside our differences and our anger. I am surprised that this amount of cultural and political reference is in a Disney film, yet it is handled so maturely and with such confidence in the material that it works.

Killmonger

Killmonger has the rare distinction of not really appearing until the film's second half yet he still becomes arguably the most memorable character. This is mostly due to the politicized nature of his motives, and Michael B. Jordan's undeniable talent. He is the most complicated villain I have ever seen in a comic book movie. I empathized with him and felt true sorrow, but he remained a powerful antagonist to be feared. I never rooted for him. Jordan's plays a complicated villain that never morphs and crosses into an antihero. Killmonger's relatability is evidence of Black Panther's uniqueness. Audiences are so used to seeing the loyal heroes and easily malevolent supervillains like Thanos and the Joker. They exude evil and it isn't hard to pick sides. It is a strange feeling to find yourself relating to the villain. Killmonger is not an evil man, rather a man shaped by horrific consequences who acts incorrectly. He is motivated by pain and desires his dream, not stopping to consider what is being lost for his gain. T'Challa realizes this. Their conflict is purely ideological, and not because he has committed atrocities, though he intends to.

T'Challa

In the character of T'Challa, we encounter the most fleshed-out Marvel hero. He is faced with warring ideals in his brain. Does he honor his ancestors and keep Wakanda a secret, or listen to the words of  his loved ones, and attempt to use their unlimited resources to help those in need? His reign unfortunately encounters a premature answer when Killmonger arrives, preaching hatred and a too simple solution. While his ideas are radicalized, I have never witnessed a superhero actually listen to the villain and then act on his wishes, considering both sides. All this is acted out with immense grace and power by Chadwick Boseman. He completely disappears into his character in the ways I have only seen Robert Downey Jr. and Gal Gadot disappear into Iron Man and Wonder Woman respectively. While he is a complicated man always battling within, he never comes off as a poor king, and stays true to his moral center. What could have been a flat character of nobility becomes a relatable icon that is sure to become one of America's favorite superheroes in years to come. 

Wakanda

Wakanda may be fictional, but I wish it were real. The landscapes were stunning and it demonstrated the most attentive world-building since Zootopia. I wanted to spend more time in their world. The film perfectly captures a world that is more advanced than any in our current atmosphere, yet still retains its cultural roots, evidenced in tribal dress. Wakanda was an incredibly well-realized portion of the story. The setting for Marvel movies has never been a huge part of the plot, yet the team behind Black Panther knew that every aspect of Wakanda had to be executed to perfection for this story of a fictional place to be believable. Everything, from the costumes, the sets, to the makeup, is reminiscent of a place trapped in time. One striking example was a man who had an enormous green lip disc, yet was clad in a matching green suit and cane. Wakanda isn't real, so it has to be sold to the audience, and I would bet there are very few who were not completely invested in Wakanda during the film.

Okoye

While Black Panther boasted some of the best Marvel characters ever, Okoye became my favorite. The Dora Milaje are the female warriors / bodyguards that serve the Black Panther, and there is no word to describe them more accurately than "awesome". It's not made out to be a black empowerment example, nor is a feminist empowerment example. It is simply just a group of awesome cutthroat soldiers who happen to be black women, and they do some serious damage in battle. No one would question that these women are the best suited to defend Wakanda and their king. Okoye is their general, and she's played brilliantly by Danai Gurira (Michonne in The Walking Dead) and she's actually given quite a bit of depth for "the muscle" of the group. She is not solely the brute strength of the group, and actually has a great sense of humor, and a small serious arc and depth to her character. This depth doesn't threaten her physicality, which is extremely important to her character. When I saw ads for Infinity War and saw her on the front line with the Avengers, I rolled my eyes. Now that I've seen Black Panther, I want her side-by-side with Captain America and Iron Man.

Nakiya and Shuri

I've always been a huge fan of Lupita Nyong'o, and I have even compared her to Meryl Streep in previous reviews. She is a phenomenally talented actress who won an Oscar for her first ever movie (12 Years a Slave) and I'm happy to see her getting more mainstream recognition. It is rare for a character in a superhero movie to have nuance and subtlety, yet Nyong'o clearly lends her talent to make Nakiya a very powerful yet subtle figure in the narrative. If anyone from this movie will be nominated for an Academy Award, it will be she. As for Shuri, Letitia Wright perfectly capitalizes on a star-making turn in Netflix's Black Mirror, providing an extremely likable and relatable character. However, her character is a little bit of a Mary Sue (if you're unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a female character who succeeds at everything without explanation) and she has little depth, so that was disappointing. There was little explanation as to how she acquired all this technological knowledge and how she could apply it. Likewise, the vibranium she worked with was also extremely vague and seemed to solve every problem. While she was funny and well-acted, she was a weaker character, though I admired the close relationship she had with her brother, T'Challa.

The "Tolkien" White Guys

It's extremely rare to see Andy Serkis' face. The renowned actor is known for his iconic motion-capture performances as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes series, Gollum in the Lord of the Rings series, and Kong in King Kong, yet rarely shows his face. I have always assumed he's a great actor based on his great motion-capture work, but Ulysses Klaue's crazy portrayal at his hands is nothing short of brilliance. He almost steals the movie, which is why Coogler smartly removes most of his screen time in the second half. On the flip side, Everett Ross takes over in that second half, and Martin Freeman gives an expected performance. He is not breaking any new ground as the ordinary helpers to superheroes, but continues to deliver the great acting we have come to expect from him off of Fargo, The Hobbit series, and Sherlock. Interestingly enough, both of these actors are best known from their Lord of the Rings appearances (both share an iconic scene in An Unexpected Journey) making them the "Tolkien" whites of the mostly African-American cast.

Music

There's not much to say about the Black Panther other than to congratulate its brilliance. Kendrick Lamar produced and wrote the songs on the soundtrack, and the liberties he was allowed to take for music in a Disney film is shocking. Granted, the explicit parts aren't prominent in the actual film, but it still stands as a companion to a family-friendly film. The soundtrack is an amazing counterpart to the film and bridges traditional African influences and rhythms with current African-American hip hop and rap. It doesn't sound like it would work on paper, but I predict it'll be a strong contender for the Oscar for Best Original Song for Lamar and SZA's "All the Stars".

Visual Effects

My chief criticism of Black Panther lies in its visual effects. This is disappointing, as so much effort, and likely money, is devoted to creating beautifully realized sets and costumes, but apparently not enough was spent on the effects. There's a rhino that plays a semi-important role in the film, and it looks so fake it completely took me out of the movie. I've seen Life of Pi, which was made for much cheaper, and that tiger looked real. Black Panther might have some of the worst visual effects in any Marvel film, which is a disappointing negative mark on a very great movie. This occasionally discounts the action scenes, yet they overcome through other means. Whether it be great acting and dialogue, interesting camera angles, or intense choreography, there is a lot to distract the viewer from how cheap the effects look for a movie of this level.

Conclusion

Black Panther may possibly be the best Marvel film to date. While the visual effects are severely lacking, everything else comes together to make a prestigious film, and one that might just get a number of Academy Award nominations. It's practically impossible not to love, evidenced by the swarms of people of all races packing the theaters. The film is able to work on so many levels, in terms of acting, action, world-building, and music. Black Panther can also reach even further and connect with a growing social movement, and has become a film much more relevant and important than many I've seen. And it certainly does not hurt the movement if the movie's great.

Rating:

Black Panther earns a spectacular 9.5/10 Stars