For a long time, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was my favorite Marvel film. It managed to combine a compelling superhero story with social commentary about fear, security and paranoia in the modern world. Few, if any, Marvel films have come close to dethroning that incredible film in my mind.
Until now.
Black Panther not only hits all the hallmarks of a superhero film with great action set pieces and humor, but it also tells a compelling story about our responsibility to our community, family, and anger. Director and co writer Ryan Coogler does not give us a typical comic book flick. This is a great film featuring an amazing cast, beautiful imagery, and bold themes never really seen in this genre. Black Panther just may be the best film the Marvel Cinematic Universe has produced.
“It Is Your Time”
Shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Prince T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) returns to Wakanda to take over as king for his murdered father. The technologically advanced African country has existed in secret for centuries, and T’Challa struggles to maintain that secrecy in a world with escalating problems. While a familiar enemy in Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) threatens the security of T’Challa’s beloved home, an angry and determined Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) may prove to be an even greater challenge.
Black Panther does follow much of the typical Marvel template: Our hero must step up to a powerful threat. The action set pieces are impressive…there is a car chase scene that showcases everything the Black Panther and his allies are capable of. There are the quick fire one liners that get big laughs for the most part, but sometimes they feel forced or unnecessary…another trait of the Marvel films. But this review is going to gloss over the typical tropes, as impressive as they are, for what really makes this film great.
First there is the impressive cast led by Boseman’s T’Challa. The character is noble, a superhero and king you would follow anywhere. And yet, he is humble and struggles with his responsibilities to his loved ones and his country. He is not the same man as he was in Civil War, but he still struggles with his impulsive ways.
Boseman exudes confidence as T’Challa while also giving the man the necessary passion at the right times. The actor has a natural charisma that comes through the usually stoic superhero. There are several emotionally powerful moments and he is pitch perfect in all of them.
On the opposite spectrum of stoicism is the outspoken and passionate Jordan as villain Killmonger. Quite frankly, he is Marvel’s best antagonist to date. The character has a sympathetic back story and his resulting anger is almost justified. What he does with that anger is the issue in Black Panther (More on that compelling story later), but even then, you still feel for the character.
Much of this is due to Jordan’s performance. You cannot take your eyes off of him every time he comes on screen. Jordan infuses the character with a palatable aura of anger. It is an emotionally raw performance in many ways and he brings surprising depth to what could have been a one note character. The one complaint? One wishes that we would get more of this compelling character. He shares much of his early time with Serkis’ Klaue, who is entertaining, but more of a typical villain.
Black Panther features three strong black female roles with Lupita Nyong’o‘s Nakia, Danai Gurira’s Okoye, and Letitia Wright’s Shuri. All three play pivotal roles in the film and all three are excellent. Nakia is more than a simple love interest for T’Challa, becoming both his and Wakanda’s conscience. She takes issue with Wakanda’s isolationism, seeing that the rest of the world needs their help. Nyong’o never makes the character overly sassy or stereotypical, as her passion is genuine and real.
As Wakanda’s greatest and most dedicated warrior Okoye, Gurira blends amazing physicality with emotional weight. She does have some of the most exciting stunts in the film, but she also has to make some tough choices. Like Boseman, Gurira has a commanding screen presence.
Most of the successful humor comes from the feisty Shuri, T’Challa’s sister and tech expert. However, she is more than comic relief, as the character defies the societal norms for women that both Wakanda and the world possess. Letitia Wright seems to be having the most fun playing the character, but also gives her the toughness the sister of a King should have. Wright also has great chemistry with Boseman, so much so that you might think that she and Nyong’o should have switched roles.
The rest of the cast is great as well. Though Angela Bassett and Forest Whittaker have brief roles as T’Challa’s mother Rowanda and trusted friend Zuri respectively, they give those characters the necessary weight during key scenes. Martin Freeman also has some fun moments as American Agent Everett Ross. The one complaint about the cast is that there are few too many characters. Daniel Kaluuya plays a somewhat important part late in the film, but his motivations for his decisions are murky because we do not get a lot of time with him.
Dueling Mentalities
The cast helps bring a deep and compelling story to life. Ryan Coogler has made a bold film here hidden behind the admittedly well done gloss of a comic book film. The comic book look is there. Coogler and cinematographer Rachel Morrison bring Wakanda to vibrant life with bright colors and beautiful vistas. It is a look right out of the pages of a comic book.
But there is a method to this. When Killmonger and T’Challa meet face to face for the first time, the villain chastises both T’Challa and Wakanda of living in the clouds, away from the struggles of their people. Coogler rarely takes us out of Wakanda, but when he does, we do not catch glimpses of the struggles of other black people…except for one key moment.
Coogler utilizes his hometown of Oakland, California in a brief, but powerful way. I will not spoil it here, but it makes a powerful statement about community and abandoning those we should care the most about. It is the source of Killmonger’s righteous anger and a personal pain for T’Challa.
Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole do something interesting with T’Challa and Killmonger. They are two sides of the same coin. On one, we see a noble leader who wants to help, but is unfamiliar with the problems his people all over the world face. On the other, we have an angry man who uses that anger to lash out and right the wrongs he has seen with violence. These are real attitudes in our world and when they come together in Black Panther, these two characters…and the audience…are forced to deal with them. The inevitable confrontation is a hard fight, but it is also an emotional one.
Coogler and Cole make a powerful statement about the responsibility those in power have to the global community. And the fact that T’Challa, a black superhero, steps up to take that responsibility is incredibly uplifting and powerful.
Marvel’s Best
Black Panther is an amazing achievement. Ryan Coogler has managed to weave powerful and bold statements into an entertaining blockbuster. Is it perfect? No. There are pacing issues in the first act because there is a lot to set up and there are a few too many characters. But this is a landmark film for the comic book genre.
The bar is set high for the next great comic book film.
SCORE: 9 OUT OF 10