Black Panther — Film Review
Long live the King
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a bit of a diversity problem for a while now. While the sprawling interconnected franchise has its fair share of female characters as well as a few prominent black Avengers, they have always been reduced to supporting or ‘sidekick’ roles.
Now the time has come for the first Marvel movie to feature not only a black lead but an almost completely black cast.
With director Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station) at the helm, the Black Panther follows on from the events of Captain America: Civil War where we were first introduced to Prince T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and his father King T’Chaka (John Kani) of the mysterious African nation of Wakanda.
After the death of his father in Civil War (spoilers I guess) the Prince must return to his home country in order to be coronated as the new King.
While various political factions begin to circle around T’Challa, he is torn between tradition and progress as he is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths about the heritage of his family and his country. Ultimately, this is a story about Wakanda and its future so, wisely, the plot of the film allows us to spend most of the runtime in the country.
The team behind Black Panther has done an amazing job bringing the technologically advanced nation to life. Striking a delicate balance between African heritage and high-tech futurism, the setting is visually stunning but it also feels ‘lived-in’ in a way that previous Marvel worlds have sadly failed to achieve (I’m looking at you Asgard).
Equally important in creating the world of Black Panther is the supporting cast of Wankandan characters. T’Challa’s bodyguard/adviser Okoye (The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira) has a great arc throughout the film as her loyalty to her country is tested. Likewise, Daniel Kaluuya and Lupita Nyong’o are predictably awesome as W’Kabi and Nakia respectively, but the less you know about their characters the better.
As old enemies of Wakanda (Ulysses Klaue played by Andy Serkis, clearly having the time of his life) re-emerge, we are introduced to Erik Killmonger who is easily one of the best Marvel villains we’ve seen so far. With his painful and personal backstory, Killmonger is played with brilliant righteous anger by a scene-stealing Michael B. Jordan as he challenges both T’Challa’s throne and the Wankandan legacy itself.
Essentially, Black Panther, is a meditation on the old superhero mantra ‘with great power comes great responsibility’, only this time it’s on a global scale. With the resources of advanced technology and a natural supply of the powerful substance known as vibranium, Wakanda has the power to ‘free’ the downtrodden and oppressed around the world, personified by Killmonger as the African-American.
Killmonger argues that Wakanda has hidden itself away and abandoned its ancestral brothers and sisters as they have suffered at the hands of institutionalized racism and bigotry for centuries. Now he wants to liberate the African people around the world by unleashing the full military force of Wakanda and its technology. This is not your usual Marvel villain plot about getting a colourful stone or blowing something up. Despite the comic-book window dressing, this plot feels a lot more grounded and relevant. For this reason above all Black Panther often doesn't feel like a Marvel movie.
This may come down to personal preference but for me, this added layer of real-world politics elevates the film above some of the outright ‘fun’ Marvel movies of recent years. (As point of reference my favourite Marvel films up to this point have been Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, precisely because of their more grounded tone.)
None of this is to say Black Panther is overly serious however, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun. The film delivers a fair amount of laughs mostly thanks to T’Challa’s tech genius sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) who will no doubt quickly cement herself as a fan favourite.
The action set pieces too are kinetic and visually exciting with plenty of spectacular superheroics on display. After his performance in Civil War, Black Panther was well on his way to becoming the ‘coolest’ Marvel character, and this film might just secure that position. A car chase in Korea is a particular highlight where the hero really gets to show off.
At the centre of everything Chadwick Boseman more than proves he is the perfect man for the job. The script allows the actor to demonstrate his range as T’Challa comes to terms with the kind of King he wants to be, confronting his father via the mystical ‘ancestral plane’ in some of the most well-acted scenes of the film.
All of the above combines to make Black Panther one of Marvel Studios best films in years, one that succeeds in offering a fun time at the movies while also having something to say. Here’s hoping this will be a trend that will continue as the franchise moves forward.
p.s. the soundtrack is awesome too
