BLACK PANTHER (2018) - Wakanda Forever

Black Panther is a Marvel superhero film directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, and Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis as the only white characters in the entire movie. The film follows T'Challa as he officially takes on the mantle of the Black Panther and the king of Wakanda, and having to learn to deal with the hardships of being a king, especially when a secret from his father's past starts to become unveiled and a new man rises to challenge his position on the throne.

It's hard to deny the amount of hype that came with the release of Black Panther, one that I was worried might damage the movie's reputation like it did with The Last Jedi just a few months ago. There was also a part of me that was afraid that a large portion of the movie's praise would be due to white guilt (the "if you didn't like it you're a racist" effect, AKA the only reason why Crash won the Oscar for best picture back in 2004). Thankfully, neither of these were the case and Black Panther turned out to be an amazing movie that matched or succeeded most of my expectations, landing it a spot as one of the greatest superhero movies to date.

The Characters

I can't talk about Black Panther without talking about its cast. This movie is special because it's essentially the first truly black action/superhero movie--one with a predominately black cast playing characters who deal with African and African-American issues. But what makes this cast special isn't the fact that they're black--it's the fact that every single one of them is so endearing and very well-acted. With very few exceptions, there wasn't a single character that I disliked or that I found to be wasted potential. Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan were fantastic rivals, and the lovely ladies playing the supporting roles were all unique and immensely likeable. 

In particular, Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger stands out as likely the best Marvel villain to date, second maybe only to Loki--but only because Loki has had four movies whereas Killmonger only had one. He is stylish, charismatic, well-written, has a meaningful relationship to the hero, and--one of my favorite attributes of a great villain--he actually has a point. This man is a ruthless killer and is undeniably evil, but you listen to him talk about his viewpoints and his perspective, and you actually realize that he's kind of right. More than a villain, he's a very well realized character, and everything about him from his personality to his upbringing plays a part in the man we see in the film. During the movie, I actually thought to myself, "I would actually really like to see a movie all about Killmonger now," which is much more than I could say about most other blockbuster villains.

Likewise, Chadwick Boseman's King T'Challa stands apart from other modern day superheroes in several ways. In terms of ability, he utilizes a blend of technology and magic, though interestingly neither really come to the forefront other than through some exposition at the beginning of the movie. Unlike most action heroes, he goes through quite a bit of character development as he must rethink a lot of beliefs he once held sacred. But perhaps most importantly--unlike every other Marvel movie thus far--this story isn't focused entirely on him. He's not nearly as self-sufficient as the other superheroes, and that's not a bad thing. The movie makes it clear that he relies greatly on his family and his army and each person in the supporting cast plays a big role in the central conflict; this isn't so much a story about T'Challa as it is about the people of Wakanda.

The Story

The story of Black Panther starts out as a mostly typical action blockbuster before slowly diving into a unique story of family feuds and betrayls, political unrest, and civil war. The second and third acts of the movie are set entirely in Wakanda, a crucial part of the story since the state of Wakanda and its five tribes as well as its relationship to the outside world closely mirrors the character arc that T'Challa must go through himself, making for a very original, very epic, and yet very personal tale of a king finding his place in the circle of life coming to understand what it means to be a king and what decisions he must make.

It's a movie that has a message to give and a lesson to teach without being preachy about it, and that's the important part. The message isn't ham-fisted but is deeply incorporated with the theme of the movie, which itself is interwoven through every aspect of the setting, the story, and the characters. T'Challa has his beliefs and ideologies challenged not just by the villain, but by his loved ones as well, and when he comes to a decision at the end of the movie, the film remains optimistic about his decision but never really cements whether or not he made the right one.

Easily the biggest problem I have with Black Panther is its pacing. While the second and third acts are riveting and really pull you into the experience, the first act is rather long and a bit too typical. There are some great action scenes, and arguably the best action scene is a car chase in the first act, but nothing big really happens in the grand scheme of things and I think it's largely due to the fact that Killmonger was absent.

Surprisingly enough, Killmonger doesn't make his full appearance until around the beginning of the second act--almost an hour into the movie. And of course, he has such presence that he dominates every scene that he's in, but before we could get to that, Andy Serkis acts as the villain, playing a deranged black market dealer that I felt was the weak link among the cast. I understand why Serkis' character had to play a large role in the first act; I just don't understand why Killmonger couldn't have been there with him. I think that extra few minutes of screen time would have done well to make the first act a bit more memorable while also giving Jordan some well deserved time in the spotlight.

I also think the climactic fight at the end is a bit underwhelming. Not bad by any means, but I feel like it definitely could have been better choreographed and better shot, especially since these two characters have such a well-written dynamic. While these flaws do drag down the movie, I think overall the good far outweighs the bad, and I'm left with only good feelings.

Cinematography

Wakanda is absolutely beautiful and while there are admittedly some instances of noticeably dodgy CGI, it's overall a wonderful sight to behold, especially the beautifully made ancestral plane. More than that though, the costume design for all of the citizens of Wakanda are gorgeous. It's clear that a lot of effort was put into the costumes to emulate the fashion and design of African clothing, with vibrant colors and intricate designs that immediately set the cast apart from every other movie you've seen.

The cinematography itself is also very well done. There are a lot of times in the movie where I whispered to myself, "Dang that's a really good shot," many of which I consider poster-quality (that is, if I could print out that shot and hang it up as a poster, I definitely would).

Final Verdict

Black Panther amazes with nearly every step it takes. While its first act is a bit slow, it quickly picks up the pace, becoming a highly memorable film featuring a meaningful story, gorgeous visuals and costume design, and most of all, a very well-written and charismatic cast of characters that I can't wait to see more of. When I finished watching Black Panther for the first time, I wanted nothing more than to see it again right away. It's not perfect, but it just might be the best Marvel solo movie since the original Iron Man ten years ago.

Grade: A-

Wakanda Forever.