Black Panther (Review)
Black Panther Manages to Be Everything You Hope It Will Be.
I have been hesitant when it comes to Black Panther. After all, there was so much thrown onto the shoulder of this movie from the very beginning and the internet was putting it on a pedestal before advanced screenings started occurring. For me, I was terrified that the excitement and hype would create impossible standards for any movie to live up to. Black Panther had a lot riding on it, and luckily it managed to knock it out of the park.
Those who watch Marvel movies are probably pretty familiar with Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa (aka The Black Panther) from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. One of the first black superheroes to enter into the Marvel cinematic universe, alongside Falcon and War Machine. This film though doesn’t feature him in a supporting role and finally features the history of not just him and how he came to be the Black Panther, but also of his home country Wakanda. As predominate as Boseman is in the film, Wakanda is truly the star of this film.
Director Ryan Coogler creates a nation that seems to embrace culture from across the continent of Africa. It’s a rich and vibrant country made up of people from different tribes bringing together visually stunning traditions such as scarification and lip plates to create a place that seems to be a melting pot the traditional and the modern. Black Panther is very much a visual spectacle but never lets audiences feel like the characters and the culture are just being put on display for the sake of it. Instead, it embraces not just traditions from Africa, but even modern black culture from the United States in a few of its characters. In that way, this is very much a black film and it’s one that is a privilege for white people to get a chance to see as well.
As fantastic as Boseman is in the film, the spotlight falls directly on Letitia Wright, who plays his younger sister Shuri. You might recognize Wright from the most recent season of Black Mirror, but in this film, she is especially outstanding. Essentially, her character is a super genius that would put Tony Stark to shame, despite being only about 16 years old. Most of the technology in Wakanda is thanks to her, which makes her the most impressive super scientist in the current MCU. The characters itself is a tremendous inspiration, but Wright plays Shuri with effortless optimism. She’s constantly smiling and seems to be finding joy in all the wondrous things she gets to create. Plus, she’s a bit of a dork, which is something I found immediately endearing.
Of course, you couldn’t have a movie like Black Panther and not focus on thematic elements that might be hard to swallow for some members of the audience. There is a lot to be said in this movie when it comes to the oppression of black people across the world, especially in urban America. The film though is never heavy-handed about this until Michael B. Jordan makes an appearance. His character is filled with so much anger and hatred that the presentation of it becomes almost a cliche. Though the character itself is probably one of the better villains we’ve seen in a long time, Jordan doesn’t especially wow me. It feels as though his character is supposed to be one thing, but the way he chose to present it took something from him. Honestly, I think it’s because all that anger and hatred was worn on his sleeve, that it stripped him a little of the cunning and discipline that would have made his character intimidating.
As far as the effects go, Black Panther does some amazing things. It’s a movie that’s meant to be seen on the big screen, not just for Wakanda itself, but for the incredible action sequences. The film very much takes advantage of the fact that they can create an incredibly realistic digital version of the hero and uses that to make him do impossible feats. However, the films visual effects are so good at certain points, that when it switches to Chadwick Boseman in his real-life suit, it’s almost a let down compared to the epicly detailed version we saw leaping from car to car moments before.
To say that Black Panther is probably one of the most important movies to hit theaters in a long time would be an understatement. It is a film that had a lot of pressure on it to succeed from the very beginning. It was a movie that was going to show audiences were ready for more mainstream black superhero movies (though there have been a few before now), and it was a movie that was aiming to help inspire and encourage black children across the country with its inclusivity. I feel a wave of relief that Black Panther managed to live up to these expectations.
Oh, and as far as the diversity of this film is concerned, I’m ecstatic to report that there are only two white guys with names I can actually remember in it (Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman, who the internet has coined the “Tolkien White Guys”).
Even if you don’t know anything about this character, this is a film that deserves to be seen on the big screen. So grab your tickets now, because you’re not going to want to miss out on a movie that not only helps make history but is incredibly good and fun to watch. It’s not a perfect movie, but it is one that manages to rise to the occasion and give everyone their money’s worth.
