Black Panther Review

It’s his time. Black Panther was always a present and visible figure in the Marvel Universe that I was exposed to growing up. You could always see him in almost any Avengers comic you would pick up (2018 marks his 50^th year as a member), and T’Challa was always an important and reliable hero with a strong moral core. He was the guy that you could count on to have the wisdom to do what was right. When the other (usually flawed) Marvel heroes couldn’t decide what to do with their hang-ups...T’Challa knew what to do or say.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has procured that character so very well and Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal is decidedly spot-on. He was darn impressive when he was introduced in Captain America: Civil War and now we finally are given a full-length feature film starring Wakanda’s king. I couldn’t be happier with what we got.

*Spoilers ahead! You’ve been warned!*

Ryan Coogler is the director of Black Panther and his record is impressive. His previous films Fruitvale Station and the Rocky spin-off Creed were both phenomenal films. This is his first foray into the action blockbuster genre, though. But you can see that he was up to task and that bringing the first African superhero to the big screen was important to him. It is important to many folks of all backgrounds, and has been for quite some time...and now everyone is aware just how beneficial and integral Black Panther is to pop culture. The movie IS a movement. You don’t need me to tell you, just go to one of the screenings to see for yourself. It’s an experience.

The film begins in going into detail about Wakanda’s history and the story behind vibranium, the nation’s secretive resource that powers almost everything. Weapons, technology...and even its hero, the legendary Black Panther. The herbs that the worthy warrior ingests to gain his heightened abilities is mutated by the metal with alien origins. As a result, the Wakandans have some of the most highly advanced technology on the planet, but keep their achievements a secret to the rest of the world out of the understandable fear of...well, it’s human nature to fear what you don’t understand, right? How did Howard Stark get his hands on vibranium for Captain America’s shield in WWII? We are never told this story...perhaps another day?

The main basis of the movie is T’Challa claiming the throne of Wakanda after the death of his father and the nation’s struggle to share what they have with the world community. All the while he must protect his country from the threat of bad dudes like Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis). Remember him? We first saw him in Age of Ultron and he got his hand cut off by Ultron himself. He is joined by Killmonger/Erik  Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), an American with an affinity for Wakandan culture (we soon find out why). Killmonger and Klaue steal a piece of vibranium mining equipment from a London museum and this draws the attention of Okoye (Dinai Gurira), head of the all-female royal guard, the Dora Milaj. Klaue is a wanted man in Wakanda for many crimes, including the murder of the parents of one of T’Challa’s closest friends, and Okoye’s lover, W’Kabi (played by one of the hottest actors today, Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya). T’Challa intends to apprehend Klaue, who is apparently planning on selling the vibranium to someone at an underground casino in South Korea. Along for the ride is a Wakandan secret agent and T’Challa’s love, Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o).

This is where the film becomes something of a James Bond/spy  feel and we get to see what the main characters are capable of. The action is cool and top-notch and very, very exciting. Anyone who is a fan of action flicks is sure to enjoy what the movie has to offer in that department. On top of that, we get a look at the Wakandan ways and that mesh of science fiction and African culture that has made the comics so popular for many years. It really is a gift and a treat to see the works of so many great Marvel writers over the years become adapted and so well received. I always knew that Black Panther could work as a movie...I just never thought I would see it happen. Definitely not like this.

Boseman is just so impressive. Marvel has always been the best at choosing their leading heroes and he is just another example of this. What simply strikes me about T’Challa is his unwavering compassion and moral compass. We saw it in Captain America: Civil War where he eventually ceases to let his thirst for vengeance consume him and he forgives his enemies, making him one of the most sensible characters in that film. Boseman brings the character’s moral compass to this film. T’Challa discovers something his father did when he himself was The Black Panther and he faces the repercussions of that decision in the form of Killmonger, his deadliest enemy to date. As dangerous and unrelenting as Killmonger is...and I mean this guy aims to take absolutely everything from him and destroy his family’s legacy, T’Challa chooses the high ground in the end. This is something so few people are willing to do in this world. In my opinion, I actually think that this iteration of Black Panther could be one of the MCU’s strongest heroes in the role model department. And Boseman is doing such an amazing job in bringing him to life.

When Robert Downey Jr.’s and Chris Evans’ contracts are up, this is the guy I would like to see leading the Avengers into the next decade. That’s maybe gonna upset some people, but I don’t really care.

Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger is possibly one of the most complex Marvel villains that we’ve seen yet. His story is wrought with pain and abandonment. A lot of people will actually identify with him, or at least the story that made him into a man with no regard for human life, a thirst for power and a general hatred for the world. You will have moments of feeling for him, and then he goes and does something so despicable that totally negates it. He’s filled with rage and yet...there’s an understandable nature to it, even by T’Challa himself who has an overwhelming responsibility to set things right. It’s really good stuff and almost feels Shakespearian at times.

Andy Serkis is perfect as Ulysses Klaue and evolves the role beyond what we saw in AoU. Klaue now seems more unstable than before (maybe that’s what happens when a super intelligent robot chops your hand off). You can tell he had a blast playing the role, maybe because it was the chance to shine without being in a motion capture suit! And I personally loved the fact that we get to see the old comic book “Klaw’s” sonic hand. It’s not the wacky “Master of Sound” supervillain we have in the comics, but nonetheless it’s a nod to the funny books and it made me quite excited. I am not exactly happy with Klaue’s fate in this movie, but it made sense to move the story along and establish Killmonger as the big bad.

Danai Gurira as she does as Michonne on Walking Dead shines and is the epitome of badassness. Okoye is a strong and powerful character and her duty to her nation conflicts with her personal feelings in the film. Like many generals in the real world she must choose whether to be loyal to her superiors or what she feels is right. The Dora Milaj are so darn impressive as well. When you finally see them battle together in formation it is just so amazing and must be just so empowering to African American women and girls. Another reason as to why this movie is so important. As for Danai herself, you can see does a lot of her own stunt choreography as well. I appreciate that when I spot it.

The cast all around is nothing short of spectacular. This movie is stacked with Academy Award and Emmy winners and nominees and acclaimed actors. The likes of Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett (whom I’ve always wanted to play Storm ever since she was a young actress. Her performance as Queen Ramonda only proves how she would have nailed Ororo’s royal presence), This Is Us’ Sterling K.Brown and so many more.

Letitia Wright who plays T’Challa’s sister, Shuri is just adorable and a great character. I’ve never felt particularly engaged with this character until now. She really does shine as an absolute genius and the innovator of a lot of Wakanda’s recent technological advancements. You can tell that this MCU version of Shuri is a brilliant mix of a few characters that have popped up in the Marvel Comics Universe over the last little while like Riri Williams and Moon Girl. She’s fun and spunky and I can’t wait to see more of her in upcoming movies. Maybe we’ll even see her don a Panther suit like her comic book counterpart? She creates all of her big bro’s new suits in the film, so count on seeing that eventually. I also can’t wait to see her meet Tony Stark. When he realizes she is possibly smarter than even  him, it will no doubt be hilarious.

Martin Freeman resumes his role as Everett K. Ross, a CIA agent that T’Challa encountered during Civil War. T’Challa once again runs into Ross at the South Korean casino as he is undercover as the buyer of the stolen vibranium and he is eventually brought to Wakanda into Shuri’s care so she can heal a spinal cord injury he receives. Ross gets caught up with political drama while there and discovers how truly remarkable the Wakandans are and at first you may think him discovering their technology could become a problem, but he proves himself to be a loyal friend and ally. Fun fact: Christopher Priest created Ross to be comedy relief and was inspired by Chandler Bing from Friends! The MCU version of this character is a little more serious...and we don’t often get to say that, do we?

Another popular villain from Priest’s run is M’Baku (Man-Ape in the comics...we don’t call him that anymore. For obvious reasons).  He is played in this film by Winston Duke. M’Baku is leader of the Jabari, a tribe that lives in the mountains and worship the Ape God. It’s a proper interpretation of the character that they just couldn’t adapt accurately today. M’Baku challenges T’Challa for the mantle of Black Panther and the throne. It does not go well for him, obviously. M’Baku and his tribe are at first seen as antagonists, but eventually redeem themselves in quite an entertaining manner.

I have to say, that this movie elated me in ways very few superhero movies have ever done. The characters are engaging, the visuals are captivating, and there is a battle scene at the end that has surprising elements and actually left me breathless for the first time in a Marvel Studios film since the Battle of New York in the first Avengers. It maybe is not as big a scale of a scene, but is just as exciting.

The movie is not perfect. There are a few minor plot holes and aspects that could have been explained further, as every movie has. So many fans still count Richard Donner’s first Superman film for being the best superhero movie ever and I personally could NEVER get over the spinning around the world to alter time thing. Very few of the movies people find things to complain about have ANYTHING that wacky and ridiculous. I really cannot nitpick those few little things beyond all the good that this movie provides.

For the most part, Black Panther is so enjoyable and what the movie means could be more important than the actual movie itself. This film is giving an entire community something to call their own, a reason to cosplay or wear traditional African garb to go see it in and a true HERO in every sense of the word to cheer on. There’s been many great heroes of color on the big screen and even in the Marvel movie realm, but NOTHING on this scale and this level of quality. It was ultimately important that Black Panther be a movie that should keep everyone of all backgrounds happy leaving the theater because after all is said and done it HAD to be a damn good film from top-to-bottom. And it is.

 It’s definitely one of Marvel’s most impressive movies and possibly one of the best superhero films ever made. It made me truly proud as a comic book fan. Comic books gave this movie to people. I definitely think as of this writing that it’s going to be my personal favorite movie from Marvel Studios.