The long anticipated Black
Panther movie has arrived and it doesn’t disappoint. I have to confess, given
all the hype that has led up to this film, it had me nervous, but Director/Writer
Ryan Coogler has an impressive record with ‘Fruitvale
Station’ and ‘Creed’ and I felt
that, given he is also a comic nerd, Black Panther would deliver. There’s always a fear that after so many
super-hero movies the format will become stale and worn down, but ‘Black
Panther’ does what super hero stories do best:
Introduce excitement and action along with fresh perspectives and viewpoints. Coogler
deftly balances everything that makes superhero movies magic and delivers it in
a satisfying action adventure. He is
also able to delve into the world of politics and social justice without
alienating anyone in the audience. No
easy feat in today’s polarized world.
The
Black Panther is being hailed as the first major super hero movie helmed by an African-American
character (it’s not, there are many examples, most notably ‘Blade’), which is appropriate as The
Black Panther was the Comic World’s first African-American superhero, created and
first appearing way back in Fantastic
Four #54 in July of 1966. Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby introduced T’Challa as the powerful and regal King of the
fictional land of Wakanda. An isolated,
yet technologically advanced society powered by the mystical substance known as
Vibranium. While Lee and Kirby exploded American
stereotypes of previous comic book characters of color, they also embraced
African stereotypes which would be embarrassing by today’s standards. Still, for the time period of the tumultuous sixties,
it was truly revolutionary to create such a powerful and dominant figure as the
Black Panther. What was equally ground
breaking was that he was embraced by all comic nerds and was not only welcomed,
but sought after in the Avenger’s world.
Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of the Black Panther is able to capture all
the character’s regal power and bring to life a character comic book fans have
been waiting for since the inception of the MCU.
Comics
have always been a platform for examining societal issues and Coogler’s updated
take on the Black Panther legend is no different. The interweaving of modern issues of American
social injustice into the pageantry and color of the fictional Wakanda is skillfully done, but Coogler did not stop there. He injected international spy intrigue as
well as cool future tech on par with any Ironman movie. In addition, it has not been overlooked that
the strongest characters in this film were women and each one could merit a
movie in their own right. The true break
out star is Shuri (Letitia Wright), who plays T’challa’s sister and tech
guru. She is the ‘Q’ to T’Challa’s James Bond. She dominates every scene she is in and I can’t
wait to see what the MCU has planned for her.
Oscar winner Lupita Nyung’o is Nakia, T’Challa’s love interest. While not the warrior that he is, she is by
no means the “Damsel in Distress”.
Strong and independent, she is T’Challa’s moral compass. In terms of sheer badassery, Okoye (Danai
Gurira of ‘Walking Dead’ fame), is the head of T’Challa’s Royal Guard and is peerless in her fighting skill. While she deeply respects and loves T’Challa,
her first loyalty is to Wakanda and she serves her country unwaveringly.
The
entire cast consists of an almost ‘who’s who’ of black actors in Hollywood. Everyone from veterans Forrest Whitaker and Angela
Basset to newcomers Daniel Kaluuya and Winston Duke, there are no small parts
in this film. Of course, the most important
thing in any super-hero movie is the villain and ‘Black Panther’ is no
different. Michael B Jordan brings T’Challa’s
arch-nemesis. Kilmonger to life as an emotionally damaged America ex-special
forces soldier of Wakandan heritage.
Kilmonger’s singular focus of wresting control of the Wakanda throne
from T’Challa in order to enact revenge upon the world makes him a formidable
foe. Of course, what makes a cinematic
villain great is not just his fearsome abilities, but the ability of the
audience to have some measure of sympathy for him as well. While we may not agree with Kilmonger, we can
certainly understand the events that have shaped his life and
perspectives. As much as we want our
hero to win and Kilmomger to lose, we empathize with his plight and pain.
It
takes a gifted Writer/Director to give us both meaning and emotion alongside
of action, adventure, and spectacle. Superhero movies at their best give us
that, something elitist movie snobs will never understand. Powerful and meaningful stories do not have to come
at the expense of fun and excitement.
Black Panther once again proves that there is still plenty of life and
freshness in the superhero genre and whets our appetite for the upcoming ‘Avengers:
Infinity War’ finale coming up in May.
Some people say it’s about time the Black Panther movie finally happened,
I say that it was well worth the wait. I
can think of no other Director I would have rather handled this film that Ryan Cooglar. If you can fight through the opening weekend
crowds put this film on the top of your list.
I
give this film **** ½ stars out of five.
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