Black Panther: Marvel's Latest Marvel

Originally written 2/18/2018.

When I tell you that 'Black Panther' might just be the best movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the most socially significant film they’ve ever produced, I mean it. It’s been suggested that some critics have been lenient or even preferential towards 'Black Panther' because it’s good to see such racial progression and representation in the superhero film genre. Let me assure you, dear readers, that I hold no such bias. Not because I don’t applaud Marvel’s decision to diversify their cinematic and comic universes, quite the opposite. I just seem to be the only person who remembers that 1998's 'Blade' was actually the first mainstream superhero movie with a black lead. With that being said, I can assure you that my review of 'Black Panther' is completely unbiased.

Fresh off his origin story in 'Captain America: Civil War,' Prince T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) finds himself ascending to the throne of his reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda. While he tries to settle into his new title, Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), a terrorist who stole some of Wakanda’s most valuable natural resources, resurfaces and T’Challa dons the mantle of the Black Panther, his people’s warrior champion, to bring him to justice. While apprehending Klaue, however, he discovers that one of Klaue’s mercenary friends, Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) is hiding a secret which threatens his right to the monarchy. It falls on T’Challa to protect his people and their way of life from Killmonger’s militaristic and oppressive vision for Wakanda’s future. Fortunately, he has help in the form of his tech genius sister Shuri (Letita Wright), his super spy ex-girlfriend Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), his nationalist bodyguard Okoye (Danai Gurira), and his CIA contact Everett Ross (Martin Freeman).

Visually, the film is masterful, as we’ve come to expect from Marvel. With the House of Mouse on speed dial, the graphic designers had full funding to make Wakanda as vivid, colorful, and downright whimsical as they wanted. The creativity on display in terms of fantastical futurism is on par with the first 'Iron Man.' All of which is juxtaposed with rapturous, sweeping shots of the Africa vistas and crisp cinematography throughout, particularly in an impressive car chase through South Korea. All the action is wonderfully paced, laid out beat by beat with psychological precision to elicit the most intense level of emotional reaction. The only technical flaw in the film’s visual lay out is a few animations that are just a little too cartoonish, but this is a superhero movie, it’s supposed to be a little bit like a live-action cartoon. The score, filled with authentic African instrumentals mixed with saucy modern beats, is perfectly suited to each individual scene.

Where this film really stands out among the pack of stellar Marvel movies is in the acting. Simply put, every single actor in this film brings a unique element to each of their roles that no other performer could have delivered. Even smaller roles, like Forest Whitaker as a wizened shaman, Winston Duke as the chief of a rival tribe, and Angela Bassett as T’Challa’s mother are complete revelations onscreen, perfectly chewing just enough scenery to entertain but not annoy. Michael B. Jordan in particular is, frankly, incredible. As Killmonger, he demonstrates a sympathetic villain who might be one of the best in Marvel’s cannon. His performance is worth the price of admission alone.

Another stand out is Danai Gurira, who uses her years of experience from the set of 'The Walking Dead' to look nothing less than staggeringly badass in each individual frame. Thankfully, when the drama becomes too much, Serkis is there to bring a sense of levity with a hammy performance that completely stops the movie in its tracks to remind you just how enjoyably over the top he can be when he doesn’t have to act through a mo-cap suit. Daniel Kaluuya, hot off his star-making turn in 'Get Out,' plays a conflicted tribal leader with a subdued stiffness to add to the believable journey of his character. Freeman is always fantastic at playing a fish-out-of-water archetype and here he manages to balance that aesthetic with one of frustrated authority. Ironically, one of the worst performances is from Boseman himself. Not that he’s bad, far from it, but he clearly struggled to keep up his African accent through the entire production and he has to compete with some of the most charismatic performances in the entire MCU. It’s more a case of bad luck than lack of talent.

But a film is almost never more important than the message it tries to impart, and boy does 'Black Panther' have an interesting one. The general conceit is that Killmonger, having been raised in America, wants the throne of Wakanda so he can use their advanced weaponry to spark a global race war, ultimately righting the injustices of colonialism. T’Challa, of course, rejects this notion but it’s suggested that his attitude is biased due to his separatist, royal upbringing, indicating that he’s out of touch with the struggles of oppression undertaken by his entire race outside the secluded nation. The implications of this theme aren’t really for me, a white man who reviews films for fun, to remark on. But I do find it fascinating just who the movie ultimately sides with, why, and what the results of that choice are.

Overall, this movie is a total must-see. The performances, technical aspects, and narrative of the film are each enjoyable in their own right but come together to make an artistic blockbuster that promotes not only the future of the MCU but the afro-futurism aesthetic that it so gushingly adores. If I wasn’t excited for 'Infinity War' already, I would be now, but selling audiences on future Marvel products was only half the film’s ultimate duty. The other half was reaffirming the public’s faith that the grand Marvel experiment is still going strong, a mission that 'Black Panther' exceeds by miles. In a world where the DC movies are still struggling to find cohesion and even continuity, Marvel has once again raised the quality bar for films of this nature. The seemingly unstoppable Marvel juggernaut stopped being scary a while ago, so for now, we should all just enjoy the fact that they’re going to be consistently turning out masterclasses like this when they could just as easily fake their way to another few billion dollars. 5/5.

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