Beginning shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War, we follow T’Challa as he grapples with the death of his father, and taking his title as King of Wakanda. It’s during this important time that he learns that crowning a new King is when his nation is the most vulnerable.
Black Panther is 134 minutes, well-paced and packed from beginning to end. The action scenes are fun, the plot is interesting, and the characters (both good guys and bad guys) are written so strongly that you’ll be invested in all of them. And when things get dicey you’ll feel their pain.
The Cast
This cast is really excellent. Let me repeat that for emphasis… this cast is really excellent. Ryan Coogler deserves credit for bringing out good performances across the board.
Chadwick Boseman is perfect as T’Challa/Black Panther. He’s incredibly convincing as both the King and the warrior. He nails the combination of strength and compassion.
Danai Gurira (who plays one of my favorite comic characters in The Walking Dead television series) is spectacular as Okoye, the General of the Wakandan army. She is powerful and intimidating, while also delivering some of the best jabs in the movie.
Winston Duke (M’Baku) plays a minor role that he elevates with his range and presence.
Andy Serkis (Ulysses Klaue), who you know as the man behind Gollum and Caesar from The Planet of the Apes films, finally gets some quality face time. The character that he creates is suitably creepy, and magnetic.
I haven’t even mentioned Angela Bassett, Forrest Whitaker, Lupita Nyong’o, or Martin Freeman who were all invested in their portrayals.
But I want to focus on Micheal B. Jordan, who I’ve always discounted because of his poor contribution in Fantastic Four, but who won me over as Erik Killmonger. Not only is he physically perfect for the role, but his performance helps to break a frequent knock against Marvel Studios films… he’s a great villain, and one I can actually sympathize with.
The Checklist
In fact, let's check off the things that were done better in this Marvel Studios movie than most of the others:
Erik Killmonger is a charismatic foil with a point, and is a legitimate threat to all the major players.
The soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson is different and complex, but it’s also bolstered by some quality original work by Kendrick Lamar, who is currently at the top of his game.
While Marvel Studios is steadily improving in presenting strong female leads, Nakia, Okoye, Ramonda, and Shuri are a highlight of this film and every bit as important as the boys.
The third act in Black Panther gave me chills, thrills, and more than one misty-eyed moment.
Creative Eye
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has indicated that they spent more money on this movie than the last few and you can see the results on the screen.[1] The sets, and costumes are beautiful and intricate, heavily influenced by the colors and styles of Africa and melded with science fiction and fantasy.
Black Panther won’t get the recognition for art direction and costumes from the Academy Awards, but it should.
Politics and More
I said this film is political, but I want to be clear. This is a film that’s designed to be inclusive rather than divisive. However, there are some modern political questions in Black Panther.
There’s a case to be made that T’Challa and Killmonger are Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. The fight between these two men are literally “I have a dream,” versus “…by any means necessary.” And each make their points in way that is authentic.
No, Black Panther is not a reinvention of filmmaking, and it's not even stridently different from other superhero films. It’s a film that’s literally built upon a decade of Marvel Studios films and is equally helped and hurt by the association.
Sure, you could see this film on its own, and you might even enjoy it without that decade-long backstory, but ultimately it is a Marvel Studios film and it follows the beats of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films that preceded it.
I happen to enjoy those films, and I certainly enjoyed this one, but it’s not transcendent.
What Black Panther does give us is a wonderfully-unique, well-crafted, and triumphant big budget Hollywood movie that breaks some barriers, entertains, and is hopeful as well as motivational.
And one last important thing… Black Panther now officially holds the reigning, undisputed, undefeated, Coolest Movie Superhero Costume title!