My Art for the Film & Official Theatrical Poster Director: Ryan Coogler Written By: Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction, Action, Drama Running Time: 134 minutes (2 hours and 14 minutes) Release Date: February 16th, 2018 Music By: Ludwig Göransson Language: English MPAA Rating: PG-13 Summary Black Panther is the 18th instalment in the juggernaut that is Marvel Cinematic Universe. Taking place after the assassination of King T'Chaka of Wakanda, this film follows T’Challa as the Black Panther and the next in line to the throne. However, before he can truly become the next ruler of the seemingly utopia country of Wakanda, he follows a trail where he meets a mysterious adversary in Erik “Killmonger” Stevens who might reveal something about his father’s reign as king. Thoughts This film is one of the finer installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the best the MCU has to offer. Chadwick Boseman delivers a great performance as T’Challa, the conflicted new king of Wakanda. I am enjoying the recent wave of vulnerable main character. While I will look fondly on the 80’s Arnold Schwarzenegger type, they are flat compared to the depth displayed by someone like T’Challa. While he will wholeheartedly fight for what he believes in, he is willing to admit that he is not always sure what to do and is open to help and improvement. A great thing about his arc in this film is that it doesn’t ignore his arc in Captain America: Civil War, but instead builds on it. M’Baku (Winston Duke) also plays a great role and was the highlight of many of the scenes he was in. However, the women in this film really steal the show. There are absolutely no damsels in distress in this film and they are handled with respect not usually seen in most other films. The sibling banter between T’Challa and his 16 year old tech genius sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), feels genuine and the film’s comedic moments come naturally through these scenes. Okoye (Danai Gurira) is an absolute force to be reckoned with and has some of the best action scenes in the film. One of my favorite moments from her is when she throws her wig at someone to distract them in order to take care of the rest of her attackers. It was simultaneously hilarious and incredible. Speaking of great performances, in Michael B. Jordan’s Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, Marvel finally finds it’s Magneto type villain. While his motivation is valid and his position poignant, his execution of those ideas is what makes him an anti-villain. Villains like him are great because they make the audience and the hero reevaluate the situation. Andy Serkis expands his character, black market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue, from Avengers: Age of Ultron and is clearly enjoying portraying the madman. The criminally underrated Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) is essentially the moral compass of the film and her actions lead to a lot of change in most of the characters. She also held her own in all her action scenes from the casino fight in South Korea to the final battle. She was the character with the best idea on how to lead Wakanda. She is someone with the right concept like Killmonger, but the right and better execution of said concept. She was just a great character all in all. While it was not the central focus of the film, her romance with T’Challa was sold so well merely by the performances by the actors.The writing in this film is really well done. Unlike other Marvel films where everyone is a quippy goofball, this film is more serious than others but humor is not impossible. It should be serious because the film deals with heavy themes. Much like the film preceding this, Thor Ragnarok, there are messages and metaphors for the effects of colonialism and discrimination. While Thor Ragnarok was mostly satire and between the lines to make for a funny comedy, Black Panther’s message is mostly upfront and personal. Several lines in the movie invoke recent events with refugees, borders, and Wakanda wanting to be an isolationist nation. This has seen many people decry the film being “too political”, but to me, it’s perfectly timed for our climate. It also doesn’t feel forced because this is an element that a political leader like T’Challa has to face. Erik “Killmonger” Stevens also opens up a not often talked about dialogue that should be happening. The film is full of messages on family, culture, and the past. The film ends with a powerful message on how global powers and people in general should work. To quote King T’Challa “But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe”. This is truly a beautiful film full of color from the luscious landscapes of Wakanda and the city’s architecture to the costume design. We get Afrofuturism in force with the large skyscrapers inspired by African architecture, creating a beautiful skyline for Wakanda. The world feels real and functional. The costume designers and makeup artists better get Oscars for the impressive level of detail and influence from African culture they put into the actor’s wardrobe, even the background extras. Ryan Coogler continues to amaze as a director with impressive shots and visual storytelling that is great to notice on repeated viewings. My favorite shots have to be the seemingly one long take of the South Korean casino scene, the spiritual ancestor scenes, and the final sunset scene. What helped elevate the scenes was Ludwig Göransson. He created a memorable score for the film that is bombastic enough for the battles and touching for the softer moments. Ludwig, who also produces for artists such as Childish Gambino and created the scores of other Ryan Coogler films, manages to create unique themes that stay with you once you leave the theater. While I do wish that there were more songs from Black Panther: The Album, the songs in the film did fit well. While this film does fall into certain trappings of the superhero genre such as the structure and the CGI fight at the end, it doesn’t detract from the film overall for me. This film is not just important because it is, in my opinion, the best MCU movie to date, but what it will create. When I saw Coco, I never felt so validated as I did watching it. Whenever I saw Latinx people in media as a kid, they were usually drug dealers, criminals, gang members, and usually considered filth. I wish I had a story like that growing up that made me proud of who I was. I hope that young black kids feel the same way I did and have a great role model to look up to. Due to it being the 5th largest box office opening of all time, we will likely see more diverse stories. Hopefully, we’ll have diverse stories that feature characters who are like and look like the kids who watch it. Hopefully, they are just as great and deserve a 10 out of 10
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