Black Panther • Movie review by Sean CW Korsgaard •
Ten
years into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, every time you think they’ve peaked,
they’ve proved us wrong, and yet with Black Panther they very well might have
outdone even themselves. Where delivering the black answer to Iron Man would
likely have been enough, instead, they’ve done far more with Black Panther, delivering
an Afro-futurist James Bond with the level of mythos and background characters
usually reserved for something like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. It’s grand,
it’s great, and brother, let me tell you, it more than delivers on the hype.
Following
the events of Captain America: Civil War, Prince T’Challa, the Black Panther,
returns to Wakanda to bury his father and assume the throne as the new king.
He takes control of a kingdom facing a crossroads, and a decision on which path
to take for the future of the isolated African nation: to continue the
centuries of isolation, or to open Wakanda to the world, for good and for ill.
The path will not be an easy one. With foes like Ulysses Klaue and Erik
Killmonger taking shots at T’Challa abroad, and the sins of the father being
laid bare at home, one thing is for sure: uneasy lies the head that wears a
crown.
At
its simplest level, Black Panther is a Shakespearean family drama, where even
the most familiar beats can be forgiven thanks to an ensemble cast that brought
their A-game and a director whose capable hands at the helm and visionary style
elevate the film to an entirely new level. Toss in some bold political subtext
a la Captain America: Winter Soldier and the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have
delivered one of the best comic book movies ever made: let the debates on just
where it ranks begin in earnest now.
The
cast is truly remarkable in a number of ways, with the least remarkable perhaps being the one everyone has fixated on: that except for three white guys (one of
whom is Stan Lee), the entire cast is black. The more remarkable thing for me
is that ensemble casts this large that work this well together are damned rare,
and it’s a treat to see a movie deliver so many memorable performances that
mesh so well together.
As
one of the breakout stars of Captain America: Civil War — and not to toot my
own horn, but an actor I have been hyping up ever since he played Jackie Robinson in 42 — Chadwick Boseman really gets to shine as T’Challa, in a performance that
showcases not only the warrior king in a super suit but a range of human
emotions from jovial to mournful. Marvel has always had a gift for highlighting
the human side of their movie superheroes, and Black Panther is well served by
Boseman reminding the world T’Challa is more than just a man in a vibranium
catsuit.
The
ensemble cast is remarkable as well, with the one two-punch from Lupita Nyong’o’s
Nakia as an idealistic spy and Danai Gurira’s Okoye as the head of the royal
guard, who enjoy a back-and-forth with T’challa that is equal parts comic
familiarity and undeniable badassery, being a particular joy. Daniel Kaluuya,
who some of you may remember from last year’s Get Out, sticks the landing in
one of the film’s more complex roles, and Andy Serkis gets to enjoy himself
outside of motion capture as the madcap arms dealer Klaue.
The
movie’s two biggest breakout stars, though, may be Letitia Wright as T’challa’s
sister, Shuri, and Winston Duke as the boisterous and proud M’Baku, both
of whom steal every scene they’re in, mostly thanks to some wickedly funny scenes they
get to be front and center for. Yet
even they may pale in comparison to Michael B. Jordan’s chilling performance as
the merciless Erik Killmonger. While I don’t want to spoil too much about the
film’s central villain, let’s just say somebody took Magneto and turned the
Malcolm X parallel up to 11, and Jordan once more proves himself to be
the best Millennial actor in Hollywood with a performance of terrifying
intensity. Much ink has been spilled talking about Marvel’s so-called “villain
problem” — a conversation that should have ended by the time of Loki’s first
scene in The Avengers — but after Black Panther, I think all but the most vocal
Heath Ledger fanboys will be silent.
If
there was ever any doubt that Coogler is the best director of my generation
after Creed, it should be erased after Black Panther. He once again proves
himself an absolute master behind the camera: lots of single-shot long takes,
some expertly choreographed fight scenes, and really getting the most out of
his ensemble cast. From the first frame to the last, you can really tell Black
Panther was a labor of love for him, and the film is much richer for
it. If somebody at Warner Bros isn’t getting fired for letting Ryan Coogler jump
ship to Disney over how they treated him for Creed, I would be surprised,
because he once again went above and beyond the call of duty with Black
Panther.
Visually,
Black Panther is almost unlike anything ever realized in a Hollywood movie,
certainly on this scale. Never before has a movie been so undeniably and
unapologetically African, and love of the continent's peoples and cultures
seeps through the film, from the colorful costumes including touches like lip
plates and neck rings and the fictional Wakandan language incorporating the
clicks of the isiXhosa language of South Africa. If Black Panther doesn’t
inspire a generation of world-building to look more closely at Africa for inspiration,
I will be surprised and disappointed. The Afro-Futurist aesthetic is almost
worth the ticket by itself.
While
I’m probably not qualified to speak of its cultural importance — though I would
say it’s probably too soon to say just how important Black Panther will be
regardless — as a movie in its own right, Black Panther is about as good as
they come. It effortlessly juggles a range of genres and tones from family
drama to action thriller to science fiction. The entire cast delivers one of
the best ensemble performances seen in ages, and a number of careers will likely
be born or bettered by being here. From a directing standpoint, Coogler has
more than proved himself as a generational talent, and visually, the movie will
probably end up as big a genre milestone as Lord of the Rings or The Matrix.
If
the early box office returns are any sign of things to come, I don’t need
to tell you, but I want to say it anyway: Black Panther is an absolute must-see that I cannot recommend highly enough.
Soldier,
scholar, writer and freelancer, Sean CW Korsgaard is a US Army veteran,
award-winning journalist, and freelance writer. Learn more at: www.korsgaardscommentary.com
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