'Black Panther' Changes Everything | Movie Review and Legacy Discussion

Marvel's most vibrant and exciting film yet is a spectacular ode to African culture.

The socio political impact of Disney's latest release cannot be under estimated. Black Panther is a film set within the fictional east African country of Wakanda, which never faced western colonialism due to an impenetrable jungle lining its border. What blossomed there was a culture unlike any other country on Earth, one more advanced than typical, western ideas of post-modernity and thriving on its secret natural resource of Vibranium. If that fictional element rings a bell then you'll probably remember that Vibranium happens to be the base material of Captain America's shield, as well as the metal used by Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron to construct an unbreakable body for himself (the metal is indestructible). 

The film, though, centres on the dynamic between Wakanda and the rest of the international community, as the country comes to an explosive internal debate on where their responsibility lies in regards to black oppression worldwide; for a country so resourceful, should they reveal their intelligence and technology to liberate the oppressed descendants of men and women kidnapped from Africa, or should they remain closed off, safe and efficient as tradition has always dictated? 

The answer isn't simple, it is actually incredibly politically charged, and Black Panther does not shy away from such a difficult conversation. For Disney to funnel hundreds of dollars into a project that discusses such heavy and relevant social themes (not only in the context of a blockbuster movie but as the final installment in the ground-breaking Marvel franchise before it culminates in May's Avengers: Infinity War) is, quite frankly, a ballsy move. The current political tensions within the USA (in which the majority of a film's box office is made) could have been strong enough to tank the film's success, especially following the election of a racist, bigoted President whom millions within the country chose to be their leader. Even more ballsy is the films release date, which just so happens to have fallen upon the American national 'President's Day' holiday - undoubtedly a pointed jab at the current government in power.

Thankfully, Black Panther has already proven to be insanely successful, largely in part to record-breaking support from the African American community in the USA which made up 27% of the movie-going audience during its opening weekend. The film already has, again - in terms of American box office, the fifth highest grossing opening weekend of all time, overtaking the first Avengers film. In the UK, Black Panther also broke records, with a £5 million revenue during its opening weekend which was, again, spearheaded primarily by London's black population. Black Panther 2, then, will undoubtedly go ahead, and soon. 

Also interesting to note is that as multiple of the lead Avengers are set to leave the franchise after Infinity War in May, Black Panther will take position as a leading member of the team going forward. In short, Black Panther the film has made history, delivering representation to an audience starved of it, and Black Panther the character has just secured a path to becoming one of the most beloved and recognizable Avengers in cinematic history. This is also interesting when we realize that, after the success of Wonder Woman, Marvel's rival DC relied heavily on Gal Gadot and the character of Diana Prince to draw audiences to their 'Avengers' equivalent - Justice League, an advertising strategy we will undoubtedly see mirrored with Black Panther for Avengers 4 next year as studios realise how superheroes for underrepresented demographics have a profitable demand and following.

So, Black Panther is already guaranteed to be a phenomenal financial success, and the audience around the world are rooting for the characters within the film, with an even divide between black and white audiences (both of whom have made up approximately 25-7% of the movie-going audience). But is the film good?

The world building is at the forefront of the spectacle on offer within this Marvel installment. Staggering skyscrapers and sublime aerial technology bred from African technological evolution, without the influence of western architecture, gives the cities and buildings within the fictional country beauty and realism. Creatives working on the film even worked together to come up with a fully realized accent that would fit the fictional nation of Wakanda. The culture within the country is also fully explored, and a comprehensive yet ample glimpse into the way this nation works together enables the audience to gain an understanding of their surroundings that means director Ryan Coogler can soon enough take you into a joy-ride of colour and thrill.

(Disclaimer - as a white man I cannot speak for the black community, but I encourage this to be a conversation. This film is an inherently political event and, for me to unpack and explore the artistry within, I apologise if I mis-word or mis-represent the viewpoints of a community I in no way represent. This conversation is complex and I encourage you to further investigate the reception of this film within the black community via critics such as Danielle Radford and Markeia McCarty for a better explored and representative exploration of the content of the film. What follows is what I personally gained from the film, and my interpretations of the events within.)

Andy Serkis' villian Ulysses Klaue (also first introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2014) serves as a plot device to introduce the audience to this multi-faceted Wakandan culture. The film is set up into two different sections. The first revolves around Klaue and the second around Michael B. Jordan's murderous Killmonger. Because of this I have heard a lot of complaints about the disconnect between the two parts and the idea that one should have been kept for a sequel. The idea that Klaue felt like a necessary evil to deal with after Age of Ultron introduced the character has also been banded about. I disagree though. I feel like the character was, while clearly used to help explain Wakanda and its traditions to the audience, fully formed and hugely entertaining. The story arc also lays claim to the best sequence of the movie, one which takes place in a South Korean black market and involves insane fight choreography, stunning car chases and breathtaking examples of strong, dark-skinned and proudly African black women that simply doesn't exist in today's cinematic landscape on the scale they are granted with here.

That brings me on to the phenomenal array of female characters reflected within the film. The Dora Milaje (the king's all-female militia) are worthy of their place alongside Wonder Woman's Amazons, while in many cases outshining their Grecian warrior counterparts. Okoye, played by The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira, stands out as arguably the films most exceptional and beloved new character. Through her the film tackles traditional beauty standards imposed on black women (particularly in the hollywood industry), in one scene she even throws her straight haired wig at an opponent in battle as a fierce and bold political metaphor that aims to inspire the black community to have the choice to embrace their natural beauty and hair regardless of institutionally racist beauty standards enforced socially today. Strong female characters like Shuri, T'Challa's insanely smart younger sister, and Nakia (played by the Academy Award winning Lupita Nyong'o) are groundbreaking and fierce and strong and powerful and further provide the film with a fresh and dynamic soul that many of today's stale blockbuster movies can only hope to ascertain.

Killmonger , though, undoubtedly outshines Serkis. Played by Michael B. Jordan, the character (whose full identity I will not reveal in mind of protecting you from spoilers) is real, recognizable and relevant in ways that took my breath away. Killmonger is not necessarily wrong in how he thinks and what he feels should be, he is simply too radicalized in his political outlook; he is too extreme. Where he sees murder as a solution, our hero sees diplomacy. Through the character, though, the idea of African American men's role in the military and the experience of the African diaspora were explored in a way more intensely and deeply than I had expected a Disney film to dare to. 

The film's central argument was thoughtful and rich with nuance and truth. It genuinely moved me as it reached its shocking conclusion. Again, I don't want to reveal spoilers, because this cinematic moment must be experienced first hand, but the final line spoken by Killmonger within the context of the film's main plot was staggeringly and brutally impactful. While villains in the Marvel universe like Thor's Hela and Loki are up there as greats, Killmonger is, in my opinion, Marvel's best antagonist yet. 

In fact, there is only one small asset of the film here that disappointed me, and that was with the action. While there were action scenes that were truly phenomenal littered throughout, the main traditional fights that marked T'Challa's journey through the film felt slow and lacklustre, while larger scale fight scenes both in South Korea and in Wakanda felt like they were filmed in a way too close and quickly to be as satisfying as they could have been to the audience.

This could have been the fault of the fight choreography, or it could have been Coogler (I need to watch his Rocky sequel Creed to find out), but something didn't quite mesh, and after seeing such incredible fight sequences starring Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, the Russo Bros.'s more kinetic and choreographed style of directing a fight sequence was unfortunately missed here. That said, the fight sequences we did get were still amazing and fun to experience, it's just a different style to what I myself have come to love.

So how does Black Panther lead up to this years Avengers: Infinity War? Okay, this is where we get a little spoilery. The film ends with Bucky coming out of his cryogenic retirement to see Shuri. He looks healthy and calm and hopefully cured not only from the pain of having his arm ripped off but also from the Soviet mental re-wiring that turned him into a killing machine. We know that a huge battle within Avengers 3 occurs within Wakanda, allowing War Machine and Falcon to visit Wakanda for the first time. This alone is exciting, to see the two African American heroes visit an African country more advanced than any other will undoubtedly be impactful, emotional and charming, and could be one of the most moving moments within the action packed Infinity saga.

Shuri's presence will also be felt within the Avengers sequel, as Tony Stark's new Iron Man armour in the trailer (known as 'bleeding edge armour') looks eerily similar to Shuri's panther necklaces used within this movie. As for Black Panther 2? I have a pretty big theory myself that I have already explored in a post, but don't worry, you can find that right here.  

Now do yourself a favour, go see Black Panther. Go on, treat yourself.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Written by James Green