I'll be filing my imigration papers to Wakanda momentarily.
Letting go of its status as a monumental success in cultural
representation, “Black Panther” is a triumph in blockbuster cinema, the likes
of which Hollywood hasn’t seen since the release of “The Avengers.”
Pressing the latter would be a particularly important item
of note to keep in mind, as the more short sighted among the modern political
climate would probably be ready to dismiss its hype based solely on the skin
tone and heritage of its fictional cast. That said, “Black Panther” is a
borderline masterpiece of genre filmmaking at its finest before even beginning
to delve into the nature of its identity politics that weave a unique tale the
likes of which couldn’t have been told attached to any other ethnicity.
Chadwick Boseman reprises his role as Wakandan prince T'Challa
from “Captain America: Civil War,” preparing to take on the mantle of king in
the wake of his father’s death. As he begins to settle into his new position,
grappling with Wakanda’s questionable historic policy of isolationism, a former
US soldier going by the name Killmonger, with sights on tearing down the throne
of Wakanda and imperialistically spreading their advanced technological
influence around the world.
If the themes of abandonment, isolationism,
anti-immigration, and classism from a country that hypocritically has itself
imbedded within the infrastructures of most developed country’s sounds
uncomfortably familiar, that corollary is just the tip of the iceberg. The film
is unafraid to address the toxicity that breeds when a powerful country
isolated from the rest of the world shuns globalism in favor of self-centered
jingoism and the place of fear mongering that such policy stems from.
Ultimately however, these matters that we have to tackle in
our own everyday lives, becomes an undertone for a blockbuster crafted in the
fashion of the mid to late twentieth century better than recent entries of its
codifying “Star Wars” franchise.
The movie may be called “Black Panther” but is scope is so
much grander than the inner turmoil of its titular character. Boseman continues
to give a great portrayal of T’Challa, whose general stoicism is broken down by
his close personal connections but almost everybody in the cast manages to
steal the spotlight from one another whenever they’re on screen.
Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger is unquestionably one of the
best villains of a superhero movie in recent history for reasons I should be
criminally branded if I dare spoil his identity, but his three dimensional make
up that makes him so great pretty much shared amongst the entire cast,
including Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright as his no-nonsense
love interest Nakia, duty bound body guard Okoye, and the brainy gadget
producing sister Shuri, all of whom rank as some of the best characters in the
entire cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Beyond the sprawling nature of its cast however, the very
concept of “Black Panther” was always a bizarrely genre fusing experiment so
director Ryan Coogler’s approach to it manages to be a certain kind of
brilliant that seems odd to define on paper but is a true glory to behold on
screen.
The nature of a nation’s political leader putting himself on
the battlefield of superheroics is not lost on the film and the resulting movie
is an organic blend of genres unlike anything ever seen before, making a Marvel
Superhero movie that feels truly different from the rest of its pack despite
co-opting the foundation of the setting established before it.
“Black Panther” is a strong superhero movie, as well as a
better spy movie than the last 3 “James Bond” movies combined, as well as a
Shakespearean family drama more powerful than what “Thor” has attempted, a
genuine science fiction film with its idealized afrofutrism aesthetic
contributing to a fresh narrative of the changing walls that separate society
in an increasingly global future, and a political thriller ala “Game of
Thrones” that explores concepts of classism and revolution far better than
Marvel’s own “The Inhumans” television series.
Coogler manages a nearly flawless juggling act between
character threads and plot concepts. The only real flaw to “Black Panther” is
that despite ending on a powerful not, its actual climax defaults to something
fairly standard and blasé.
The actual filmmaking on display is solid but its downgrade
in creativity compared to the rest of the film preceding it can feel like a
slight letdown and contribute to a minor pacing problem the film has that makes
it feel like it could use a 10 minute trim.
“Black Panther’s” minor structural faults however don’t
diminish its bold vision and phenomenal craftsmanship that easily make it one
of the best films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date.
9 Vibranium Deposits out of 10
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