Black Panther

16. Black Panther

Where did this film come from? Not only did it add to the ongoing story-arc of the Avengers series, but it has become a cultural phenomenon, a symbol of creative power and influence for the African community, and one of the highest grossing films of all time. 

And just to add to that list of achievements, it was also the first Marvel film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, which it surprisingly didn’t win, but did walk away with the gongs for Costume Design, Production Design and Original Score. Pow! 

It was great to see this well-written and imaginative character get his own standalone film, after a great introduction in “Captain America:  Civil War”. I was excited to see where he would take his own story, and to journey to the world of Wakanda, the fictional African country Black Panther is ruler of. And it’s a futuristic city hidden in the jungle that really is a sight to behold. 

And given Black Panther is a recent addition in the Marvel film cannon (only released just over a year ago in February 2018), some of my readers visiting this blog may not have seen it. To bring you up to speed, Black Panther is one of the new superheroes introduced as part of Marvel’s Phase 3, first appearing in Civil War as just mentioned. He is the son of a King (the man killed in the bomb attack in Civil War) and will rightly take his place on the throne in his fathers’ absence. Returning home after helping Iron Man fight Cap, Black Panther, otherwise known as King T’Challa is a noble man, good to his people, and very protective of the Wakandan way of life. 

The city was founded after a meteorite containing the strongest metal known to man crash landed in the heart of Africa. Nestled deep underground, it is the city’s power source, fuel for their technology and the basis of their weaponry. The rest of the world doesn’t know this, as Wakanda has remained hidden from the world for centuries. It looks set to stay that way, until a mysterious character emerges from the streets of the real world, with a pretty big claim to make, and an even bigger plan to take over the world. 

I’ll save you another breakdown of plot here, because there is so much else to talk about with this ground-breaking film. 

Firstly , it’s timing in the current climate of todays world couldn’t be better, as black/African-American actors and filmmakers continue to fight for their rights in the entertainment industry. Mostly in the movies and TV, they have struggled to get the good parts, or the recognition for their work. Just look back at the Oscars from 2016, where Chris Rock hosted, and clearly reminded everyone in his opening monologue there were no black nominees that year.  At this time, the black film and television community was waiting for the right film to come along and breakthrough. 

Typically in Hollywood, black actors and actresses have had to play second fiddle to white actors and actresses. This is nothing you don’t know, and although there have been some successful exceptions such as Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Will Smith, there was plenty more room to allow performers of colour to step into the spotlight and have their go. 

The movement continues to grow stronger today, and change is happening, with more movies and TV shows being produced featuring all, or prominently, black casts (Get Out, Us, Girls Trip, Hidden Figures to name a few), but the Oscars is still yet to award an African American with the Best Directing Oscar. In time it will happen, I’m sure. 

Besides it’s power to break-through the politics of race equality in the entertainment industry, Black Panther is still a blast of a film, regardless of its initial labelling as a movie to challenge racial stereotypes. Its concept is clever and totally engrossing, as the world of Wakanda, which figures strongly in the film as backdrop and something of a character itself, is the type of place you just can’t wait to revisit again. It reminded me of the effect “Avatar” had on audiences back in 2009, who were seeing the film two or three times purely to revisit the world of Pandora, in all it’s splendour, colour and majesty. Black Panther’s fully visualised world of Wakanda is a marvel – excuse the pun – of special effects artistry and imagination. I look forward to seeing how the city figures more in future instalments of the Black Panther series. 

And what drives this film to greatness is the perfect casting of Chadwick Boseman in the lead. Somewhat of an unknown actor to most audiences, his acting chops are solid, as he nails the African accent to perfection, and carries the film with a self-assured style and confidence that is great to watch. He’s surrounded by a strong ensemble of supporting actors, including Andy Serkis reprising his role from “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, and Martin Freeman. But joining him in the battle for the throne is Michael B. Jordan as Kilmonger. Most familiar to audiences as Adonis Johnson in the Creed films, the actor is a physically imposing presence as the villain of the film here. The actor exhibits a naive youthfulness but also a dark side that is menacing and overpowering, and he is a great match for the Black Panther, as the two meet over several confrontations for the position as Ruler of Wakanda. 

The action in the film is also top notch and borrows elements from other Marvel films in terms of hand-to-hand fights, car chases and shoot outs. But it’s the uniqueness of the special effects which take the actions scenes to a new level. Black Panthers suit is purely awesome, enveloping T’Challa simply from a special necklace he wears. It is fitted out with al the gadgets and technology any superhero could want, and given it’s powered by the mineral of their power, Vibranium, Black Panther can do almost anything. 

All these fine elements of the film – it’s story, acting, special effects and action scenes – are what makes this film stand out form the crowd of Marvel films and action films in general. Its shines from the screen with an energy and vitality that is refreshing and engrossing, and on a technical level the film more than deserved it’s Oscar wins for costumes, production design and music. These factors of the production are brilliant, with each character portrayed in brilliant fashion, as well as the variety of exotic locations and heart-pounding musical score raising the drama, suspense and impact of the film. 

I can’t recommend Black Panther highly enough. Sure, it’s not a total classic, with a few minor scenes and story turns that are just plot devices, but it’s the kind of film that has a lot to offer. It did so well commercially and critically because of its wide appeal to a wide audience and I’m yet to talk to someone who didn’t like it. 

Black Panther broke new ground, took us to a world within a world, and only further built the anticipation and Avengers: Infinity War, which chronologically followed this film in early 2018. However… before we get there we’ve still got a bunch of other Avenger-esque films to review, so let’s continue with the list.  

But before I go, I just have to say… 

“Wakanda Forever!” 

Post Credit scenes – the two scenes following Black Panther are a little different from what we’ve seen before. The first is a pivotal moment for Wakanda as King T’Challa announces to the world that his country will, for the first time ever, share their knowledge and resources for the outside world. he works this into a s great speech about the world needing to be more connected as one, and if Donald Trump ever saw this scene he should takes some tips… The second post-credit scene is somewhat of a continuation of The Winter Soldiers journey. As we saw in the post-credit scenes for “Captain America: Civil War”, Bucky has been welcome into the world of Wakanda to lay low for a while, and in this post-credit scene he emerges from a village hut, minus his arm, and is escorted away but T’Challa’s feisty sister Shuri, who says he has much more to learn.  
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