Four-Color Coverage

I saw Black Panther Thursday night (opening weekend)… and again last Sunday night.

Like my previous reviews, this is going to be a two-part review:

• The first part will be more of a synopsis and spoiler-free.
• The second part will be more in-depth.

Part One: Synopsis

I loved this movie.

Over sixty years after his debut in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) Issue 52, the King of Wakanda was made the lead of his own movie. Ryan Coogler, his cast, and his crew put together an amazing vision of a young man, his country, and the legacy that he upholds.

It’s taken my Top 3 Superhero Movies and made it a Top 4. (I really need to figure out my Top 5.)

Part Two: In-Depth Review

To quote En Vogue:

And now it’s time for the breakdown…

There are some who might say that I gave this movie a “10” too easily. While my immediate reaction would be “It’s my opinion  – and my blog – so step off,” the better answer is this: This was an incredibly well-made film with good pacing, excellent character development, and a well-told story. It hit all the marks I want in a movie.

Much like Wakanda itself, this film was very self-contained: You don’t have to know anything else about the Marvel Cinematic Universe to enjoy it. It’s a globe-spanning tale that needed nothing else to complete it. But, if you’ve seen movies from the MCU – they use footage from Captain America: Civil War to remind you that T’Challa has already ventured beyond his nation’s borders – this movie just adds to the richness of the world-building that the folks at Marvel Studios have done.

I loved that the movie opened with a story. And it wasn’t just any story. It was a story, told from father to son – from T’Chaka to T’Challa – about the history of Wakanda and her people. It was beautifully told. I freely admit that it reminded me of Mufasa telling Simba of the kings who came before them in The Lion King.

Next, we are sent back to 1992 and introduced to a young, vibrant T’Chaka, as king and Black Panther, checking in on agents he has dispatched to America. We learn that one of the agents is his brother, Prince N’Jobu. We also learn that N’Jobu has come to disagree with Wakanda’s isolationist stance and has even aided an outsider in stealing Vibranium from his homeland. After a brief confrontation, the king is forced to kill his brother to help maintain Wakanda’s facade as an impoverished third-world nation.

The movie jumps forward to present-day London, where a young African-American man, named Erik Stevens, is perusing African artifacts. He identifies one item as Wakandan and declares his intent to steal it, which he does with the aid of Ulysses Klaue, last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Klaue intends to sell the artifact to undercover CIA agent Everett Ross, last seen in CA:CW.

We later discover that Erik is actually N’jadaka, son of N’jobu, and that he has a righteous mad on for the people who killed his father and abandoned him. He also has designs on the Wakandan throne and the mantle of the Black Panther. N’Jobu’s death set into motion the arc that turned his son Erik into the monster known as “Killmonger.” We learn that everything he has done since his father’s death was done to bring this plan to fruition.

This movie also brings two quotes to mind:

• “The sins of the father are visited upon the son,” and
• “The villain is the hero in his own story.”

N’Jobu’s sins were not the only ones brought to light. T’Chaka’s decisions – not only to kill his brother and orphan his nephew – but also to hide Wakanda’s true nature from the world are the sins that weigh upon T’Challa as he tries to decide what kind of king – and man – he wants to be.

Nowhere was this more evident that in the two scenes spent on the Ancestral Plane. Upon T’Challa’s first journey, he asks the spirit of his father how to be a good king. T’Chaka looks soberly at his son and simply states:

You are a good man, with a good heart. And it’s hard for a good man to be a king.

On his second visit to the Ancestral Plane, T’Challa calls out his father – and all the Wakandan kings before him – for hiding away from the world and for leaving a lost little boy alone in that world. He also states that he cannot rest, knowing that it is Wakanda’s fault for creating Killmonger and the threat that he poses.

The climactic battle was waged on many fronts: T’Challa vs. Killmonger, the Border Tribe (now loyal to Killmonger) vs. the Dora Milaje, and Agent Ross vs. Wakanda fliers.

Wakanda – from the border plains to Warrior Falls to Birnin Zana, the capital city – wasn’t a one-note nation. It was a rich melange of people, living together and acknowledging, celebrating, and embracing their common origins and beliefs, as well as their tribal diversity. I loved seeing members the agrarian tribes walking among their “city-folk” kinsmen as equals. And they were all connected. Not just as kinsfolk, but through their technology, as well.

Chadwick Boseman once again gave a great performance. You could see that his T’Challa took his role as king and people’s champion very seriously, though not without some doubt – as you would expect from one who was suddenly thrust into a new role. You could see the weight of his father’s decisions on him, as he learned of long-buried secrets and lies used to insulate and isolate Wakanda, but also as he struggled to shake that weight from his shoulders and bring Wakanda into the world community. You could also see that he was attempting to carve out his own identity as king, bringing all the facets of his life together harmoniously. I thought that it was an exceptional choice to end the movie with the young California boy asking him “Who are you” and T’Challa just smiling and saying nothing, as the screen cut to black, because there were so many answers to that question.

Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Killmonger exemplified the second quote that I noted above: He didn’t see anything he did as wrong or evil. He saw themas a means to achieve an end goal: To get answers for what happened to his father and to exact his revenge upon those who did it. In his eyes, the end justified any means. Watching the movie the first time, I realized that he and T’Challa reminded me of four figures:

• Malcolm X (before his pilgrimage to Mecca) and Martin Luther King, Jr., and
• Magneto and Professor X

In each of those examples, both sides had a very clear ideal of what the world should look like and how to achieve that goal. Killmonger, like Malcolm and Magneto, was willing to do whatever it took; T’Challa, on the other hand, sought more peaceful and diplomatic means.

Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda was equal parts Queen Mother and mother. While she did not have much screen time, brought a quiet grace to each scene she was in. (This also served to remind me how much I wish she had been cast as Storm in the X-Men franchise.)

Letitia Wright as Shuri was a refreshing breath of air. Equal parts brilliant, sarcastic, and witty, she leads the Wakanda Design Group as chief scientist/engineer. And, while her lack-of-age may be called into question, her scientific acumen can not be. Many people are wondering if Shuri is going to step into the Tony Stark/chief scientist role at the end of RDJ’s time as an Avenger, if not fully assuming Riri Williams’ role as the new Iron Man/Ironheart. I’m just waiting to see her meet Tony and for them to start geeking out, in the same way that Stark and Banner did in the first Avengers movie. Of course, I then want to see her pat Tony on the head and tell him “Nice try…” with some of his technological creations and/or call out his role in creating Ultron as a “rookie mistake.”

Lupita N’yongo’s Nakia was brave, independent, and fierce – a fine complement to T’Challa. Her time outside Wakanda opened her eyes to the plight of the weak and downtrodden against those in power. It also opened her eyes to what Wakanda could do – and could become – in helping the outside world. Thus, her new struggle became convincing her king and former love.

Danai Gurira as Dora Milaje General Okoye was, well… if the Panther needed tooth and claw, she would be it. I never read The Walking Dead, but when Michonne, also played by Ms. Gurira, appeared in Season Three, my first thought was “Huh. She’s a badass.” Okoye is Michonne turned up to “12.” A proud Wakandan, she faced the turmoil of duty to her country versus loyalty to her friends and loved ones. This was evident in the scenes where Nakia tries to convince her to flee with them and Okoye states that she can’t because “…[her] loyalty is to the throne, no matter who sits upon it,” and when she faces W’Kabi in the climactic battle and threatens to strike him down “for Wakanda.”

Martin Freeman returned as CIA Operative Everett Ross. I have enjoyed Freeman’s characterization of Ross over the course of these movies. He comes across as a man whose straight-forward nature lines up with how he expects the rest of the world to be. We see his worldview shift, after his exposure to Wakanda and its marvels. He eventually comes to see that there is more to this “third-world country” than simple farming.

Andy Serkis portrayed the same Klaue we last saw in South Africa, during Avengers: Age of Ultron. I grew up watching Klaw battle the Fantastic Four in comics and cartoons; I’ve also seen him appear in other shows.

One difference between the MCU Klaue and his four-color and/or cartoon counterpart was that he knew what the Wakandans were capable of and seemed to fear and respect it… to some degree. He tried to warn Killmonger off from going to Wakanda, not knowing his heritage and true aims. This Klaue was a bit more outre’ than his comics counterpart; by the same token, the character design was far more grounded than the comics/cartoon Klaw. His role in this movie was as more of a catalyst than antagonist – he served as Killmonger’s e-Ticket to the Birnin Zana and a path to the throne. This is unfortunate, as I would have liked to have seen him return to trouble Wakanda and the Black Panther again.

Winston Duke’s M’Baku, Chief of the Jabari, was fantastic.

…to rule. He fought with the passion of one who believed that his cause was just. Not a villain, per se, but one who saw a potentially different path for Wakanda – one that was more steeped in tradition and less so on mirroring the outside world. After he was defeated, I didn’t expect to see him again in this movie. I was pleasantly surprised when Nakia suggested that they turn to him for aid after Killmonger assumed the throne. His presence exuded power and authority when Nakia, Queen Ramonda, and company stood before him. And, let’s face it: The scene where he started barking/grunting at Ross and threatened to “…feed you to his children,” was one of the most genuinely amusing scenes in the movie

My one – ONE – nitpick with the movie comes from a comic book bias: The Dora Milaje. In the comics, the Dora are not only the royal bodyguard, they are also the ceremonial wives-in-training for unmarried kings. (I’m actually glad that they left the latter out of this story.) As the royal guard, they are THE be-all/end-all of warriors in the Wakandan armed forces. The scene where they fought the Border Tribe at the movie’s climax should have seen them easily handing the Border Tribe their asses. I made the comment that, at the fight’s end, when the Border Tribe had Nakia and three Dora surrounded, that would have been a fair fight.

As I said before, this was an incredibly well-done movie. It touched on so many personal and social topics that it’s hard to believe that it was all done in two hours and change. It was an excellent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as a great stand-alone piece. As I said in my review of Wonder Woman, it was worth the wait. It is just unfortunate, in both movies’ cases, that we had to wait so long.

Addenda:

In preparing this post, I’ve come across a few articles that add to the richness of understanding what went into making this movie. I share them here with you:

• to Make a Point About White Supremacy
• This Black Panther Toy Commercial Is More Important Than You Understand
• Building Wakanda: An Interview with Black Panther Production Designer Hannah Beachler
• Watch Ryan Coogler Break Down Black Panther‘s Stunning Casino Fight

Also, I will be on Monday’s episode of Geekshow Podcast, discussing the movie and its importance. Check it out!