By Brett Blake Being as deep as we are into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody that BLACK PANTHER fully conforms to expectations. If you generally like what Marvel offers, you will like BLACK PANTHER. If you are unimpressed with Marvel’s output, this film isn’t likely to change your mind. I’m very up front about being in the tank for Marvel, so while this movie does have a few missteps (primarily involving its third act), for the most part I found it to be quality entertainment that director Ryan Coogler puts on the screen with great energy and with distinctive design elements from top to bottom. After the death of his father (which was depicted in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR), T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) finds himself the new King of Wakanda, a technologically advanced - yet isolated and extraordinarily secretive - African nation. Assuming the mantle of the Black Panther, a symbolic protector of the country, T’Challa’s leadership is put to the test when Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), a fanatical American with a shadowy past, arrives in Wakanda to challenge both T’Challa’s right to rule and the very foundation of what Wakandans think their country is and how it should operate on the world stage. Much has been made about how “political” and “timely” BLACK PANTHER is, and on a certain level I can see why somebody would come away from the movie describing it that way. However, it tackles its potentially incendiary themes with nuance and complexity. Much like last year’s GET OUT, which also handled issues of race and identity within the trappings of genre, this movie comes at this underlying material from unexpected and unconventional angles. Those who think BLACK PANTHER easily conforms to any particular hot-button agenda are, I think, seeing what they want to see rather than what’s really on the screen; the story deals with race head-on, yes, and it has a definite point-of-view, but this is not an ideologically-driven story. There’s an idea in here about letting go of sins of the past, rather than letting those past sins (whether committed by you or against you) dominate your destiny. The story also grapples with the question of the responsibilities of advanced nations: do they have a greater calling than just doing what’s best for their own citizens? The film plays with these questions and ideas throughout via character dynamics and interaction, and all of it is in service of delivering a fairly complicated, fascinating story (relative to most Marvel Cinematic Universe movies), particularly in relation to the arcs for T’Challa and Killmonger; ultimately I think BLACK PANTHER’s political point-of-view is both far more complex and far less incendiary or divisive than many reviews have characterized it as, and that is to the film’s credit. This is the area - much more than the popcorn action heroics - where the movie distinguishes itself. Chadwick Boseman effortlessly projects confidence in the title role, and though he doesn’t doesn’t get as much to work with on the page as other characters, Boseman’s T’Challa is an honorable, grounded, and good man, and his vibe makes him a pretty distinct new hero for the MCU. Opposite him, Michael B. Jordan is absolutely on fire as the villain, Killmonger, who arrives to shatter Wakanda’s sense of itself as a peaceful, isolated utopia (which masquerades as an impoverished nation to the rest of the world); what’s great about the way Jordan plays the character is that on a micro level, we can absolutely understand what he wants for Wakanda, and we can sympathize with that (to a small degree!) because of the very real pain and rage that Jordan has simmering right under the surface... while on a macro level, his ultimate goals are absolutely evil and indefensible. He’s a zealot, motivated by somewhat justifiable feelings but channeling those feelings for truly malevolent ends. From there, the cast is an embarrassment of riches. Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Sterling K. Brown, and Winston Duke help establish the feel and culture of the Wakandan people, while the likes of Martin Freeman (surprisingly believable as a CIA agent!) and Andy Serkis expand the scope of the story in a fun way. Lupita Nyong’o gets the thinnest character of any of the leads, which is unfortunate (she’s an Oscar-winner, give her some meaty drama to work with!), but she projects grace and an empathetic spirit in a really appealing way. The movie’s true scene-stealers, however, are Danai Gurira as T’Challa’s trusted general (and leader of the all-female fighting force the Dora Milaje), and Letitia Wright as T’Challa’s younger sister, a technical genius with attitude to spare. Both performers get memorable bits of business, and both establish their characters as ones this series can lean on going forward (assuming we get a sequel). The production design is tremendous, embracing a radically futuristic, science fiction-style aesthetic and coupling that with strong tribal, African flair; it’s a combination that shouldn’t work, visually, but it really gives the film a unique quality that is extremely memorable. BLACK PANTHER is not flawless, however. It has weaknesses unfortunately too common among modern blockbusters: middling action, outright bad CGI, and a dud of a third act resolution. While BLACK PANTHER’s finale survives because the personal nature of the conflict between its hero and villain is interesting and engrossing, it still ends up resolving itself with a CGI-heavy (rather poor CGI, at that) climax involving digital characters punching the crap out of each other while surrounded by a digitally-created environment. There’s also just not enough action in general, and what is here is often just okay. There is a fine car chase in here, and some nicely-choreographed moments of hand-to-hand combat, but for what is ostensibly meant to be an action-adventure movie, the setpieces (even before we get to that badly-executed climax) are few and far between. At the end of the day, I recognize that BLACK PANTHER is a film that is probably going to mean a lot to a large number of people, and more power to them. My life as a white guy from Wisconsin does not equip me to engage with it in any more meaningful way than as just a movie. Purely on that level, BLACK PANTHER is very good, filled with interesting design choices, and bolstered by a fascinating villain and excellent performances. Frankly, that’s all it needs to be for me.
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