Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back once again with another review. So surprise surprise, I saw Black Panther last night, a movie that Marvel's started planting the seeds for back in 2015's Avengers Age of Ultron and with T'Challa's big screen debut in 2016's Civil War. With this being the first superhero movie in this Post Avengers era of superhero movies we're in starring a black hero with a 99% black cast, AND being released during Black History Month, this was guaranteed money in the bank for Marvel Studios. But is the movie worthy of the hype that it's generated? Let's dive into Black Panther!
Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman reprising the role of T'Challa in Civil War and sees him take his pace as the King of Wakanda after his father's death. But when an old enemy reappears, it triggers a series of events that puts the newly crowned king and his entire nation at risk.
The first thing that pops into my mind when thinking back on this film is Wakanda itself. It not only looks fantastic on the big screen, but the movie also takes its time to really let the audience learn about the country from its technology to its customs and traditions. It feels like another character in the movie.
The biggest conflict that carries on through the entire film is the idea of Traditionalism vs Modernism. As vast and advanced as it is, Wakanda is very cut off from the rest of the world and that brings into question just how much the people of the nation should be involved in the rest of the world. Some believing that they should take the resources of Wakanda to help the world, while others want to keep to themselves as they always have. This conflict makes up the backbone of Black Panther and it's used so effectively as it also serves as a motivation for the villain.
And speaking of our villain, Michael B. Jordan brings in a solid performance as Killmonger. The movie gives him a great motivation and personal connection to T'Challa, becoming something of a dark mirror to our main character. His character is perhaps the biggest avatar used to voice what's wrong with Wakanda's old school mentality. Also, allow me to be the billionth person to make the joke about the MCU rehabilitating the careers of actors who have played the Human Torch in Fantastic Four movies. I may catch some flack for saying this but while his performance was a strong one, Jordan's kind of paled to me in comparison to Andy Serkis who reprises his role as Ulysses Klaue from Age of Ultron. Serkis just completely hams it up in this film and he is a joy to watch the whole time he's on screen.
Although, I was so focused on seeing T'Challa, his supporting cast surprised me greatly. Specifically 3 characters: his sister Shuri, his love interest Nakia, and bodyguard Okoye. The thing that impressed me with not just these 3 (more the latter 2) and other members of the supporting cast I didn't mention is that these characters are all fully realized, and what I mean by that is that they get to show all ranges of their personality, they're very much involved in the action and they all have arcs they go through and obviously, they go through significant changes when the film's over. I feel as though this hasn't happened in a Marvel movie since Civil War. Kudos to Black Panther for endearing me to these side characters.
If there is one thing that I do have to mark against this film (and it's not even its own fault) is that it's perhaps the worst victim in recent memory of the MCU market machine. Because if you all remember a couple of a months ago, the trailer to Infinity War dropped on the Internet, and in it T'Challa's fine and dandy giving orders in Wakanda, which did put a big damper on any sort of tension for the movie. If someone at Marvel somehow reads this, just being mindful of that kind of thing.
So what did I think of Black Panther? To me, it was another feather in the very large cap of Marvel Studios, a great kick-start to another sub-franchise in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I'm a fan of the MCU and their movies so I went in going to see what was going to be another solid entry to a franchise I enjoy. To some, it may not live up to all the hype we're seeing to it.
But I do have to admit, going to the theater and seeing everyone come out and support this movie was an event all on its own. The amount of people I saw dressing up, wearing dashikis, afros combed out. taking pictures with the cardboard cutout ad in the theater honestly floored me. The following pictures were taken by me during my time in the theater.
We're in an era where more and more people are demanding for people of color and gender in lead acting, writing, and/or directorial roles in film; and Black Panther in its opening weekend provided the perfect solution for those demands to be met, and that's voting with your wallet. I won't say Black Panther is going to be the change, but I do think it'll be an eye opener. With this, last year's Get Out, and some other movie I'm sure I'm forgetting, people are showing that there is a demand for movies with more diverse casts and crews.
But to bring it back to the film in question, Black Panther totally deserves to be seen in the theater just for the vibe I got in the theater alone. You won't waste your money.
Til next time folks, I'm The Shaman of Animation.
Take Care...
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