Black Panther (2018)

Poster Description: (From the top) T’Challa (Boseman) is wearing his Black Panther suit with a silver necklace. In the place where his torso would be are smaller versions of the other characters in a W shape. (Left) Killmonger (Jordan) crosses swords over his shoulders, scowling off camera. We also have Zuri (Whittaker) with his staff, Ross (Freeman), and W’Kabi (Kaluuya). Okoye (Gurira) and Klaue (a tiny Serkis) are in the middle. Nakia stands beside Okoye with Ramonda (Bassett) and Shuri (Wright), who stands in full battle-mode with her laser arm cannons. The kingdom of Wakanda stands proudly at the bottom of the poster with the film’s title.

When I woke up on the 28^th of August, I thought it would be just another day in this strange year. I turned on the TV, pondering what I fancied for breakfast. Then the newsreaders announced that Chadwick Boseman had died. I was saddened to learn of his four-year battle with colon cancer, and how he had kept it out of the media.

After watching Black Panther again, I came to a decision. I’d already named Black Panther as my favourite film of 2018 but had refrained from thoroughly reviewing the movie I case I repeated what most people had said following the film’s release.

Likewise, I continue to avoid reviewing Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, despite how much fun it would be to criticise. But I digress.

I began to reconsider reviewing Black Panther last year after I attended a meeting about local museums. I was joined by other representatives and asked about how museums could engage with disabled people. One of these museums being Christchurch Mansion, wherein we came onto the subject of future exhibits. To coincide with Black History Month, a special exhibition called “The Power of Storytelling” would feature costumes from none other than Black Panther. I was amazed that such a thing could happen in my little Suffolk town.

Then COVID-19 happened. Christchurch Mansion closed, and the exhibition was put on hold until 2021, but I vowed to write the review in time for Black History Month. One thing was sure, it could not and would not feature in “The Underrated, Overrated, and the Meh,” because it didn’t fit into any of those categories.

The Director: Ryan Coogler

The Cast:

Chadwick Boseman – T’Challa/Black Panther

Michael B. Jordan – Erik Killmonger

Letitia Wright – Shuri

Lupita Nyong’o – Nakia

Daniel Kaluuya – W’Kabi

Angela Basset – Ramonda

Forest Whittaker – Zuri

John Kani – T’Chaka

Sterling K. Brown – N’Jobu

Danai Gurira – Okoye

Winston Duke – M’Baku

Martin Freeman – Everett K. Ross

Andy Serkis – Ulysses Klaue

Certificate: 12A

Released in UK cinemas: 13^th February 2018

The Plot:

As heir of the secret, technologically advanced kingdom of Wakanda, T’Challa (Boseman, 21 Bridges) takes on the responsibilities his father taught him. However, T’Challa must also confront his father’s past mistakes by taking on a challenger with unexpected family ties.

The Review:

WARNING: Contains some spoilers!

Based on the comic books written by Stan Lee, I enjoyed the mishmash of mythology and science fiction found in the origin of Wakanda. In the film, it is told by a father to his son, not unlike the introduction of Thor. Bast is, in fact, an established African Goddess, but this is a Marvel comic, so a meteorite with magic metal ore, called vibranium, powers all of the country since it landed there. As the film’s opening, the animations look futuristic, setting the tone perfectly.

Before Captain America: Civil War, I’m ashamed to admit that I had never seen Chadwick Boseman in any other film. In a way, Black Panther is a sequel to Civil War, as T’Challa’s father died in the movie. In Black Panther, T’Challa takes up the throne his father left for him, and Boseman goes against the familiar Marvel trope of our heroes being damaged drama queens with superiority complexes, like Tony Stark and Peter Quil. T’Challa refuses to quip even while his sister Shuri and General Okoye tease him for freezing “like an antelope in headlights” when he meets Nakia, his ex, a reaction that humanises him. While looking calm and utterly composed, Boseman oozes charisma without coming across as arrogant, which makes for a welcome change.

Also, how many films tell the story of black people in positions of power?

As Shuri, Wright is a joy to watch in every scene she is in, taking on the familiar trope of genius smart-mouth without coming off as contrived. Shuri is a scientist challenging Wakanda’s traditions, continuing to develop the use of the film’s McGuffin, vibranium. What’s more, she openly complains about the ceremonial clothes she must wear during T’Challa’s coronation ceremony and raises her chin to M’Baku from a rival tribe who scorns her unconventional way of thinking. I particularly enjoyed this moment and how guards crossed spears in front of Shuri, effectively leaving it up to the audience to decide whether this is to defend or to hold Shuri back.

Keeping to old customs and allowing for change is a theme threaded throughout the film, reflected in the score by Ludwig Göransson. It all flows seamlessly, often hectic, and tribal through the use of drums and triumphant trumpets while leaving room for more “modern” hip-hop music from rapper Kendrick Lamar. Similarly, the film’s costumes (designed by Ruth E. Carter) are a glorious hybrid of traditional and futuristic African clothing. Different bold colours signify the individual tribes, a wonderfully simple idea for audiences unfamiliar with African cultures. I especially liked the 3D-printed hat worn by Angela Basset, inspired by a Zulu married woman’s hat, and the green suit worn by an elder with a matching lip disk. Carter won the Oscar for Best Costume Design for this film, an accolade she fully deserved.

Picture Description: An elder tribesman wears a lime-green shirt and turquoise suit with a matching lip disk and ear disks. He is surrounded by golden armoured bodyguards holding silver vibranium spears.

The term “strong female” is bandied out far too much these days, but our hero respects women as equals and listens to their advice. His mother (Bassett, surprisingly under-used here) gives him the strength to win the first challenge to the throne. Nyong’o plays Nakia, T’Challa’s would-be Queen if it was what she wanted. Instead, she works to help people outside of Wakanda and insists that this is something T’Challa should consider. What’s more, her presence causes him – an otherwise imperturbable King – to freeze when they meet after an unspecified amount of time apart. T’Challa’s bodyguards are the Dora Milaje, exclusively women with shaved heads (described as “Grace Jones chicks” by one unwitting man) and dressed in a uniform that is practical and not for the gaze of the male audience. Their leader is Okoye (Danai Gurira of The Walking Dead fame), who can use something as harmless as a wig as a weapon and knows how to put people in their place.

Picture Description: (From right) A member of the Dora Milaje (not Okoye) holds a long vibranium spear. Her head is shaved, and she wears amour with elaborate beading, a red tunic with a vibranium necklace, shoulder plates, and gauntlets. T’Challa’s mother clasps both hands together. She wears white with a traditional tubular hat and dynamic fanned mantle across her shoulders. Shuri has her hair in braided bunches on the top of her head. She wears a beaded necklace, a grey crop-top with a white African symbol encircled in black and grey, and silk trousers. Her hands are crossed in front of her, revealing a beaded bracelet.

One such person is Everett K. Ross (Freeman, reprising his role from Civil War), who is one of two white characters in the whole film. Not only does Ross appear hilariously out of his depth with anything to do with Wakanda, but he is entirely unaware of it, and the other characters quietly mock him for it.

Everett K. Ross: Does she speak English?

Okoye: When she wants to.

And perhaps the most pointed remark:

Shuri: (to Ross) Don't scare me like that, coloniser!

The other “Tolkien white boy₁” is Andy Serkis, returning as the more run-of-the-mill Marvel villain, Ulysses Klaue (pronounced “Claw”). Serkis is having a blast, throwing himself into the action scenes with his CGI cannon-hand, cackling almost the whole way through. To be fair, it must have been nice to act without wearing a suit covered in dots for once. There is a vague side-plot around T’Challa’s friend, W’Kabi (Kaluuya from the fantastic horror film, Get Out), who is keen on avenging his parents by killing Klaue, but this is quickly subverted. While this ultimately encourages W’Kabi to turn on T’Challa towards the end of the film, W’Kabi lacks the depth we expected to find. He is Okoye’s partner and T’Challa’s best friend, but that’s all we’re given to go on.

Also, those CGI rhinos look positively ridiculous in an altogether remarkable film.

But is Klaue the film’s main bad guy? With him included, there are three who would comfortably fit into that role. Winston Duke plays M’Baku, leader of the isolated Jabari tribe in Wakanda. He appears at odds with T’Challa at first and certainly deserves more screen-time. Regardless, the main antagonist is Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan. Like Boseman, I hadn’t seen any of Jordan’s other work upon my first viewing of Black Panther, which made the performance more real. I found myself rooting for him to the point of feeling uncomfortable, as he encountered casual racism from a white woman working at the British Museum (perhaps the best introduction to a villain I have seen in a long time). Killmonger was shaped according to the heroes’ mistakes, and Jordan plays him with restrained rage and swagger that hides his character’s pain. Yet this pain is what has powered Killmonger up until this point, as demonstrated by his scarification. Every mark on his skin represents people he has killed for America, shocking in their number…and for what? As a black man, he will always be seen as someone lesser outside of Wakanda, and which is a horribly bitter pill to swallow.

T'Challa: "I can try to heal you."

Killmonger: "Why, so you can lock me up? Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped ships, 'cause they knew death was better than bondage."

Wow. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is the most powerful line that I have heard in any film thus far. I’d often wondered where it had come from, whether Jordan had improvised it, or if it had been written in the script from the beginning. In fact, as I discovered from the director’s recent touching tribute to Boseman, it was Boseman who posed the idea of Killmonger wishing to be buried somewhere else.

To further drive the theme of moving away from tradition, Black Panther does something I believe has only ever really been done successfully since 1994’s The Lion King. As part of his becoming king, T’Challa visits his father by being buried alive. As macabre as it sounds, the cinematography is an example of how beautiful the whole film looks. The afterlife is softly lit, the African plain at night, and T’Challa’s ancestors are depicted as black panthers lounging in tree branches. In contrast, Killmonger’s defining shot is surrounded by flames as the source of the Black Panther’s powers are destroyed. He is alone and so exemplifies the African proverb, “The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.”

Picture Description: As a temple burns, Killmonger watches on, standing tall upon a stone walkway. His back is to the camera, and he appears as a shadowed figure. Marble statues of panthers remain on the left and right of him.

What’s sobering is that Killmonger cannot go to the afterlife to meet with his father, because his father was killed outside of Wakanda. Furthermore, T’Challa eventually confronts his father about the mistake of leaving Killmonger behind as a child. It is the only time we see his composure fracture, and it is all the more powerful for that.

Picture Description: T’Challa stands in a jungle. He’s wearing his Black Panther suit and holds his helmet against his hip. He looks thoughtful.

As I mentioned at the start of this review, I will not categorise Black Panther as I have the Marvel movies of the last decades. While Black Panther could be considered overrated on the grounds of its sub-par CGI and under-developed characters, it is far from forgettable. If it were of modest success with audiences and critics, I would have happily called it underrated. The film touches on important themes that few were brave enough to do so twenty years ago. Ludwig Goransson’s score is a triumph, and the acting is superb. Boseman’s performance coolly disproves the theory that all superheroes need to be brash, likeable assholes. Sure, Black Panther is not perfect, nor is it the first black superhero film, but it is the first to get such worthy praise.

The Verdict: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

The Sources:

Black Panther poster - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/?ref_=tttr_tr_tt

“The Power of Storytelling” – Black History Month exhibition: https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/what-s-on/black-panther-exhibition-coming-to-ipswich-1-6525565

Ipswich tributes to Chadwick Boseman: https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/ipswich-black-panther-tributes-1-6814559

Black Panther: The Album: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_(soundtrack)#Black_Panther:_The_Album

The costumes of Black Panther: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/black-panther-costumes-ruth-e-carter/index.html

Quotes from the film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu

Picture 1 https://www.vulture.com/2018/02/black-panther-costume-designer-ruth-e-carter-on-8-looks.html

Pictures 2 & 4: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/ruth-carter-black-panther-costume-designer-interview/

₁Morgan Freeman was a “Tolkien white boy” - https://news.sky.com/story/black-panther-stars-serkis-and-freeman-we-were-the-tolkien-white-boys-11247716

Trivia: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv