Black Panther
3.5/4
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Andy Serkis, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya
Rated PG-13 for Prolonged Sequences of Action Violence, and a Brief Rude Gesture
Superhero movies, particularly those made by Marvel, are a dime-a-dozen. Change up the characters and call it a day. They're extremely profitable because of fan loyalty; if you have enough cameos by characters from the comics (large or small) and an appearance by Stan Lee (who at age 95 has no problem whoring out his creations to fatten his wallet), and you'll bring in at least a hundred million on your opening weekend. Most Marvel movies concentrate so much on continuity and fan service that the essentials, like good storytelling and action scenes that are actually exciting, are deemed unnecessary. So when you have a real filmmaker tackle a comic and hit it out of the park, it's worth taking notice.
After the death of his father, T'Challa (Boseman) is now king of Wakanda, an impoverished African country. At least, that's the image they put out. In reality, they've used technology gained from an ancient meteor to build a nation worthy of the best science-fiction writer's imagination. The first order of business for the new king is to take down Klaue (Serkis), a terrorist who has stolen some of the meteorite and intends to sell it to the highest bidder. However, the real villain is one of Klaue's subordinates, an ex-black ops soldier named Erik (Jordan). He has a special connection to T'Challa, and intends on paying him back for past misdeeds in blood.
"Black Panther" works because it has a story to tell. To one degree or another, Marvel movies have raised the question of what responsibilities come with putting on the armor or uniform. This new installment is no different, but the approach is new. Wakanda has technology that could bring peace and prosperity to everyone on Earth. But they isolate themselves to prevent it from getting into the wrong hands. Co-writer/director Ryan Coogler takes this question very seriously. Themes like racism, betrayal, loyalty, and guilt are also explored. They hit home because they involve characters we care about. The stakes remain high.
One thing that helps this movie is that Coogler generates strong performances from his cast. Chadwick Boseman is perfectly cast as the heroic yet insecure T'Challa. He does what he believes to be right, despite his doubts that he can live up to his late father. Lupita Nyong'o imbues his on/off girlfriend Nakia with strength and loyalty. The actress never pushes for effect or tries to steal scenes. That makes her more real. The villains are top-notch; Michael B. Jordan is perfectly threatening as the man with an as to grind, and the wherewithal to back it up. He's certainly intimidating. Andy Serkis, an actor who never really gets the credit he deserves (I'm not talking about his motion capture work), is more comic than vicious, but he's loopy enough to warrant comparison to, say, Dennis Hopper in "Speed." The true scene stealers are Letitia Wright as T'Challa's high tech sister (their relationship is playful and occasionally hilarious) and Danai Gurira as a woman warrior. "Badass" doesn't really do her justice.
The film's weakest portion is its set-up. There's a lot going on in this movie, and Coogler never finds an ideal way to set the stage. Characters take too long to be precisely identified and the story gets off to a rocky start. And the action scenes, while undeniably exciting, are too frantically cut. It causes eye strain and frustration. Yet, the film takes some unexpected turns and I was never sure where things were going to end up. The film is also spectacular eye candy; Wakanda feels real and some of its tech is cool enough to want for yourself.
Putting it simply, "Black Panther" is a lot of fun. Marvel knows they've got a gold mine on their hands, and is going into overdrive promoting it. As well they should. Even people like me, who are bored to death with superheroes, will have a great time. The genre has long since been bled dry of any creative drive, but "Black Panther" should be able to at least keep it afloat a little longer.
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Andy Serkis, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya
Rated PG-13 for Prolonged Sequences of Action Violence, and a Brief Rude Gesture
Superhero movies, particularly those made by Marvel, are a dime-a-dozen. Change up the characters and call it a day. They're extremely profitable because of fan loyalty; if you have enough cameos by characters from the comics (large or small) and an appearance by Stan Lee (who at age 95 has no problem whoring out his creations to fatten his wallet), and you'll bring in at least a hundred million on your opening weekend. Most Marvel movies concentrate so much on continuity and fan service that the essentials, like good storytelling and action scenes that are actually exciting, are deemed unnecessary. So when you have a real filmmaker tackle a comic and hit it out of the park, it's worth taking notice.
After the death of his father, T'Challa (Boseman) is now king of Wakanda, an impoverished African country. At least, that's the image they put out. In reality, they've used technology gained from an ancient meteor to build a nation worthy of the best science-fiction writer's imagination. The first order of business for the new king is to take down Klaue (Serkis), a terrorist who has stolen some of the meteorite and intends to sell it to the highest bidder. However, the real villain is one of Klaue's subordinates, an ex-black ops soldier named Erik (Jordan). He has a special connection to T'Challa, and intends on paying him back for past misdeeds in blood.
"Black Panther" works because it has a story to tell. To one degree or another, Marvel movies have raised the question of what responsibilities come with putting on the armor or uniform. This new installment is no different, but the approach is new. Wakanda has technology that could bring peace and prosperity to everyone on Earth. But they isolate themselves to prevent it from getting into the wrong hands. Co-writer/director Ryan Coogler takes this question very seriously. Themes like racism, betrayal, loyalty, and guilt are also explored. They hit home because they involve characters we care about. The stakes remain high.
One thing that helps this movie is that Coogler generates strong performances from his cast. Chadwick Boseman is perfectly cast as the heroic yet insecure T'Challa. He does what he believes to be right, despite his doubts that he can live up to his late father. Lupita Nyong'o imbues his on/off girlfriend Nakia with strength and loyalty. The actress never pushes for effect or tries to steal scenes. That makes her more real. The villains are top-notch; Michael B. Jordan is perfectly threatening as the man with an as to grind, and the wherewithal to back it up. He's certainly intimidating. Andy Serkis, an actor who never really gets the credit he deserves (I'm not talking about his motion capture work), is more comic than vicious, but he's loopy enough to warrant comparison to, say, Dennis Hopper in "Speed." The true scene stealers are Letitia Wright as T'Challa's high tech sister (their relationship is playful and occasionally hilarious) and Danai Gurira as a woman warrior. "Badass" doesn't really do her justice.
The film's weakest portion is its set-up. There's a lot going on in this movie, and Coogler never finds an ideal way to set the stage. Characters take too long to be precisely identified and the story gets off to a rocky start. And the action scenes, while undeniably exciting, are too frantically cut. It causes eye strain and frustration. Yet, the film takes some unexpected turns and I was never sure where things were going to end up. The film is also spectacular eye candy; Wakanda feels real and some of its tech is cool enough to want for yourself.
Putting it simply, "Black Panther" is a lot of fun. Marvel knows they've got a gold mine on their hands, and is going into overdrive promoting it. As well they should. Even people like me, who are bored to death with superheroes, will have a great time. The genre has long since been bled dry of any creative drive, but "Black Panther" should be able to at least keep it afloat a little longer.
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