Panther Power

The Black Panther Reviewed

There is a lot of positive buzz following the release of Black Panther, no doubt prompting a sigh of relief for those involved, because there was also a lot of pressure on this movie to be good. When I went to see this movie in my South Philadelphia community I knew the theater would be packed, so I tried to go in the early afternoon, but the theater was filled and two other later showings were already sold out. People dressed in traditional African outfits were taking pictures in front of the move poster, and a class full of kids filled the back rows of the theater, with their teachers shouting instructions to behave during the screening. This movie meant something to a lot of people as the Black community has waited so long for representation in superhero movies, and it delivers.

Black Panther is the 18th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and takes place a week after the events of Captain America: Civil War. The last king of Wakanda, T’Chaka, died following an explosion at the United Nations now his son T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is set to become the country’s new king and the Black Panther, protector of Wakanda. But there are several challenges to his throne and a mercenary looking to sell the country’s most valuable resource, vibranium, on the black market.

The success of a superhero movie hinges on its villain. While most villains want to rule the world or destroy the world, the rationale behind it is usually “because I want to.” Michael B. Jordan plays Erik Killmonger and is one of the most fully-formed characters in the Marvel Universe. Sure, he's trying to kill our hero so we have to root against him; however, his rationale for doing so made me take pause and question – maybe we should hear this guy out. He has a line towards the end of the movie that vaulted him up to quite possibly my favorite movie villain of all time. It all helps that Jordan is one of the best young actors working out there. His performance and this character take this movie to another level.

Black Panther is full of well-rounded characters, from a flawed father-figure, to the leader of the Jabari Tribe who is kind of a jerk but justified in feeling slighted. But the best characters in the movie are the people surrounding T’Challa, specifically the four women in his life. Lupita Nyong’o plays his ex-girlfriend and a bad ass spy; his female entourage also includes the general of his armies, the queen mother played by Angela Bassett, and the real hero of the movie—his younger sister and the nation’s leading scientist, Shuri (Letitia Wright). The Black Panther looks to these women for guidance throughout the story and what they do is maybe even more impressive than our hero because they do it without a vibranium suit.

Black Panther is not as funny as some of the more recent Marvel movies, but that’s never really who the Black Panther was. Don't get me wrong—there are funny parts to this movie. Martin Freeman in particular, stands out as a comedic mouthpiece and clueless American. However, the Black Panther himself needs to be forthright and strong, and having him make a lot of quips during a fight would betray that.

There isn’t a bad Marvel movie out there, but Black Panther stands out to me because it is not just a great superhero movie, it’s a great movie. Beyond the costumes and stunts, this movie deals with questions of identity, responsibility, and what we owe to the people around us. Director Ryan Coogler is forcing the audience to think about what we believe in even within the framework of an entertaining blockbuster. The Black Panther is arguably the MCU’s most complete movie and should be the bar for what we expect going forward. A

P.S. Stay tuned for two after credit scenes that help set up the role Wakanda plays in the next movie Avengers: Infinity War.