Long Live The King?

As stagnant as it may seem to many that simply discussing the ever-changing iconography of the superhero genre is a nonsensical and tiresome discourse, considering how noticeable this ‘change’ is easy to perceive through recent filmic and televised products, it’s interesting non-the-less to see how vast the aforesaid genre has remodelled itself in recent years. Indeed, from Marvel’s inception of its Cinematic Universe, which began with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, to the super-heroic televised shows being made for the mainstream, such as The Flash, Supergirl, Jessica Jones and Daredevil to name a few, the superhero genre has undoubtedly grown within this contemporary age and serves as a platform that has manifested different tendencies from unrelated genre’s and has occupied film-makers to allow their distinctive styles to be displayed. In recent years, Marvel have been the best into integrating this ideal, by showcasing films in the forms of Captain America: Winter Soldier and Thor: Ragnarok that present relevant messages and contrasting formalities, thanks to the respective directors of Anthony & Joe Russo and Taika Waititi, which make these said films differentiate from the general outlook of how superhero features are looked at; inevitably making them the best to watch. Gratefully, this ‘trend’ is still being pursued as seen in the contextual confines of Marvel’s latest venture, Black Panther; a Ryan Coogler film that inherently doesn’t shy away from presenting morally conflicting and relevant themes and applies these ideas towards a fun yet stoic narrative…

During the events that take place in Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to the reclusive and technologically-advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as King. However, what at first seemed like a responsibility that he could easily step into and fulfil with ease, T’Challa soon learns that there’s a lot of hardships in being a king of a nation and finds that his newly found kingship is being challenged at every angle. When an unexpected enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mantle as King – and as Black Panther – gets tested to its limits when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda, and the entire world, at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and unleash the full power of the Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure safety of his people… 

Ignorantly, when comprising a Blog Post of the list of films that would be released throughout 2018, I boldly made a claim, when discussing Black Panther, that Ryan Coogler’s film could easily fall in-line with many of superhero-picks of old and visually deliver a narrative that’s ever formulaic and predictable. As much as I wanted to be wrong about saying this at the time, there’s a clear argument to be made about the said genre and how the many films that comprise it all carry out similar narrative structures and plot-points which don’t provoke any meaningful originality. How glad I am then, to say that Black Panther gratefully doesn’t become a super-heroic by-product and noticeably accompanies not only the outlandish bravado you would expect to see, but also provides contextual messages that are powerfully played-off; more so than any Marvel film to-date. Indeed, in similar vein to Captain America: Winter Soldier which focused on a plot-line that outlined the principles of freedom and fear and how finely differentiating patriotism can be viewed as from different perspectives, Black Panther comparably interjects a social-commentary that many audience members will relate with. This is most noticeably seen through the characters ideals and actions, more specifically with T’Challa and foe, Killmonger. For sure, it is to be expected that the hero and villains differing views on a specific situation or view-point will result in an inevitable clash. Yet, for all the many squabbles and action set-pieces that take place, what makes Black Panther so much more gripping to watch other than the predictable clashes between heroes and villains, is how the characters are constantly thinking about their viewpoints and whether or not the idea that they’re trying to carry out is really the best resolution. From questioning their own livelihoods to disputing about their own nations well-being and whether or not Wakanda should remain hidden from the world or reveal themselves to everyone, we’re presented with a plethora of characters that are naturally concerned about their actions and how it may affect their lives and the lineage that they’ve left behind. T’Challa’s growth as the new king relies on him realising the sins of the previous generation and how he can make them better. To some audiences dismay, it’s not just about him walking into a perfect scenario where his kingship is unchallenged and everything is thriving peacefully, there’s a precedent here that depicts a situation where a nation, in the form of Wakanda, is slowly being diminished by not only the previous generations damaging sensibility, but also by Killmonger and how he, rather understandably, wants to use the aforesaid nation’s technological resources and warfare to change many of the world’s predicaments. This is indeed a rarity to behold, in relation to the general outlook of the superhero genre, considering how most super-heroic flicks base their narrative structures on a linear pattern with an objective-based hero that is trying to acquire something or needlessly saving the day. Black Panther is more about the hero, in the form of T’Challa, learning valuable lessons and contemplating what specific deed needs to be carried than the action that’s depicted and it is these moments of characters conversing against each other that sticks out the most. The majority of this intriguing deliberation doesn’t come about until Eric Killmonger enters the fray; a villain who, like Magneto from the X-Men franchise, wants to achieve a resolution for Wakanda through extremist actions. Indeed, he may seem to be portrayed as T’Challa’s inevitable challenger, but Killmonger’s ideals are somewhat understandable as we get to know, through exposition, where he’s coming from and makes us sympathise with an antagonist that stakes his claim to be one of, if not, Marvel’s beguiling adversary’s, along with Loki and Adrian Toomes from Spider-Man: Homecoming.

For a film that touches on so many real and serious topics, one might expect a more solemn affair when watching the film. However, it’s a testament to director/co-writer Ryan Coogler’s film-making nous that he juggles these relatable thematics with the action without his film being tonally inconsistent. Similarly with the way he portrays the story and characters in Creed, Coogler has gone ahead and made another crowd pleaser, whereby saying another negligent would seem like a crime, that works coherently due to characters and the main scenario that they’re all involved with, very grounded, real and relatable. Beyond the ever-prevalent thematics and oblivious action, Black Panther can surely boast in its formatic approach in relation to the production and costume designs. It’s for sure a visual beast, but there are minor discrepancies that can stagger the experience. From the moments in which we see T’Challa and Killmonger in action against each, which feels way too cartoony for its own good and is reminiscent of the laughably bad segments in Spider-Man 3, to minor details that look jarring and inconsistent, it can’t be ignored that Black Panther, like many superhero films that have come before, doesn’t efficiently utilise the CG that is has in a clear and concise fashion. Furthermore, while interactions between the vast array of characters makes for some memorable moments, there are noticeably bad moments of pacing and structuring; with the aforesaid feature opening its story rather slowly and exhibiting a final and climatic third act that feels typically familiar. 

Aside some of these minor set-back however, Black Panther’s true cinematic prowess heavily relies upon its strong and diverse cast of actors and actresses; most ardently through Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal as Killmonger. Similarly to how I approached and later appreciated James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, there wasn’t any predispositions going into Coogler’s recent film considering I didn’t know anything of Black Panther. Yet, with the fact that I didn’t know too much of what I was about to see, it proved to be another great experience coming out of a Marvel feature and one of the reasons why I felt this way, was down to the avid and charismatic performance that Jordan delivers through his enactment of Killmonger. I wanted to know more about his character when the credits came around. As much as he’s perceived as the villain of the peace, you could argue that Killmonger is more driven than T’Challa is and Jordan, through his striking delivery of dialogue to the manner in which grabs the screen with his expressions, convincingly expresses this. His American swagger is fully complimented by Boseman’s cool and calming demeanour as the hero of the day. Unlike arrogant and self-centred Marvel heroes that have come before, the character of T’Challa is certainly a breath of fresh-air with his cookie-cutter personality and beget’s an intelligence that never feels out of place. Beyond the main hero and villain however, the rest of the ensemble cast feel equally natural to embrace. From Letitia Wright confidently occupying the comic-relief role of T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, to Danai Gurira cementing the films values of isolationism and tradition whilst being a part of appealing action segments through her portrayal as Okoye, nearly all of the characters that present themselves are all fully realised and never feel like pieces that need to be there. Likewise, Windston Duke’s enactment as the defiant M’Baku and Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi congregate the varied cast and show themselves to be important players in elaborating the films central theme of tradition and choice. If there’s one actor/character that doesn’t appear as much as he suggests from the trailers, it’s Andy Serkis as the unhinged arms-dealer, Ulysses Klaue. With Jordan/Killmonger rightfully taking centre-stage as the main wrongdoer, Serkis here consequentially resigns to role that doesn’t do anything substantial with the amount of selective screen-time that he has.   

To say anything bad against this film at the moment may seem blasphemous, yet it can’t be ignored that Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther does uphold minor issues that leaves the said film a few claws-short in being the best MCU film to date (Probably ranks as the third best overall). Nevertheless, similar to what Taika Waititi did within Thor: Ragnarok, Coogler can vaunt over the fact that Black Panther further diversifies Marvel’s template by imbuing not only socio-political motifs that are ever-relatable and subtly ravage the ideals and mind-sets of heroes and villains alike, but also showcasing performances that are believable and charismatic across the board. What sets it apart from the majority of Marvel’s previous outlandish ventures, is the conceivable emotional weight that is bestowed from the characters onto us and fully makes-up for its pacing and structuring thanks to a memorable cast of characters going-up against one of Marvel’s most full-realised villains in the form of Killmonger. To my surprise, Black Panther exceeded mine and many other peoples expectations. However, by years end, can it fend-off the behemoth that will be Avengers: Infinity War?…

On that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s Film Review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest Film Review of Black Panther and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the read! 😉 If anyone has an opinion on either the film or the review itself, you’re more than welcome to share you opinion down in the comments section below. For next week, I’ll be doing a Film Review of Alex Garland’s Annihilation. Thank you once again for this week’s Blog Post and I hope you’re all having a nice weekend! Adieu! 😀💪💥😼🐈

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ – Alex Rabbitte