Post by SnoBorderZero on Feb 21, 2018 23:37:31 GMT -5
In 2013 I was living in San Francisco and had just watched Ryan Coogler's feature film debut, Fruitvale Station. Living in the Bay Area, the case of Oscar Grant was a polarizing one in the area, well before the Black Lives Matter movement took shape. Coogler's film wasn't a perfect one, but it was clear that he was an emerging talent, and I wrote exactly that in my review for the film at the time. Coogler only got better in his sophomore effort, Creed, which featured Coogler directing Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone to wonderful performances and framing the film with dazzling camera work that, aside from Raging Bull, was the best I've seen in a sports film, period. Coogler has succeeded in taking the next big step in each of his projects, so it's no surprise that he was the perfect choice to helm the latest addition to the Marvel cinematic universe, Black Panther. Coogler's films have been tightly paced, able to juggle multiple characters and their story arcs, and have a lot more visual style and flair than one might initially assume. Now he's succeeded in creating perhaps the greatest embodiment of an African American studio film one can imagine. It's amazing for people to reflect on blaxploitation flicks or the endlessly generic stereotype driven films that have plagued predominantly black films in the past to now see a massive studio film powered by a young filmmaker only getting better who's injecting energy into a movie that's already become so much more. Is the film timely? Absolutely, especially in the wake of Trump America that we find ourselves in, and it doesn't shy away from its political overtones but rather embraces being the pioneering film that it is. I have issues with the film, and I actually find this to be the weakest entry in Coogler's filmography thus far, but it's not difficult to understand why this movie has garnered the acclaim that it has from critics and audiences alike. It's not the best film that Marvel has offered us, nor does it completely shake up the formula that's not grown tired but has become familiar, but Black Panther is a more important film than it is a great film, and that counts for a whole lot too.
Black Panther was introduced in Captain America: Civil War, but we didn't get much insight into his character or where he came from amidst the heavy doses of mayhem in that movie. In his standalone film, which gladly focuses solely on him and doesn't bring any other Marvel heroes into the fold, we're introduced to the ancient yet technologically advanced city of Wakanda as he is becoming crowned king following the death of his father in Civil War. Chadwick Boseman stars as the titular character, whose real name is T'Challa. Boseman is a strong actor who has impressed in the past with portrayals of real-life figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall, but he plays T'Challa with a fairly muted performance here and doesn't exhibit the personality that his co-stars do with their more vibrant characters. Still, he makes for an endearing and likable hero who values family and loyalty over power, and is surrounded by an all-star cast of black A-listers including Lupita Nyong'o, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, and Forest Whittaker. Also making a splash bearing most of the one-liners in the film is T'Challa's sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), who brings a comedically headstrong performance to the mix while overseeing much of Wakanda's greatest technological advancements. The cast is all-around superb, though easily the highlight of the film is Ryan Coogler's frequent lead Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger. In contrast to Boseman's stoic performance, Jordan brings a fiery intensity to his role, drubbing up empathetic regard for his abandonment and disbelief in an America for black people. He represents the frustrations and anger that rightfully rests within the African American community, and one of his lines at the end of the film that I won't spoil here is astonishingly powerful for a Marvel film. He's a great adversary for T'Challa, and actually outshines him in nearly every way. It's a shame that the film takes so long to really bring him into the mix, because Black Panther's first act is shaky and meandering and would have benefitted from Jordan being more intertwined from the start.
As one would expect from a Marvel production of this kind, the technical aspects of the film are dazzling despite some occasional dips towards too much CGI and not as much confidence in practical effects as one would hope. This is a huge step up for Coogler on a production level even in regards to Creed, and he's assembled set designs, costumes, and makeup work that make Wakanda and the African folklore that inspired it come alive. Wakanda is an interesting blend of old and new while still being firmly entrenched in African culture, and it's a refreshing take on a superhero to steep him in the vein of African folklore for his origin as opposed to a nuclear accident or whatever other contrived forms of heroes garnering their powers dominates about 95% of these movies. I didn't always buy into this society being able to keep their technology a secret, and it didn't always fit for me to have this blend of African folklore with sci-fi heavy leanings, but some films you have to just go with it instead of nitpicking every detail.
The plot works for the most part, but it takes awhile for it to get going and really only does when Jordan really enters the picture. Boseman's T'Challa doesn't have the personality or swagger to bring a lot of fun to the typical globe hopping these movies love to employ, though the set pieces like the car chase in South Korea are very well done. This is also a movie that certainly feels like its running time. It gets a much needed boost from Killmonger halfway through the second act, but by that point we've already sat through an hour or so of running time chasing around Andy Serkis, who we know is just a throwaway villain. For all of its uniqueness in regards to its cast, origin story, and departure from traditional Marvel fare, Black Panther succumbs to pretty much all of the same storytelling deficiencies as the others. It's bolstered by a villain that actually has a backstory we care about and a plan for world domination that's actually motivated unlike most Marvel films, but despite all of that the film really does just boil down to being another superhero flick and not the genre game changer that say Nolan's Batman films were or even as polished and thrilling as Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In my heart this film is a 7.5, but I don't score films like that on here and will have to admit that while the film is a 7 overall, it scores extra credit points for being the cultural phenomenon that it is and successfully delivering a different and much needed perspective from our general Hollywood productions. It's a flawed film, but also one directed with the heart and visual aptitude that Ryan Coogler has already become known for, and it does just enough to be considered among the top tier of the Marvel entries.
8/10
Black Panther was introduced in Captain America: Civil War, but we didn't get much insight into his character or where he came from amidst the heavy doses of mayhem in that movie. In his standalone film, which gladly focuses solely on him and doesn't bring any other Marvel heroes into the fold, we're introduced to the ancient yet technologically advanced city of Wakanda as he is becoming crowned king following the death of his father in Civil War. Chadwick Boseman stars as the titular character, whose real name is T'Challa. Boseman is a strong actor who has impressed in the past with portrayals of real-life figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall, but he plays T'Challa with a fairly muted performance here and doesn't exhibit the personality that his co-stars do with their more vibrant characters. Still, he makes for an endearing and likable hero who values family and loyalty over power, and is surrounded by an all-star cast of black A-listers including Lupita Nyong'o, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, and Forest Whittaker. Also making a splash bearing most of the one-liners in the film is T'Challa's sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), who brings a comedically headstrong performance to the mix while overseeing much of Wakanda's greatest technological advancements. The cast is all-around superb, though easily the highlight of the film is Ryan Coogler's frequent lead Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger. In contrast to Boseman's stoic performance, Jordan brings a fiery intensity to his role, drubbing up empathetic regard for his abandonment and disbelief in an America for black people. He represents the frustrations and anger that rightfully rests within the African American community, and one of his lines at the end of the film that I won't spoil here is astonishingly powerful for a Marvel film. He's a great adversary for T'Challa, and actually outshines him in nearly every way. It's a shame that the film takes so long to really bring him into the mix, because Black Panther's first act is shaky and meandering and would have benefitted from Jordan being more intertwined from the start.
As one would expect from a Marvel production of this kind, the technical aspects of the film are dazzling despite some occasional dips towards too much CGI and not as much confidence in practical effects as one would hope. This is a huge step up for Coogler on a production level even in regards to Creed, and he's assembled set designs, costumes, and makeup work that make Wakanda and the African folklore that inspired it come alive. Wakanda is an interesting blend of old and new while still being firmly entrenched in African culture, and it's a refreshing take on a superhero to steep him in the vein of African folklore for his origin as opposed to a nuclear accident or whatever other contrived forms of heroes garnering their powers dominates about 95% of these movies. I didn't always buy into this society being able to keep their technology a secret, and it didn't always fit for me to have this blend of African folklore with sci-fi heavy leanings, but some films you have to just go with it instead of nitpicking every detail.
The plot works for the most part, but it takes awhile for it to get going and really only does when Jordan really enters the picture. Boseman's T'Challa doesn't have the personality or swagger to bring a lot of fun to the typical globe hopping these movies love to employ, though the set pieces like the car chase in South Korea are very well done. This is also a movie that certainly feels like its running time. It gets a much needed boost from Killmonger halfway through the second act, but by that point we've already sat through an hour or so of running time chasing around Andy Serkis, who we know is just a throwaway villain. For all of its uniqueness in regards to its cast, origin story, and departure from traditional Marvel fare, Black Panther succumbs to pretty much all of the same storytelling deficiencies as the others. It's bolstered by a villain that actually has a backstory we care about and a plan for world domination that's actually motivated unlike most Marvel films, but despite all of that the film really does just boil down to being another superhero flick and not the genre game changer that say Nolan's Batman films were or even as polished and thrilling as Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In my heart this film is a 7.5, but I don't score films like that on here and will have to admit that while the film is a 7 overall, it scores extra credit points for being the cultural phenomenon that it is and successfully delivering a different and much needed perspective from our general Hollywood productions. It's a flawed film, but also one directed with the heart and visual aptitude that Ryan Coogler has already become known for, and it does just enough to be considered among the top tier of the Marvel entries.
8/10
