Random Thoughts on Black Panther
- Chris Harrison
- Feb 23, 2018
- 5 min read
WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Black Panther.
Like everybody else on the internet, I saw Black Panther this weekend. And, like everyone on the internet, I have some thoughts. This is what was on my mind as I sat at my desk in the middle of the night reflecting on the biggest movie release of the year so far.
I didn't read superhero comics growing up and I'm far from a Marvel stan—I think I've seen maybe half of the MCU movies?—but I couldn't help getting swept up in the Black Panther hype leading up to its release. Since Blade, there haven't exactly been a ton of black superheroes in major releases. And other than Blade, a legitimate hit, the only superheroes I recall seeing as a kid were Static Shock, Steel (played by Shaq in that terrible movie), Frozone from The Incredibles, Cyborg from Teen Titans, and Handi-Man, from an In Living Color sketch that, uh, would be a little . . . problematic today. These guys aren't exactly household names, so seeing a giant company like Disney putting its full marketing muscle behind a superhero movie that not only has an almost entirely black cast, but also takes place in Africa? And seeing Ryan Coogler working with Michael B. Jordan again? How could I not be excited? And just in case you were wondering if Black Panther is good, I've used the world "motherland" like a dozen times since the end credits.
Wakanda, the fictional African nation in which most of Black Panther takes place, is as fully realized a locale as I've seen in this type of film. It's the only superhero movie I've seen that carries a real sense of place and history. The characters' actions and beliefs feel as if they're genuinely informed by the culture they grew up in. Wakanda may not be a real place, but it feels every bit as lived-in as the titular city in Donald Glover's Atlanta or Greta Gerwig's Sacramento in Lady Bird, which is a remarkable feat for a film in a genre best known for dudes in spandex and CGI-heavy fight scenes. There are some really gorgeous shots full of extras in costume, especially before the challenge scene and on the streets in the outskirts of the city. Seriously, everyone's fashion is on point. The streets of Wakanda are what I imagine going to Afropunk in 2050 will look like.
Like many Americans of African descent, I've had a long-running fascination with the continent. I've also, unfortunately, never made the trip out there. It was refreshing to see a vision of a vibrant, thriving African nation, one that blends all sorts of crazy future tech with an amalgamation of various traditional African culture and styles. I certainly identified with Killmonger when he talked about how he'd only heard stories of how beautiful Wakanda was, and I was legitimately touched when T'Challa took him to see Wakanda one last time as he died.
Speaking of Killmonger, I really enjoyed him as a villain. Unlike many supervilliains' motivations, he wasn't out searching for some McGuffin or trying to destroy the world just for the fuck of it. His motivations were rooted in history, both of the real world and Wakanda. The stories of both Killmonger and Wakanda itself are reactions to western colonialism and it's not hard to empathize with what Killmonger is feeling. Why hasn't Wakanda been looking out for its kinfolk around the world when they have such great riches and power? Killmonger's methods, though (like inciting war all over the globe), were dangerous. Still, the Killmonger's extremist methods pushed T'Challa, and forced his stance to evolve, helping him to find the middle ground (with a big assist from Nakia) between Wakanda's isolationism and Killmonger's desire to force Wakandan domination on the world. Killmonger's scenes, particularly the dream sequence with his father, carried real emotional weight and his dying words were absolutely devastating. They've really stuck with me, and I definitely never thought I'd hear those words in a big-budget superhero flick.
Most of you have likely noticed that the header image for this piece is not actually Black Panther. While T'Challa may be a great king, and a character capable of making real change, he's outshone by more than a few members of this absolutely loaded cast. Michael B. Jordan's performance as Killmonger will rack up accolades, but, man, this squad is deep. Lupita Nyong'o is stellar, as per usual; Andy Serkis and Daniel Kaluuya are plenty of fun in their roles; Danai Gurira is absolutely fierce as Okoye, the best warrior in the nation and leader of the Dora Milaje, the king's all-female personal guard; and Angela Bassett is Angela Bassett. But the two characters I want to talk about the most are Letitia Wright's Shuri and Winston Duke's M'Baku. Like any member of a royal family who was sheltered and brought up to be a good and just king, T'Challa's a bit of a square. Naturally, it's up to his younger sister Shuri to keep him grounded . . . and also to embarrass and make fun of him in front of his people. Beyond comic relief though, Shuri's an outstanding character on her own, not only leading Wakanda's technological innovation, but summoning the bravery to join the fray in the final battle. She's a quick thinker, a strong fighter, and Letitia Wright straight-up oozes charm throughout the movie. Also, seeing two members of a black royal family dap each other up had me positively beaming.
M'Baku, the leader of the Jabari tribe, is pretty much the realest dude on the planet. I'd be up for an old-school action movie spin-off where he smacks bad guys around and drops one-liners at their expense. Also, barking at someone until they shut up is a great power move.
As for the fight scenes, the CGI-heavy bits in Korea were kind of hit-or-miss for me (this has often been the case with superhero movies), although the chase had some really great visual gags, especially when Okoye and Nakia's car falls apart. The fights in the challenge arena, though, were fantastic. Ryan Coogler's clearly got a knack for directing tense hand-to-hand combat scenes and, while the fights in Black Panther may not have been on the level of what we saw from Coogler and Jordan in Creed, they carry a similar sense of intimacy.
I really thought we'd hear more of the official soundtrack in the movie. I think there were two, maybe three tracks from it? Still, the score was strong, so it's not exactly a complaint, per se.
T'Challa was really out there getting his ass beat in both of those challenges.
Martin Freeman's American accent was kind of distracting.
I love that Coogler opened up the movie in Oakland. I wish that I hadn't just moved away from the Bay Area the week before I watched it.
I'd have to say that my favorite thing about the movie was that, unlike a lot of other Marvel films—though, DC's getting in on this too—Black Panther doesn't waste a lot of time trying to connect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The story is largely self-contained, and it works very well as a standalone movie. No time is wasted on cameos from 15 different comics dudes that we need to remember for when the next Avengers movie comes out. I mean, I don't really want to watch Hawkeye do anything ever, if I can help it, and aside from a post-credits scene, I was saved from having to watch any random ancillary characters get screen time. Not only did it keep the movie from feeling overcrowded, but it meant that we got to spend more time with Black Panther's richly talented cast. I'm not giving up Shuri time for Black Widow or Loki. Nah, man.
Wakanda Forever!
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