Black Panther - Film Review

**WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS WITHIN**

There’s no denying the cultural significance of a film like Black Panther in today’s blockbuster landscape. It’s the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature a predominantly black cast. Just this fact alone marks Black Panther as a singular entry in this franchise and a major achievement in its own right, and with the excellent writer/director Ryan Coogler at the helm, a strong ensemble led by the likes of Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o and Michael B. Jordan, stunning visuals and an expansive, believable world, it stands as one of Marvel Studios’ most unique offerings yet.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is it still succumbs to the standard Marvel movie weaknesses: all-too familiar story beats and an underdeveloped villain. Plot-wise, it feels like bits and pieces of movies we’ve seen before, a little James Bond here, a little Lion King there (no joke). But while the predictable plotting and simplistic character beats hold Black Panther back from true greatness, they can’t quell the overall entertainment value and delight of Coogler’s unique vision, a vision which adds further, much-appreciated variety to the MCU.

I won’t go into the plot too much since there’s still a week to go before the film is officially released, but I’ll offer a brief summary. In the aftermath of his father’s murder (recalled in a brief flashback), T’Challa a.k.a. Black Panther returns home to take his rightful place as Wakanda’s new king. But while T’Challa would prefer to keep his people and resources safe by cutting them off from the rest of the world, a force from outside Wakanda’s borders threatens their very existence and a dark secret from the royal family’s past could bring about their kingdom’s destruction.

Black Panther takes its time doling out information at the start, building its expansive world and setting the stage for events to come. It’s a bit slow and plodding with little action or excitement, but Coogler combats this by filling the frame with colorful visuals and endearing characters to keep us engaged. It’s one of the few films in the MCU that has a strong visual identity, its striking production design and effects work feel unlike anything we’ve seen in this universe before. Wakanda teems with life, beauty and culture; it’s a living, breathing world you totally buy into.

Things pick up when the story transitions into its fast-paced second act, and from that point on the awesomeness rarely lets up. The action sequences are exciting and engaging, with some amazing fight choreography. One sequence in particular, which features a fluidly moving camera ascending between two levels as it follows multiple fight scenes without a single, visible cut, is an astonishing achievement. This is followed by another of the film’s highlights, a breathtaking car chase through South Korea’s fluorescent cityscapes, featuring Black Panther’s superhuman acrobatics as he leaps and flips between cars and buildings like a total BAMF. As with most of these movies, Black Panther’s third act devolves into the standard CGI action climax we’ve come to expect, but Coogler has done such an excellent job getting us to that point and ensuring we’re invested in these characters it doesn’t hinder its effectiveness.

Rounding out Black Panther’s greatest assets is its phenomenal ensemble. As the titular hero Chadwick Boseman does an excellent job conveying the character’s nobility and conflict. Lupita Nyong’o plays the love of his life, dishing out sage wisdom and ass-kicking in equal measure, and few things are more enjoyable to watch than Danai Gurira of Walking Dead fame twirling a spear and wiping out the baddies. Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman also make a welcome return, reprising their roles from Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War respectively and giving us the Bilbo/Gollum reunion we’ve all been waiting for.

The ensemble’s standout, however, is newcomer Letitia Wright as T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri. She serves as the film’s ‘Q,’ developing new weapons and technology for her older brother. Many of the film’s highlights and biggest laughs involve their sibling squabbling and interactions.

This brings me to perhaps my biggest beef with Black Panther: its villain, Erik “Kill Monger” Stevens. As Erik, Michael B. Jordan gets a lot more to work with than the standard Marvel villain. His motivations are strong, personal and much more human than your average ‘take over the world’ schemes….even though that ends up being his ultimate goal. But you understand why he feels this way.

The problem is we don’t spend enough time with Erik to get a real feel for who he is. He’s not introduced as the film’s true antagonist until about halfway through the runtime and by that point we’ve spent so little time with him, it feels like an odd left turn, unmotivated by the events leading up to it. Jordan’s performance is good, but one-note. Erik is angry, brutal and aggressive without much room for nuance or subtlety. It’s easy to understand what he feels and why he feels that way, but it’s harder to empathize with his brutal methods. As portrayed, he comes across more as a scorned, angry teenager than someone with genuine grievances. It undercuts what would otherwise be one of the stronger villains in the land of Marvel and it’s a shame that Coolger and co-writer Joe Robert Cole couldn’t interweave Erik’s storyline more organically into the rest of the film.

Black Panther works in so many ways and feels so creative and full of great ideas that you can’t help but wish it felt a little more original in the storytelling department. It’s a reminder that it’s possible to recognize the cultural significance of a product while also acknowledging that it falls short in other areas. That being said, Black Panther is one of the stronger solo hero entries in the MCU, succeeding as an exciting action/adventure that carves out a new section for this expansive universe to play in. It contains moments that will take your breath away and more than make up for its weaker tendencies.

But perhaps Coogler’s greatest accomplishment here is that he was able to dive into the well-oiled machine that is Disney/Marvel and create something that feels like a sincere expression of his own heart, a product that feels epic, but also has something important to say. In that regard, Black Panther is more than just a movie - it’s a celebration of a culture that has for far too long been marginalized and under-represented in these kinds of movies. I can’t imagine how exciting it must be for a young black boy or girl to finally get to cheer on superheroes that look like them.

It’s about damn time.

And for those interested, here’s where Black Panther fits into my MCU rankings:

1. The Avengers 
2. Captain America: Winter Soldier 
3. Captain America: Civil War 
4. Iron Man 
5. Thor: Ragnarok 
6. Iron Man 3 
7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 
8. Black Panther 
9. Guardians of the Galaxy 
10. Spider-Man: Homecoming 
11. Captain America: The First Avenger 
12. Avengers: Age of Ultron 
13. Ant-Man 
14. Doctor Strange 
15. Iron Man 2
16. Thor: The Dark World 
17. Thor 
18. The Incredible Hulk

Captain America: Civil War - Film Review

Captain America: Civil War contains one of the single-best action sequences I’ve ever seen. I’m not just talking superhero movies; I’m talking all movies. You’ve seen snippets in the commercials - our two opposing heroes Captain America and Iron Man, backed by their faithful posses, stare each other down at a deserted airport before rushing at each other full speed. The superhero brawl that results is so much fun and so exciting, but also surprisingly hilarious in a way that enriches the entire set-piece.

And that’s what really makes the Marvel Studios repertoire so special. They understand that humor is the key to unlocking something more important: Humanity. Civil War, the third Captain America-centric entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), never forgets to honor the humanity of its characters even amidst the spectacular effects and action. And  although Civil War overflows with dozens of characters and subplots, it still manages to tell a coherent story and take its characters on a captivating, emotional journey. Not only is this the successful culmination of a number of character and story arcs that have been in play since the MCU began with 2008’s Iron Man, it expertly piques excitement for future entries in the series. For a film series this long-running to keep you pumped and riveted for more even after 13 entries is a mighty impressive feat.

After a covert Avengers mission goes awry, causing the deaths of innocent civilians, the United Nations issues an Accords, which will give them full control over when and where the Avengers are deployed. The team is split on the decision. On one side of the argument is Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America, who believes the Avengers shouldn’t have to wait to get their missions approved by a committee when innocent lives hang in the balance. And who’s to say the UN would be the best people to make the decisions in the first place when politics can become so easily corrupted? Rogers has witnessed this corruption first-hand and isn’t eager to surrender his rights over to an agenda he doesn’t agree with.

On the other side is Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. He feels personally responsible for the destruction caused by the Avengers’ actions over the years. The Summons, he feels, is a way to legitimize the team and hopefully gain back the general public’s trust.

In the midst of all this Summons nonsense, the Winter Soldier, a.k.a. Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. Cap’s WWII bestie, reappears at the center of a major terrorist attack. Rogers must make a decision to defend his longtime pal by operating outside the law, which will put him directly at odds with his Avenging brethren and Stark in particular.

Civil War puts our heroes in some tough moral predicaments and offers them no easy outs. Things get messy and it’s clear the rifts caused by the film’s events will have a lasting impact on the MCU. With its themes of accountability and broken friendships, the film explores darker territory than usual. But what’s really amazing is that it also manages to be one of the most entertaining entries in the entire series. It’s simultaneously the most serious and the most hilarious Marvel movie yet.

Chalk the film's successful blending of tones up to the return of the creative team behind 2014’s outstanding Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, with the aid of screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have done an outstanding job juggling a number of characters and themes while keeping the proceedings coherent. That they’re able to give all these heroes a moment to shine, strong motivations and even individual arcs without the entire film buckling under the weight is nothing short of extraordinary.

Where Civil War’s story comes up short is in its general lack of focus, an area in which The Winter Soldier excelled. Maybe this is to be expected with so many characters and so many plotlines to focus on, but the Captain America/Bucky storyline, which drives most of the narrative, tends to get lost in the mayhem. The film's 2nd act in particular seems to lose track of this storyline for quite some time.

But what Civil War lacks in overall cohesion, it more than makes up for with majestic spectacle and compelling character development. Performances are stronger than they’ve ever been. Chris Evans does an excellent job portraying Cap’s moral dilemma and struggle. Robert Downey Jr. is just as wonderful as he’s always been, but this time around his performance carries a depth and thoughtfulness we haven’t yet seen from the character.

I also loved the attention devoted to the supporting characters. Bucky and Sam, a.k.a. The Falcon, (Anthony Mackie) have a particularly great love/hate relationship. Some of the film’s biggest laughs come from their standoff-ish interactions. Vision and Scarlet Witch (Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen respectively) have some really great moments together, which showcase not only the growth of their relationship, but their individual characters as well. It’s a major improvement over their shoe-horned inclusion in Age of Ultron.

The entire show is very nearly stolen by Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, making his first appearance in a 'team-up' flick. He's laugh-out-loud funny in practically every scene. We also get the introduction of two new major players to the MCU, and while Marvel might be asking you to side with #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan, one thing’s for sure: by Civil War’s conclusion you will undoubtedly be #TeamSpidey and/or #TeamPanther.

With minimal screentime, we may have the best live-action Spider-Man ever in Tom Holland. He not only perfectly encapsulates the awkwardly endearing nature of Peter Parker, he nails the non-stop quip-happy exuberance of everyone's favorite wall-crawler. As a long-time Spidey fan, I couldn’t be happier and I can’t wait for him to get the opportunity to fully strut his stuff in next summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.

I know less about Black Panther’s comic book roots, but I’m already pumped for his solo movie, which is being directed by Fruitvale Station and Creed helmer Ryan Coogler. The character is such a badass and Chadwick Boseman does an outstanding job in the part.

I adored every minute of Captain America: Civil War. While I still favor Joss Whedon’s first Avengers film and The Winter Soldier, Civil War is easily the action film to beat this year. Marvel has raised the bar for big-budget entertainment once again, and while people may lament the supposed ‘death of cinema’ at the hands of the superhero genre, as long as Marvel keeps putting out films that are this thoughtful and this much fun, I am more than happy to stay on this bandwagon.

FINAL RATING: 4.5/5