Black PantherA blessing withheld from those in need becomes a burden. Black Panther is a superhero movie about T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the recently crowned king of the African nation of Wakanda, who dons the mantle of the eponymous "Black Panther" to honor his nation's traditions and to defend his borders from external threats. Wakanda wears the face of a third-world nation, but is secretly the most technologically advanced place on the planet, courtesy of their monopoly on a rare, extraterrestrial metal known as "vibranium". When T'Challa's throne is threatened by a usurper known as Erik "Killmonger" Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), T'Challa is forced to consider his forefathers' responsibility for letting these crises escalate through their policy of non-intervention.
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The ideological conflict at the heart of Black Panther is whether those with the means are obligated to aid their brethren, and to what end. An opening montage expounds on the myth of Wakanda and their history through colorful computer-generated special effects, before transitioning to Oakland, California in 1992--a time and place infamous for violence and racial tension. T'Challa's father (and then king), T'Chaka (Atandwa), is bound to deliver justice to his brother, N'Jobu (Sterling K. Brown), for appropriating a stockpile of vibranium and aiding the ruthless terrorist and black market arms dealer, Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis). N'Jobu claims that he was compelled to do this after witnessing widespread injustice while serving Wakanda as a spy and "War Dog", and accuses his brother of failing to stand up to these crimes against humanity. T'Challa is haunted by this same paradox after ascending to the throne--a shift in perception following the death of his father and the events of Captain America: Civil War. The delicate balance between a leader upholding his principles versus honoring the will of the people is a central theme in Black Panther. Consider the ritual combat before his coronation, when M'Baku (Winston Duke) challenges T'challa to a brutal duel for the right to rule--officiated by Zuri (Forest Whitaker), a Wakandan elder and friend of T'Challa's father. The prince is deprived of his superhuman strength, which originates from a mystical plant known as the "heart-shaped herb", and must face his detractor on equal footing. M'Baku is the chief of the mountainous Jabari tribe, who eschews Wakanda's fondness for sophisticated technology; he claims that the other tribes' reliance on it has made them lose touch with their roots. The combat is a metaphor for diplomacy, and the bruises T'Challa endures comes from the weight of his opponents' arguments. T'Challa is forced to consider what kind of a nation he intends to lead, and choose his actions carefully so as to not endanger his people. Despite his protests to his erstwhile lover, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), about revealing Wakanda's true nature to the outside world, his experiences in Captain America: Civil War have convinced him that he must be proactive in his nation's defense, and sees the advantages of working with other like-minded heroes to improve the quality of life for those less fortunate. (If T'Challa comes across as a bit of a "Mary Sue", it is worth mentioning that he has come to terms with the rage that exacerbated the crisis in Captain America: Civil War, accepting that his duties to the throne are greater than his grief for the loss of his father.)
Black Panther boasts some of the most imaginative and striking visuals in the already vivid Marvel Cinematic Universe; this includes titanic machines and kaleidoscopic lighting effects, but the magic comes from how Wakanda is integrated into the natural splendor of Africa. The nation's technological advances--attributed to their mastery over literal space-age material--include concealing the entire country with undetectable cloaking technology, but it's what's under the reflective umbrella that reveals the soul of Wakanda. From the architecture to the fashion, the aesthetics are a speculation about how a nation with its resources and in its geographical location might have advanced over the centuries. Consider how this translates to the film's plentiful action sequences; characters like T'Challa's general and bodyguard, Okoye (Danai Gurira), fight with sonic spears, and her lover and chief of the Border Tribe, W'Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), utilizes armored rhinoceroses in battle. T'Challa's younger sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), is a genius engineer who is singularly responsible for everything from the vibranium monorails--and the sonic dampeners to control them--and T'Challa's ultra-sophisticated bodysuit, enhanced to absorb and discharge kinetic energy in a powerful shockwave. All of these splendors make Wakanda look like a world two hundred years into the future; it is the kind of place a man like Erik Stevens--whose Wakandan name is N'Jadaka--dreamed of as a boy. Erik's past has turned him into an embittered and cold-blooded killer. He claims that he has devoted his existence to arming "his people" across the world to rise up and lay siege against their "oppressors". Killmonger's reputation was forged during his participation in global conflicts, destabilizing nations through black ops assassinations and subversion--as detailed by Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman), a CIA liaison who forms a tenuous partnership with T'Challa while attempting to apprehend Klaue. Killmonger lives up to his nickname, evidenced by his vainglorious self-inflicted body scarring--he boasts that each mark is a life he has taken. Erik grandstands like a conceited punk, and is condescending and sardonic, despite his history as a highly disciplined soldier. He is a self-described liberator--yet after his coup d'état, he struts around like a prideful peacock. After ingesting the heart-shaped herb himself, he orders the remaining plants to be burned--an unlikely move for someone seeking to empower the downtrodden, yet an unsurprising one for a despotic tyrant. What makes Killmonger dangerous--more than his martial prowess--is his unshakable sense of entitlement, fueled by uncontrollable hatred. He has a claim to the throne--a detail T'Challa unwisely (and unconvincingly) tries to conceal at the moment of truth in front of his royal court, including his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett). But Erik/N'Jadaka's interest in the Wakandan throne has nothing to do with tradition, and everything to do with his anger at the injustices he perceives in the world, amplified by his own personal tragedies. Killmonger is the shadow of who T'Challa was before the events of Black Panther; and like Shakespeare's "Henry V", he must overcome this vestigial aspect of his former self to become a leader and symbol of what Wakanda will stand for in a brave new world.
Recommended for: Fans of a superhero movie about a leader who must accept his responsibilities and consider how to share the blessings of the nation he represents with those in need and not just those entitled to it. Similar to other films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther is best enjoyed by those who have already been acclimated to the ten-year long series of heroic action films, yet remains accessible enough for neophyte viewers.
Black Panther boasts some of the most imaginative and striking visuals in the already vivid Marvel Cinematic Universe; this includes titanic machines and kaleidoscopic lighting effects, but the magic comes from how Wakanda is integrated into the natural splendor of Africa. The nation's technological advances--attributed to their mastery over literal space-age material--include concealing the entire country with undetectable cloaking technology, but it's what's under the reflective umbrella that reveals the soul of Wakanda. From the architecture to the fashion, the aesthetics are a speculation about how a nation with its resources and in its geographical location might have advanced over the centuries. Consider how this translates to the film's plentiful action sequences; characters like T'Challa's general and bodyguard, Okoye (Danai Gurira), fight with sonic spears, and her lover and chief of the Border Tribe, W'Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), utilizes armored rhinoceroses in battle. T'Challa's younger sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), is a genius engineer who is singularly responsible for everything from the vibranium monorails--and the sonic dampeners to control them--and T'Challa's ultra-sophisticated bodysuit, enhanced to absorb and discharge kinetic energy in a powerful shockwave. All of these splendors make Wakanda look like a world two hundred years into the future; it is the kind of place a man like Erik Stevens--whose Wakandan name is N'Jadaka--dreamed of as a boy. Erik's past has turned him into an embittered and cold-blooded killer. He claims that he has devoted his existence to arming "his people" across the world to rise up and lay siege against their "oppressors". Killmonger's reputation was forged during his participation in global conflicts, destabilizing nations through black ops assassinations and subversion--as detailed by Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman), a CIA liaison who forms a tenuous partnership with T'Challa while attempting to apprehend Klaue. Killmonger lives up to his nickname, evidenced by his vainglorious self-inflicted body scarring--he boasts that each mark is a life he has taken. Erik grandstands like a conceited punk, and is condescending and sardonic, despite his history as a highly disciplined soldier. He is a self-described liberator--yet after his coup d'état, he struts around like a prideful peacock. After ingesting the heart-shaped herb himself, he orders the remaining plants to be burned--an unlikely move for someone seeking to empower the downtrodden, yet an unsurprising one for a despotic tyrant. What makes Killmonger dangerous--more than his martial prowess--is his unshakable sense of entitlement, fueled by uncontrollable hatred. He has a claim to the throne--a detail T'Challa unwisely (and unconvincingly) tries to conceal at the moment of truth in front of his royal court, including his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett). But Erik/N'Jadaka's interest in the Wakandan throne has nothing to do with tradition, and everything to do with his anger at the injustices he perceives in the world, amplified by his own personal tragedies. Killmonger is the shadow of who T'Challa was before the events of Black Panther; and like Shakespeare's "Henry V", he must overcome this vestigial aspect of his former self to become a leader and symbol of what Wakanda will stand for in a brave new world.
Recommended for: Fans of a superhero movie about a leader who must accept his responsibilities and consider how to share the blessings of the nation he represents with those in need and not just those entitled to it. Similar to other films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther is best enjoyed by those who have already been acclimated to the ten-year long series of heroic action films, yet remains accessible enough for neophyte viewers.