Its finally here and it couldnt have come at a better time. Black Panther is an epic that doesnt walk, talk or kick ass like any other Marvel movie an exhilarating triumph on every level from writing, directing, acting, production design, costumes, music, special effects to you name it. For children (and adults) of color who have longed forever to see a superhero who looks like them, Marvels first black-superhero film is an answered prayer, a landmark adventure and a new film classic.
But wait a minute: Hasnt Black Panther been around since the 1960s, when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created him for the comics? So why did it take half a century for Marvel to get him up on screen? Chadwick Boseman already played this superhero in 2016s Captain America: Civil War,a supporting role in a Marvel Comic Universe best categorized as #AvengersSoWhite. Thats all in the past. Theres no sidekick or second-banana status here. The spotlight is all his and his stand-alone, solo outing is history in the making.
Thrillingly and thoughtfully directed and written (with Joe Robert Cole) by Ryan Coogler, the film lights up the screen with a full-throttle blast of action and fun. Thats to be expected. But what sneaks up and floors you is the films racial conscience and profound, astonishing beauty. Not just a correction for years of diversity neglect, its a big0budget blockbuster that digs into the roots of blackness itself. Coogler, 31, has proved his skills behind the camera with Fruitvale Station and Creed, but in Black Panther he journeys into the heart of Africa to bring a new world to the screen. The result feels revolutionary.
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Boseman is just tremendous in the role of TChalla, the king of Wakanda a fictional African country where he presents one image as a ruler and another as a crimefighting superhero disguised as a panther. His costume is threaded with vibranium, a mineral with magical properties and a national resource that TChalla keeps hidden, along with his cloistered countrys other huge scientific discoveries. The mans intellect is his own, but his superpowers derive from a heart-shaped herb found only in his native land. Boseman, a stunningly versatile actor who played Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall, digs so deep into TChalla that you can feel his nerve endings.
Perhaps Cooglers most inspiring decision is to treat Wakanda as a character itself, a place that resonates with its own social structure and rules of government, including choosing its king through physical challenge. Shot by Rachel Morrison (Mudbound), the first woman to be Oscar-nominated for cinematography in the Academys shameful 90-year history, Black Panther is alive with visual miracles. And Coogler has populated it with superb actors who play it like they mean it.
Besides the brilliant Boseman, you can bring out the superlatives for Michael B. Jordan, blazingly good as Erik Killmonger, the movies villain and a figure from TChallas past. Yet the young actor plays this warrior (he scars his body with notches to represent his kills) with such tormented morality and emotional intensity that Eriks humanity is never in doubt. Daniel Kaluuya, an Oscar nominee for Get Out, is also aces as WKabi, TChallas friend and head of security. And screen giant Forest Whitaker brings soulful dignity to Zuri, the Kings spiritual mentor.
If youre thinking youre in for another macho power trip, forget it. The women are more than a match for the men in this game, from the iconic Angela Bassett as Ramonda, TChallas widowed mother, to the ready-to-rumble Lupita Nyongo as Nakia, TChallas ex love and a spy for Wakanda in the outside world. And wait until you see the dynamite Danai Gurira Michonne on The Walking Dead fire on all cylinders as Okoye, head of Wakandas all-female Special Forces known as the Dora Milaje. Her head shaved, her eyes beaming likes lasers and her weapons at the ready, she is the living definition of fierce.
And theres no beating the smarts and sass of the wonderous Letitia Wright, who brings scene-stealing to the level of grand larceny as Princess Shuri, TChallas kid sister. Did you freeze again? Shuri asks her big brother, teasing his surprisingly slow reflexes in the heat of battle once he catches sight of true love. A scientist and tech-tinkerer, shes always the brainiest person in the room, giving Q from the James Bond series a run for his money by inventing the coolest gadgets. Wright is a star in the making, who makes damn sure that Shuri will be a role model to young girls for years to come.
What happens when the going gets bloody? The suits at Marvel and Disney have cautioned critics about spoilers to allow audiences to discover any surprises and plot twists for themselves. Fair enough so well shut up about the role the terrific Sterling K. Brown plays in the opening flashback. But its fair to mention Ludwig Goranssons rousing score with hip-hop song contributions from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Sam Dew, Vince Staples and Childish Gambino. And Ruth E. Carters costumes, alive with rich color and texture, are already on the march to screen legend. Coogler also rewrites the book on stunts, especially when TChalla fights Killmonger over a waterfall or Andy Serkiss South African arms dealer Ulysses Klaue battles our heroes in a South Korean casino. (Check out how the car-chase set piece that follows that melee bends the usual clichs into unexpectedly hilarious chaos.) Even CIA agent Everett K. Ross, played by a most excellent Martin Freeman, springs surprises to stop the use of vibranium in stand-off that could lead to global annihilation.
The end-of-days scenario isnt new in the MCU, but what the movies director does with it most definitely is. Black Panther is a fantasy film rooted in the here and now. Unlike other Marvel superheroes, TChalla is a king, a real-life royal with a burden of responsibility. Does he keep Wakanda safe by hiding its technological advances or share them with volatile intruders, who are eager to weaponize resources meant to strengthen and heal? In Get Out, Jordan Peele satirized white appropriation of black culture. Here, Coogler makes black identity invincible, but avoids simplification by turning Wakanda into a society of different tribes, each with its own customs, goals and political agendas that reflect a conflicted world very much like our own.
There arent many superhero films that blow you away with thunderous effects and also tackle ethnic and gender issues, crush racial stereotypes, celebrate women and condemn Trump-era notions of exclusionism. Its easier and way more commercial to be oblivious. But thats not Cooglers style. Written and directed by African Americans who make up most of the cast, the film has taken flak from critics who believe that Marvel is hijacking African traditions to sell tickets, bemoaning the fact that the film was mostly shot in Atlanta instead of Africa. But the accusations ring hollow and ignore the mint-fresh inventiveness and passionate commitment to the black experience thats instilled in every frame. Its impossible not to cheer Boseman as TChalla emerges as Marvels once and future king. Say this about Black Panther, which raises movie escapism very near the level of art: Youve never seen anything like it in your life. Wakanda forever!
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