Here's what you need to know; the sudden death of the King has thrust T'Challa into assuming his place as ruler of Wakanda, a vast city of wealth and technology hidden away in the Jungles of Africa. But while T'Challa adjusts to his new responsibilities, a challenger from his family's past returns from the shadows with ambitions of seizing the throne for himself, and a plan that will plunge the world into anarchy and darkness.
First of all, I must inform you; dear reader, that as a result of the politicisation of this film, I will be looking at this film through a more political lens than usual, though don't worry about this review being nothing but politics, I'll do my best to keep the majority of it politics free. The politicisation of this film has almost made me anxious to watch it, what with the usual ideologue journos and Twatters treating it like it's the second coming of Jesus Christ, the most important and impactful film to ever be released, and castigating all who dare be critical of it with the harshest terms. I went into this film with the same mindset that I went into Wonder Woman with last year, cautiously optimistic, but more than a little concerned that it would be, to put it bluntly, SJW garbage, but also like Wonder Woman, and much to my relief, it's not. Let's go.
Black Panther opens, in the only way I think it could have, with a prologue sequence providing a brief rundown on the history of Wakanda, I'm not sure if the film needed something like this, as all that is shown in this sequence is either established or implied later in the film, but I guess when you're establishing and entire country's history and culture for the first time, an easy explainer would prove useful. We then get a small scene with King T'Chaka that becomes relevant later in the film. Following a familiar template from the get go, Black Panther then gives us a little Black Pantherness, with him taking down goons in the jungle, a scene that was entertaining enough, but that I personally would have liked to have a bit less dumb action and more suspense, with Black Panther taking out the goons like he was the Predator or something. What's not actually that strange, considering my thoughts on films like Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, is that while this is a superhero film, and is supposed therefore to be action packed and fun, what really stood out to me in Black Panther was its story and characters, which is good since that one bad review that everyone went berserk over is right, this film hasn't got much action. What it has, first of all, is T'challa, who starts out as kind of boring in the film's rocky first act, this gradually changes over the course of the film however, as he becomes more disillusioned with Wakanda's isolationist attitude and with the actions of previous Kings, including T'Chaka. Those around him also suffer in the film's first act, with his girlfriend being similarly uncompelling, and his sister being downright annoying in some bits. There's one scene with her that was particularly cringe inducing, where she yells "What are those?" referring to T'challa's footwear, a meme reference that still wouldn't be funny even if it wasn't a couple of years out of date. She gets more tolerable as the stakes rise throughout the film though, and ends up rocking some badass blaster gauntlets in the film's finale. Then there's Michonne from The Walking Dead, who, like pretty much everyone in this film, starts out somewhat uncompelling, but later when the film throws a curveball, a new dynamic gets played with her character that I actually adored. Then there's Killmonger, who is a solid villain, and is so for some solid reasons. For starters; he has layers; like all villains he wants to do evil things, but like the best villains, there is a reason for his plan or his attitude. The film shows Killmonger as a bad guy, but it wisely alludes to what turned him into a bad guy, and even more wisely does it in a way that isn't obnoxiously preachy, which it easily could have been because of reasons I'll get to later.
Black Panther, like I said earlier, is defined as much by its characters and story as by its action, which is kind of funny, given how much Lion King I saw in this film. Maybe it's just me, but there are numerous points in this film where it just really reminded me of Disney's The Lion King, there's even a scene where T'Challa goes to some kind of spiritual underworld to see T'Chaka, and it is straight up Lion King, T'Challa has some kind of familial tie to the villain, and must defeat said villain and save his kingdom from destruction. Also like The Lion King, the villain's familial connection to T'Challa makes him a contender for the throne of the Pride La- I mean Wakanda. There isn't really a point to this point however, since The Lion King is easily one of the best films ever made, a film that's a little similar to it isn't really much of a bother. The Tragic story of this film really did it for me however; there are some powerful moments in this film, and there's actually a pretty even split of hero and villain with those powerful moments, culminating in KillMonger's last scene, which is just awesome, and I really wish I could explain why without spoiling, but again, no getting ahead of myself, and I might as well set the stage for later, this film isn't very progressive, but I'll explain later, my point here is that the message this film carries is way too nuanced to be a purely progressive, it's actually a solid message that is handled in a very subtle way, and I love it. My biggest issue with the film in terms of story was that the first act was a bit rocky; there's a lot of pieces that get put on the board at the start, and while it makes it a bit tough to get into at first, as the pieces start to come together, it becomes a very satisfying whole, one that makes me forgive many of its flaws. T'Challa and his friends are boring at first, one very natural feeling character ark later and that problem's solved, they're hunting a one armed arms dealer in Korea, and make very explicit mention of him needing to face justice; that plot point has consequences, and alters the course of the story in surprisingly meaningful ways. And in a complete 180 degree turn from the last Marvel film I reviewed, when this film had the opportunity to inflict some grossly unjust violence, it actually does it, though despite being in frame and happening in the nicely lit middle of the day, apparently Wakandans don't bleed when they get their throats cut, come on, Disney, at least have a bit of blood, or have it happen off screen so it doesn't look like a school play.
Black Panther isn't perfect however, I do have a few issues, and not just with the comedy and the rocky first act, but also with the visuals and the effects. A lot of this film is very visually impressive, Wakanda is an amazing looking city, with a very well realised mix of technology and culture, and fully CG shots of the city look amazing, but the CG is where the film starts to get real faults. There's a lot of green screen in this film, and probably not the best green screen Marvel could manage, rather it's just okay green screen, but it looks a bit off. And what's really strange is there are numerous fully CG shots of the Black Panther, and it doesn't look good, it looks like it was rendered in a video game engine. I love the 1999 Mummy, I can get past bad CG, but when it's 2018 and the film is taking itself seriously and wants you to be invested in its character and action, that's made a bit harder by said action just looking fake. Another problem I have with the film's presentation is the action, in some scenes it's okay, and in others, it's not so okay. For once my issue isn't cinematography, because the fight scenes themselves look alright, and are decently entertaining, at least when you can see what's going on. The film's obligatory big end battle is probably the best of the bunch, with the T'Challa loyalists engaging in all out war against Killmonger, and Martin Freeman's Ross tearing shit up in the skies above, it's dumb and it's fun. But here's the problem, and why I think the jungle fight should have been a suspenseful scene rather than action, when T'Challa in his black Black Panther suit is taking out goons in a dense jungle in the dark, can you deduce a problem. The suit being able to absorb and redistribute kinetic energy is a cool idea, but ultimately is most prominently used in the film to distinguish T'Challa and Killmonger from one another when they're both in black Black Panther suits and they're fighting one on one in a mine, where it's dark. I'll be honest, while the fight itself has a purpose, and I like the character battle that's going down between the two, the actual fight isn't all that enjoyable to watch, and there's a really dumb plot contrivance that's thrown in for god knows what reason. There is one thing I did like about the presentation however, besides the great visual design, and that's the soundtrack; in keeping with the film's weird blend of technology and culture, the soundtrack is very unique, and while I can't see myself listening to it like do with Hans Zimmer's scores, it really works with the film, and I dug it.
*it's all
Spoilers and
Politics for the rest of the review, you've been warned
Right, I can't hold off any longer, it is time. If you don't want to read my sperging about identity politics, feel free to skip to the end of the review, I'd also advise you not read this if you want to avoid spoilers, because I'm going into some spoilers, and am about to break down how this film is a complete slap in the face to everything that the progressive journos and Twatters praise it for embracing, this film is not Progressive. Over the past few months, it's become more and more clear that the word 'diversity' doesn't mean what it actually means; in progressive circles where they have a problem with white people and where that sort of attitude is not racist, diversity doesn't mean racial diversity, it means there's no white people, fundamentally, the progressive definition of the word is an anti-white sentiment, and by that progressive definition, Black Panther is certainly diverse, with the film's cast being effectively mono-racial. This however kind of makes sense given that it's a film set in Africa, where the majority of the population is black, but my issue is obviously that this film is being praised for its diversity, which, if you read between the lines, means they're praising the fact that it's majority black and there's barely any white people. This is where the hype comes in, because this film has been turned into a cultural event by the progressive media; a film that will literally change the world with its very existence, and the ultimate political and social statement of black power in a white supremacist world. If you think I sound insane, good, it means you still have common sense, because in reality this is a superhero film, it taking place in Africa certainly makes it unique, but strip back the politics that have been thrust upon it and you essentially have a live action Lion King where Simba has superpowers and Scar is his cousin instead of uncle. Naturally this means however that not liking this film while being white is a big no no, the cultural significance that this film doesn't have means that if you don't love it, you're a racist. It's weird; I'm getting flashbacks to Ghostbusters. But Just like Ghostbusters, and Wonder Woman for that matter, if you hate it, or even if you just think it's okay, you're not a bad person, turning films into litmus tests for racism and sexism is a backwards mentality that I can't stand, because like all progressive ideas, it strips away any meaning or nuance, taking away the film's merits, or lack thereof in the case of Ghostbusters, and makes race or gender a film's defining characteristic, when a film shouldn't be judged on those grounds, but instead on its merits or lack thereof. And judging white people based on their thoughts on films is equally stupid, though far more corrosive, as you strip away their individual thoughts on the film, and impose upon them a reason that they don't like it, an inherently uncharitable and malicious reason, one informed at least partially by your own prejudice, in short, it's racist.
But here's where it gets really juicy, and where I go full into spoilers, because while this would appear to be a social Justice Ideologue's wet dream, this film might end up pissing off SJW's instead. Here's the kicker; T'Challa, the first black superhero ever (ignoring all the ones that came before him) is a Nationalist. In the film, Wakanda is a country that likes to keep to itself, literally hiding away from the rest of the world and refusing to share any of its resources, wealth or technology, and the isolationist mentality doesn't stop there, they refuse to allow any non-natives through their borders, that's right, they guard their borders and don't want refugees, which they fear will change Wakanda's culture. Swap out T'Challa for Donald Trump and I'd bet a lot of the people currently screaming and creaming about this film would be slamming it for being Fascist propaganda. Of course though, this film isn't propaganda, its political ideas aren't simple and one sided, but instead impressively nuanced and balanced, as T'Challa is sympathetic to the suffering around the world, but also recognises the importance of his own heritage, this is in fact a central part of his character ark, which is where Killmonger comes in. Killmonger's plan in this film is essentially to start a race war, having grown up alone after someone with power killed his dad, in poverty and surrounded by gang violence, he's been left, unsurprisingly, quite unstable, and has a plan to end the suffering by... giving all the black people in the world Wakandan guns and sending them to war with "their oppressors," and you don't have to be a genius see what that means, that's literally his plan. In this supposedly progressive film, it is in fact the villain who seeks to achieve Social Justice, while the hero is a nationalistic monarch trying to stop the 'liberation' of 'the oppressed', oh that must sting something fierce for those poor Twatters. What's great, in addition to this film giving modern identity politics the middle finger, is how Killmonger's plan influences the hero's ark. Again Black Panther goes for nuance here, like a wound that's left untreated will start to fester, Wakanda not addressing suffering that it has the power to address will leave those people suffering susceptible to being radicalised and adopting extreme views as their own solution to the problem. This is the basis of T'Challa's ark, as he acknowledges that Killmonger is a monster of his father's making, which not only makes for some solid drama, but also puts way more thought into these political ideas than I reckon the Progressive journos and Twatters are prepared for, I fucking love it.
*No more
Spoilers and
Politics now, you're in the clear
I really like Black Panther, but like all films that I really like but not quite love, there are problems; the film's visual effects, in my opinion, could have been better, and aren't at the standard that Marvel has already set for themselves in previous films, and not all of the action is very enjoyable to watch, simply for the stupid reason that it's not very easy to see what's going on. But the film's visual and sound design is pretty much perfect, I like the music, and I found the world of Wakanda engaging and gorgeous. But easily Black Panther's greatest strength is its characters and story, T'Challa's story is natural and engaging, and while his sister annoyed me a few times, I found myself warming to most of the film's supporting cast. But the film really becomes great when Killmonger shows up; his past is tragic and sympathetic, his plan is sinister and evil, and the drama with him and T'Challa is gripping. But something I really adore is this film's approach to it's social and political ideas, which it handles in a beautifully subtle and mature manner, and its rejection of Social Justice is a far more powerful message than what the Progressive left want this film to stand for. Black Panther is a film I'd gladly watch again, and it's definitely worth watching.
Black Panther opens, in the only way I think it could have, with a prologue sequence providing a brief rundown on the history of Wakanda, I'm not sure if the film needed something like this, as all that is shown in this sequence is either established or implied later in the film, but I guess when you're establishing and entire country's history and culture for the first time, an easy explainer would prove useful. We then get a small scene with King T'Chaka that becomes relevant later in the film. Following a familiar template from the get go, Black Panther then gives us a little Black Pantherness, with him taking down goons in the jungle, a scene that was entertaining enough, but that I personally would have liked to have a bit less dumb action and more suspense, with Black Panther taking out the goons like he was the Predator or something. What's not actually that strange, considering my thoughts on films like Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, is that while this is a superhero film, and is supposed therefore to be action packed and fun, what really stood out to me in Black Panther was its story and characters, which is good since that one bad review that everyone went berserk over is right, this film hasn't got much action. What it has, first of all, is T'challa, who starts out as kind of boring in the film's rocky first act, this gradually changes over the course of the film however, as he becomes more disillusioned with Wakanda's isolationist attitude and with the actions of previous Kings, including T'Chaka. Those around him also suffer in the film's first act, with his girlfriend being similarly uncompelling, and his sister being downright annoying in some bits. There's one scene with her that was particularly cringe inducing, where she yells "What are those?" referring to T'challa's footwear, a meme reference that still wouldn't be funny even if it wasn't a couple of years out of date. She gets more tolerable as the stakes rise throughout the film though, and ends up rocking some badass blaster gauntlets in the film's finale. Then there's Michonne from The Walking Dead, who, like pretty much everyone in this film, starts out somewhat uncompelling, but later when the film throws a curveball, a new dynamic gets played with her character that I actually adored. Then there's Killmonger, who is a solid villain, and is so for some solid reasons. For starters; he has layers; like all villains he wants to do evil things, but like the best villains, there is a reason for his plan or his attitude. The film shows Killmonger as a bad guy, but it wisely alludes to what turned him into a bad guy, and even more wisely does it in a way that isn't obnoxiously preachy, which it easily could have been because of reasons I'll get to later.
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