Black Panther has an energy to it that is missing from other Marvel movies.
This is the eighteenth movie in the Marvel Comics Universe, and it is one of the better ones. And that is saying something.
Black Panther is actually a spirit, that is passed from one King of Wakanda to the next King. Chadwick Boseman plays Black Panther, and he fully envelops this role. When he plays King T’Challa he carries the role with skill.
The land of Wakanda is not just a setting, but a prominent character as well. As New York is the setting for other Marvel movies, it’s just window dressing. Wakanda is place you want to visit and learn more about.
The movie wastes no time in introducing Wakonda and Vibranium. Vibranium is the world’s strongest material, of course it is this is a comic book movie, and it first traveled to the earth thousands of years ago, when it was first discovered five tribes formed around it for its protection. Using the resulting technology from Vibrainium, they hid their technologically advanced kingdom from the world. To the rest of the world Wakonda is a destitute third-world country, with nothing to offer and not accepting help from the rest of the world. They were a backwards county to the rest of the world.
This is the country of Black Panther.
Royal linage still reigns in Wakanda. We are introduced to Prince T’Challa as he is being prepared for the ceremony that will make him as king. The ceremony involves ritual battle where the powers of the Black Panther are removed, showing that even in human form T’Challa should still be the rightful king. The winner of the fight is declared after a person yields or is killed.
After some respect “We will not challenge” statements from the other tribes, we get a fight challenge from the fifth tribe that has hidden in the mountain. T’Challa is required to take the challenge since that tribe has been in the mountains for all these generations, but T’Challa takes the challenge. He of course wins the fight when the challenger taps out of the fight. T’Challa is crowned King.
Bondian Elements
There are elements that are taken straight from the Bond films. T’Challa’s little sister Shuri leads the Q Branch for Wakonda, she runs the technology department for the country. There is a silly scene where T’Challa is shown the new Black Panther outfit, she shares the upgraded outfit, and instructs T’Challa to kick the outfit. He kicks it so hard the mannequin flies across the office. They argue as brother and sister should.
Later, when T’Challa, Nakia, and Okoye travel to South Korea to extract the villian Klaue, the setting seemed taken straight out of Skyfall scene where Bond enters the bar and finds the femme fatale.
The Villains
There are two villains, Andy Serkis for once is not motioned captured and does a wonderful job as South African arms dealer Klaue. Klaue knows a lot about Wonkanda and its technology, he has an arm canon from Wakanda technology. Klaue is connected with Erik Stevens, they steal a Wakanda artifact from a English museum. Erik ends of being N’Jakada the long lost son of N’Jobu, the brother of the late King T’Chaka. N’Jakada believes that Wakanda should be led differently. Wakanda should be helping those that are oppressed in the world, as opposed to hiding. N’Jakada challenges T’Challa to throne and wins in a ritual fight.
Michael B. Jordan, who did great in Creed, does not reach the emotional depths needed for being a villain. N’Jakada is angry that African-Americans have been treated so poorly by the Colonizers that he wants to turn the tables on them. Which is a good reason to be angry, and a reason to seek revenge. But I never really felt the anger, Jordan just seemed to repeat the words, but it never fully felt the N’Jakada really believed the words he was speaking. Whenever Jordan and Boseman are on the screen together Boseman is infinitely more compelling than Jordan ever is. And that’s a shame.
In spite of a less than top notch villain the movie is full of energy. It is a beautiful film to look at. There are details to drink in. The costumes are detailed and dazzling.
Final Thoughts
Black Panther is a strong entry in the MCU series. It is beautiful to look at, Chadwisk Boseman is excellent as Black Panther, the costumes are amazing. If you enjoy superhero movies see this in the theater on the big screen.
