One thing about the late watching more exciting movies, I was already surrounded by various kinds of hype . Not to mention, anxiety that hopes that the readers will not demo me because the reviews come too late. Uh, btw are you waiting for me? I'm even a ge'er first.
The biggest hype about Black Panther is that the film goes beyond its genre and is the most political Marvel movie to date. I just agreed to the last statement. This movie does not go beyond but it is different than most superhero movies. Black Panther proves that a superhero movie can become politically inconsistent to impose an agenda. It uses a sensitive premise such as isolation and revolution as a plot driver. But the film remains in the comic book movie spectrum. More specifically, Black Panther is still classified into a typical Marvel movie.
We like watching a familiar Marvel movie, where the story points are predictable and the majority of the action depends on special effects that do not take weight and space, but only serve as special effects. When the movie is in this mode, I miss the more superior Marvel films. What distinguishes Black Panther from the generic Marvel film is the touch of the fine details and effort to give his character a humane motivation.
Black Panther reinforces the argument that a distinctive filmmaker will produce a unique film as well. As a solo movie for the first black Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) blacksmith, the film features a crew mostly black, both in front and behind the scenes. The author is Ryan Coogler who previously worked on Fruitvale Station and Creed . The film has cultural significance and social relevance. It captures the right moment, as racial equality becomes an increasingly important issue today.
The setting , fortunately, is no longer in America-based on films, I conclude as the Superhero Homeland-but in Wakanda. This fictitious country in Africa is not much different from its fantasy level with its Asgard Thor . It contains magnificent skyscrapers and sophisticated infrastructure built with CGI. However, this country takes its place in the real world, as it is in fact with England and Korea. Once upon a time, it was told that a meteor containing vibranium was stranded there. This alien technology provides complete progress. Behind the camouflage as a poor country, Wakanda is the most superior country in the world.
Black Panther's story takes time after Captain America: Civil War . Prince Wakanda, T'Challa ( Chadwick Boseman ) took over the royal throne after his death. King Wakanda not only had the obligation to lead the 5 main tribes there, but also assumed the responsibility of being the protector nicknamed "Black Panther". As a king, T'Challa had to keep Wakanda's secrets from the outer world threatened by the presence of a bandit named Ulysses Klaue ( Andy Serkis who was very cheerfully without the motion-capture bandage) who had just stolen some vibranium.
However, the real conflict was brought in by a Klaue boss named Killmonger ( Michael B. Jordan ), a former special soldier who had an old grudge on Wakanda. He is evil, but also has a logical motif. This movie is not a standard story of good and evil. Killmonger intends to use Wakanda technology to save oppressed blacks in different parts of the world.
This creates a fairly complex moral dilemma, because our main character is positioned to be in an awkward position, distracted over whether his decision is the best for Wakanda and the world. The presence of Killmonger is one aspect that makes the Black Panther unlike most superhero movies. The conflict is close to the present reality; the enemy is not involved in conspiracy or incorporated in the evil organization.
The character that surrounds our main character is also interesting and crucial to the story. Forest Whitaker is Zuri, Uncle and T'Challa's mentor. Daniel Kaluuya became W'Kabi, one of the tribal leaders with a slightly radical perspective. Female characters get bigger spotlight. Angela Bassett is T'Challa's mother, Danai Gurira as the tough general of Okoye, and Lupita Nyong'o becomes Nakia, intel who happens to be T'Challa's ex-boyfriend. Finally, there is Shuri ( Letitia Wright ), T'Challa's brother who acts like his James Bond Q as the creator of various cutting-edge gadgets, including the Black Panther costume. They are all manifested so well, that our main character is marginalized and becomes less prominent.
The universe in which they live also try to be turned on maximally. The scenery and nuances are unique. Coogler presents visual aesthetics with rich ethnic touches, from costumes, sets, to percussive background music from Ludwig Goransson . This film also has a rather interesting action sequences. There are action scenes in casinos that are taken by, or at least look like, one-take . But the rest, the action is immersed in excessive CGI and hyperactive cuts .
All of its aspects are not exactly incompetent. But for me, the end result is less nonjok. Appearance, direction, and technical quality unite into a film that is not so striking. The mixing was awkward ; ethnicity with technology, serious pathos with deadpan jokes. The movie did not go as far as he wanted to go. The climax, while providing emotional resonance, has little urgency.
Black Panther is an honorable endeavor of Marvel. When else do we get superhero movies with social issues and a strong cultural background? The film did not even bother to expand the MCU by not bringing a cameo that might be a distraction. I hope this film becomes a catalyst for big studios to hire more distinguished filmmakers to work on their blockbusters.