Black Panther

Complacency is something that studios fear and Marvel is one studio that mixes it up every once in a while by simply honoring their source material. Their first film, "Iron Man", effectively kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a level of verisimilitude not seen before in a film based off a Marvel comic book. "Thor" introduced a mythological angle to the media franchise and "The Avengers" proved unequivocally that this shared film universe was working, despite the differentiating origins of the heroes. "Guardians of the Galaxy" expanded the universe even further while also introducing an edge and hipness. Then came "Doctor Strange", bringing with him a fanciful and mystical side to the MCU. All films in this franchise have originality because of they respect the comics that they are based on and because new filmmakers are always coming in to be a part of the MCU. In addition, all the films have consistency that allow for crossovers and have at least a decent balance between action, comedy and drama. With "Black Panther", nothing has changed because nothing is staying the same. What I mean by that is because of the setting of this film and the work of director Ryan Coogler, this next MCU film has originality just like all of its predecessors. "Black Panther" is equal to many of the previous films in terms of entertainment value but that is a fact is being misused and misunderstood. The show has a great story with great characters and pushes technology in filmmaking onward. Those characteristics as well as other factors are making "Black Panther" such a success, more so than the ethnicity of the characters because that is an indirect factor in the success of the film.

One of the big things that brought originality to this film was that our hero doesn't just have super human abilities but he also has political power. This allowed for some serious drama as T'Challa is torn between protecting his people and helping the world. He must also deal with the consequences of a tough decision his father made in the past that develops into a national crisis. Marvel hasn't been perfect with its villains but Killmonger had a back story that was sincerely crafted and delivered. He was very two-dimensional. "Black Panther" as a film did not make mistakes that other comic book films outside the MCU have made in the past. There wasn't an excess of foreshadowing, unnecessary characters were not forced into the story, there was a balanced narrative with rising action and the casting was just right. Also, the story thankfully did not take a backseat to the visuals like in "Avatar". That's not to say that the special effects and design elements were average. The design of the show was very noteworthy with a combination of the old and the new. Multiple African countries were also looked to for inspiration in the creation of Wakanda. As for the special effects, anytime you saw the vibranium mine in IMAX 3D, it was a huge spectacle. I haven't been this impressed by the special effects and 3D in a MCU film since "Doctor Strange". Other awesome moments had to do with the Wakandan technology. The use of high tech "sand" as opposed to liquid as we've seen before was both appropriate and original. My favourite scene in the movie is the car chase in South Korea where Shuri remotely drives a car with this sand tech. Speaking of her, she was my favourite character because of her personality and intelligence. She acting like the classic younger sister and not like your typical royal family member. The filmmakers took inspiration from more than just the comic because you could make comparisons between this film and "The Godfather" as well as a James Bond film (which would make Shuri the Q of "Black Panther"). There were some alterations in adapting the comic book elements to live action. Ross may not be the same kind of character as in the comics for example but the change works. Besides, this change was already introduced in "Captain America: Civil War". Another change was Man-Ape. Some could say that the Jabari Tribe acts as a Deus ex machina but I disagree. They were depicted at two points prior in the film and we had already seen T'Challa in trailers for "Infinity War" prior to seeing "Black Panther". The filmmakers still kept us in suspense regardless so that is some good storytelling. I was almost certain that "Thor: Ragnarok" would see the debut of the sixth and final Infinity Stone. When that didn't happen, I was even more certain that "Black Panther" would reveal it. I was not disappointment that the final stone remained a mystery but rather I am glad that the MCU is one step ahead of me and I would rather have it that way.

The casting of this show includes Oscar-winners and people who already have chemistry between them. After the success of "Creed", director Ryan Coogler got even more attention from Marvel, who were already considering him to helm "Black Panther". "Civil War" was the first time I saw Chadwick Boseman portray a fictional character and he not only reprised it perfectly but also converted it into the main protagonist. Michael B. Jordan looked to Magneto for inspiration and this allowed T'Challa to come across as a kind of Xavier for the people of Wakanda. Oscar winners Lupita Nyong'o and Forest Whitaker did their jobs well and I also loved Letitia Wright's acting as mentioned. From the first trailer for this movie, "Hobbit" fans were excited to watch the reunion between Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. Their scenes ended up being a lot of fun because Freeman was still the straight man and Serkis the eccentric. During the "good cop" scene, Serkis laughs a lot like Gollum. The Stan Lee cameo was once again golden and as a final acting note, Denzel Whitaker looks very much like a young Zuri despite having no relation to Forest. The Oscar-winning musical score by Swedish composer Ludwig Goransson was very good (he composed "Creed" as well).

I wish now to explain what I meant earlier by the ethnicity of the filmmakers being an indirect reason for the film's success. Because most of the cast and the film's director are African American, "Black Panther" has originality from other Marvel films. As explained, the originality of the film stems from multiple elements and the African American filmmakers are just one element among many. I was hoping that the originality was the basis for why critics liked it so much but that is becoming less and less likely. One thing that bothered me was that the public had yet to see the movie and they were already praising it based only on what the critics were saying. I was under the impression that the public doesn't value the opinion of critics anymore. This brings me to an issue that worries me more. A lot of activists have taken this film's success and used it as unquestionable evidence for what they have been trying to achieve. I would say that it is evidence but not unquestionable evidence. Many of these activists seem to be paying no attention to the film's story because it contains messages that they might not completely align with their fighting stance. "Black Panther" teaches a lesson that "Zootopia" also taught a few years earlier: anyone can be an ally, a villain, a colonizer or a victim. It doesn't matter what race you are. The reason why that message isn't being highlighted is because doesn't fit very well with the stance of some activists. We never should adapt the mentality that everyone else is or can be an enemy without including ourselves. We have just as much chance of becoming the oppressor or aggressor if we don't watch our thoughts, words or actions.

I still believe Marvel was not really trying to score any political points with "Black Panther" as they started production. For the record, I am not in favour of Hollywood making a lot of politically charged films lately. Awards shows for example these days have been less about honouring art and entertainment and more about politics and hypocrisy. When I go to the movies, I want to escape the world and not be reminded of it. Subtle messages are okay and "Black Panther" was subtle enough the first time I saw it. It is the public and press that touted this film as historic and that negatively affected my second viewing. Now that I can view the movie in the confines of my home, it is a lot easier to enjoy. Besides, if Marvel was actually trying to score political points, why do it so late in the MCU? Black Panther was an early character in the animated TV show "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" after all. It seems Marvel Studios wanted to do the film right and they are also trying to tell a story over multiple films. They didn't rush into their Avengers movie and it reaped success. The same can be said for "Black Panther". I also feel it is unfair for some moviegoers to hold T'Challa on such a high pedestal without including Rhodey, Sam Wilson and Nick Fury. It is true that Black Panther was the first of them to get his own movie but he himself was first introduced as a supporting character in "Civil War". That was done as service to the story and to lead up to his own feature film. Activists love to point out how the cast is predominantly black but the setting of the film dictates that. Furthermore, why didn't Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" get just as much attention for its predominant African American cast list? We have also seen many other films previous to "Black Panther" with a mostly black cast. How about the Best Picture winner in 2014? All this supports my hunch that Marvel Studio's focus was mostly on storytelling. Political themes do not necessarily equate to box office success. "Wonder Woman" was said to be long overdue itself and some believe it made the money that it did because of the fact it stared a strong, female heroine. In fact, it made the same amount of money as "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2" and that film was released only a few weeks before "Wonder Woman". To conclude my point, Marvel was probably not trying to send any kind of political message or break any barriers from the onset of making this film. Disney/Marvel of course didn't mind this misplaced praise however because it just meant more attention, more money and more hype, even for upcoming films like "Infinity War". That movie grossed a billion dollars in just eleven days and became the highest grossing film of 2018 worldwide but those facts received much less press than "Black Panther" earning a billion dollars over the course of a whole month. The press also like to publish the domestic earnings where "Black Panther" grossed just over $20 million more than "Infinity War". That is even more evidence of how the press was presenting an unfair view and even the Blu-ray special features of "Black Panther" got caught up in all this as they feel politically charged. Speaking of getting "caught up", Chadwick Boseman found himself in an awkward situation when the film won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensamble Cast (the only catagory it was nominated in). As Boseman delievered a passionate political statement in his acceptance speech, he suddenly noticed that Andy Serkis' presence on stage wasn't fitting in with what he was saying. It was a great example of how politicizing something that probably wasn't meant to be political leads to more problems than solutions.

I would also like to point out that other factors that fuelled the success of "Black Panther" were being ignored for political gain. One of my friends even shared an opposite view that the movie is long overdue and feels that despite the film's success, Marvel still underrates Black Panther. It is true that this film was in its infant stage for a long time but I believe Marvel wasn't delaying this hero's appearance in the MCU on purpose. If they were, it was for reason I mentioned earlier about doing the film right and serving the story of the whole universe. "Black Panther", as I said earlier, grossed over a billion dollars and many are using that fact as evidence of how "historic" this movie is. There is no question that this film was good and deserved to make a lot of money but we need to remember that preachy movies do not necessarily equate to box office success. The ethnicity created originality, which equated to a enjoyable experience but the major reasons for the success of "Black Panther" include the talent behind the movie and the fact that this film came out in February. "Black Panther" had virtually no competition at the theatres when it was released and a movie this good will draw people back again and again. If Marvel knew that this film was going to be hit because its political message, why wasn't it released during the winter blockbuster season of 2017? That time of the year is when big movies usually come out like Star Wars and Pixar films. "Thor: Ragnarok" instead kicked off the holiday movie season so why did Marvel choose the release dates that they did? Don't they have faith in their product? Firstly I say again, Marvel is trying to tell a story with multiple films and I think they chose to release "Black Panther" when they did because it sets up "Infinity War". Secondly, Disney probably saw how well movies like the live action "Jungle Book" and "Beauty and the Beast" did when released during the spring as opposed to the summer. We are seeing the beginning of a new blockbuster season besides the summertime and holiday season. Spring used to be a time of year when highly anticipated films were usually not released and so some studios have started to take advantage of this lull lately. To judge "Black Panther" as a cash cow because of ethnicity without taking into account the lack of competition isn't fair. Also, Disney wants to make as many Marvel films as they can seeing as how they are doing so well and you can't fit all these superhero movies into just two Blockbuster seasons, especially when you also own Pixar and Lucasfilm. Disney/Marvel was smart for releasing this movie in February and it paid off well but that intelligent decision has resulted in a false notion that the film's political angle is the sole factor in the film's success. Finally, even though this film broke a few records, "Infinity War" smashed those same records only two months later. Then "Endgame" surpassed its predessesor only a year after that. Something new & exciting will always come along but only time will tell if "Black Panther" is truly historic and stands the test of time.

The awards season however seems to be a way for Hollywood to force this film into history, regardless of just how good the movie is. "Black Panther" became the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and the first MCU film to win Academy Awards. You can understand why some fans of the shared universe began to ask if race was a factor considering that "Avengers" and other mega-blockbusters in the franchise were shunned in the past. "Black Panther" won Oscars for its Production Design, Costume Design and Original Score as mentioned. I was hoping it would win the latter two and my hope was rewarded. Other Academy Award nomination include Original Song, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. The producers were once quoted as saying that their intent was not to be "preachy" in making this film. I agree because we go to the movies to escape the real world. "Zootopia" was a tad too preachy but "Black Panther" had a message that was not waved in front of the audience constantly. Unfortunately, some celebrities and the activist members of the public are the ones that did the waving. Because of that, my second viewing of the film in theaters was negatively affected. I was having my month-long MCU marathon leading up to the release of "Avengers: Infinity War". This was the first time that I re-watched a film as part of a movie marathon to prepare for the new instalment and the movie I was re-watching was still in its original theatrical run. After over two months of hype from the press and being able to compare "Black Panther" directly with its predecessors, the show was not as good the second time as the first. As I re-watched the movie, I could not forget the political angle that was being over-exaggerated by others. Subtle messages are what change people because it allows for contemplation and gradual insight. That kind of learning is what lasts. The themes in "Black Panther" were crafted as subtle but will not touch the audience if it is made into something more than it is. Even some of the cast members are making unfair comparison with the story and real life world events. I don't want to undermine the talent of these filmmakers. I believe that we should judge and praise people not "by the color of their skin but by the content of their character". Can't we just have fun and be entertained instead of making yet another thing political when it doesn't need to be? "Black Panther" for me represents a new kind of Marvel film just like "Iron Man", "Thor", "The Avengers", "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Doctor Strange" before it. I am glad Marvel continues to make original films while maintaining a shared universe. "Black Panther" is my favourite Best Picture nominee with its great story, characters and special effects. This film also continues another tradition. Before a new Avengers film, Marvel always seems to release a great prelude. "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" both directly preceded Avengers films and the success of "Black Panther" was a clear indication that the next Marvel movie was even more monumental.

4 Stars out of 5