Black Panther Review: This is the Superhero Movie We Deserve

The excitement for the Black Panther movie has been building over the past year and came to a head when the film finally premiered over the weekend. All over the world, there are great pictures and videos of black people showing up and showing out to watch and celebrate all dressed up in African inspired outfits. I got to attend the premiere at the Garden City Century Cinemax IMAX theatre and it was amazing! The Garden City IMAX theatre is the largest in East Africa offering the best cinematic experience, which is really the only way to watch a movie like Black Panther. Even better, I watched the film in their intimate 48 seat theatre which made the experience that more amazing.

There is so much to dissect and unpack in this film which is in itself amazing because it is a superhero movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and so other than being sufficiently entertaining and mostly true to canon, there shouldn’t be that much more to it. Ryan Coogler however, delivers a beautifully layered film that gives a nod to his indie roots but also scores high on the action packed superhero meter. The cast is fantastic and this may be one of the best cast films I have seen. Chadwick Boseman delivers a Black Panther with a magnificent presence that is befitting a king, Michael B. Jordan is electrifying as Eric Killmonger and one of the best villains I’ve seen, Lupita Nyong’o shines as a fiery Nakia, Danai Gurira is fiercely breathtaking as Okoye, Letitia Wright is delightful as Shuri, Angela Bassett is regal and the Queen Mother we deserve as Ramona, Daniel Kaluuya is wonderful as W’Kabi, Forest Whitaker is excellent as Zuri and Winston Duke is unforgettable as M’Baku. There is also a wonderful performance by John Kani who reprises his role as T’Chaka and an emotionally nuanced performance by Sterling K. Brown as N’Jobu.

Ryan Coogler works with female Directors of Photography for his films and he does this again with Black Panther, bringing on Rachel Morrison who was also his DOP on Frutivale Station. Rachel Morrison has been nominated for this year’s Oscars on her work in Mudbound and it’s no wonder then that her talent lends itself to creating crisp and vibrant shots for Black Panther, which is in contrast to other Marvel films. The Costume Designer, Ruth Carter, takes inspiration from various African cultures to create strikingly beautiful costumes. It was great to see all the different cultures represented and I recognized the inspiration from the Zulu headdress, the Mursi lip plate, the Basotho blanket and the Maasai headdress. The Production Designer, Hannah Beachler, also builds on this by drawing on existing African cultures and I especially love the coronation scene and the ancestral plane scene. I also love that the structures of ‘modernity’ and traditional huts co-exist in this imagination and that Wakanda is a land that respects and takes care of nature.

The film picks up from Captain America: Civil War, where we watched T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father, die. T’Challa is home and preparing to take over as the new King of Wakanda. He however, first goes off on a mission with his General Okoye, to rescue Nakia who is on a mission in Nigeria. This scene sets the tone for the themes explored in the film. After rescuing Nakia and the women with her from their captors, Okoye warns the women to never speak of this and then they fly off on their ship. Wakanda clearly has the tech and skills to help the world, but they choose not to, and this is the debate the entire film rests upon.

Wakanda is an imaginary country and because of this, helps us imagine what could have been if the colonizer did not break Africa apart and take with him our resources. Wakanda has an endless supply of vibranium, a higly coveted metal with extraterrestial origins, that has made it the most technologically advanced nation on earth. Captain America’s shield, as well as Black Panther’s suit are made from vibranium. Wakanda however, keeps all this a secret, literally shielding their advancements and playing as a third world country on the world stage.

Eric Killmonger is a villain who you can empathise with, complete with the attractive swagger that Michael B. Jordan brings to the role. Wakanda through T’Chaka did him wrong by killing his father and then abandoning him to a life of suffering which he managed to overcome, but whose wound he still carries and is looking to avenge. He has a point as he revisits the Wakanda ability to help the world and choosing not to, especially when the oppressed peoples of the world are of African heritage. His methods are up for debate, one that could go on forever, as to some it could be seen as the necessary violent pushback required against violent oppressors, while to others like myself, it could be seen as the oppressed becoming just like their oppressors, and so not working towards freedom, but domination. It therefore becomes a fight that is the nationalist versus the pan Africanist and the violent versus the non violent. Must they be on opposing ends? Where is home and why should there be outsiders? What is the responsibility of the privileged and how do they share their privilege? Is Eric Killmonger lost or are the Africans on the continet the lost ones?

The women of Wakanda are a sight to behold. There is an unmatched egalitarianism in Wakanda that is incredibly refreshing. The women can fight for the throne and the Black Panther mantle, the General, Okoye, is a woman and the elite king’s bodyguards and defenders of Wakanda, the Dora Milaje, are fierce women. The chief scientist of Wakanda and apparently the smartest person in the MCU, is a teenage girl and T’Challa’s sister, Shuri and now officially my favourite Disney princess. There is no sexualization in their clothing as it is for function but still does not feel like it has been stripped of femininity and the women are intelligent, witty and active drivers of the story. Basically, the whole movie does not have the male gaze bearing down on it unlike a number of superhero films that have all these unnecessary slow motion hair blowing in imaginary wind and close ups of lips and ass shots for their female characters.

Are the ‘African’ accents all over the place? Yes, they were so different I kept wondering if they live in the same palace, let alone country. Could it have been great to see more of Wakanda life? Yes, I felt it was just a location we got in and out of that we didn’t get to truly inhabit. Would it have been great if Nakia instead of W’Kabi chose to side with Killmonger? Yes, in the comics Nakia becomes the villain Malice when she sides with Killmonger and this would have heightened the stakes though I have to say that would probably have meant her death which we definitely do not want so early on. Also, I’m not convinced by W’Kabi’s motivation to side with Killmonger over his bestfriend. Speaking of death, would it have been great if Killmonger did not die? Yes, though that would have robbed us of the best line in the film though there may be a chance he may resurrect. You know how Marvel do. Would it have been better not to have any of the two white characters in the film especially Martin Freeman as CIA Agent Everett K. Ross? Yes, we could have lived without him but the film is part of the MCU so some characters from the wider Marvel universe are necessary.

It is a proud moment to see Black Panther hurtling forward to break record after record as well as giving black people around the world something to rally around in pure black joy. It’s also great to see the amount of conversation and think pieces. I just hope that it continues to be from a place of generosity as art by black artistes is difficult enough to make especially at this level, without the additional scrutiny of it having to save the world. All in all, Black Panther lives up to the hype. Under immense pressure to be both a film and a movement for Black representation as well as an ode to African cultures, the film more than holds its own. Wakanda Forever!