MMA Movie Review: Black Panther Goes Beyond Its Genre

Marvel Studios

I was super excited for Black Panther. It felt like a different kind of Marvel movie from the trailers alone, just from the way the characters carried themselves. Directed by Ryan Coogler, one of the movie's writers, it stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, the Black Panther. After his father's death during the events of Captain America: Civil War, the Wakandian prince returns home to become king, but uncovers a dark secret his father hid during his reign that threatens Wakanda and the world. Alongside the Wakandian general Okoye (Danai Gurira), his ex Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), and his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), the young king must deal with the ghosts of the past while fighting for his nation's future. This review will be split into two parts; part one will be a fairly brief, spoiler-free review of the movie while the second will go into greater depth about Marvel's Black Panther.

Part One: Spoiler-Free

This movie has some of the best characters Marvel has ever produced. Every single one of them hums with life and has their own personal conflicts within the story that make them feel distinct. We also get to see many sides to these characters; in addition to seeing T'Challa as the serious king and the warrior that is the Black Panther, we also get to see his happy family life, and watch as he flirts with Nakia. Each character is nuanced and well-written, and this is extended to the antagonist, Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). I have long considered Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to be Marvel's greatest villain because he is incredibly relatable. While I could not relate to Erik in the same way, he does replace Loki on my list because there's so much more to his character. It's honestly easy to see how moving a few elements of the story around could make Erik the hero and T'Challa the villain, and I found that to be absolutely stunning.

In addition to these amazing characters, the plot and setting were tightly intertwined. Wakanda was beautiful. From the literal beauty of everything from the city to the sunsets to the glittering hoard of vibranium deep in the mountains to the vibrant culture that come through in every scene. This culture was something Marvel has yet to produce, as it was so deep and rich that you felt like you could head off to Wakanda. It felt real. The plot played off this depth to tease out a story that went beyond a good guy and a bad guy punching each other. It was in part a coming of age story; rather than a teen finding themselves a la Spider-Man: Homecoming, however, it was of a young man learning how to be a leader, and learning to bear the heavy weight that comes with it. But it was also a story of tradition fighting against evolution, of what a king owes its people and what humanity owes itself. When I walked into the theater, I was excited. I wanted to see what this movie would be. And now I know. Black Panther is the most magnificent movie Marvel has created.

Part Two: Spoilers!

Marvel Studios

So let's dive a little bit deeper into that magnificence. I think the mot notable thing about the characters is how they all have their own conflicts. In fact, for the most part the protagonists are torn. T'Challa finds himself conflicted after learning that his father, the former king T'Chaka (John Kani), killed his younger brother after he betrayed Wakanda and left his son - Erik - in Oakland. Erik's own beliefs that Wakanda has hidden itself long enough and has a duty to help oppressed people tears at T'Challa as he struggles against the tradition of hiding Wakanda. After Erik claims the throne, Okoye finds herself torn between her loyalty to the throne and her friendship with Nakia and T'Challa. Similarly, Nakia is torn between her love of Wakanda and T'Challa and what she feels is her dty to help people with nothing - when we meet her, the warrior had hidden herself among a group of kidnapped women with the intent of freeing them. This has an interesting contrast to be found in the villains, because they harbor no such conflict.

When the film starts out it feels like Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) is going to be the villain as he is an old enemy of Wakanda. However, Erik takes him out to gain access to Wakanda. But both men carried themselves with absolute certainty. Klaue was, to put it delicately, utterly crazy. He delighted in trading vibranium and took great pleasure in every action he took, although he did so with utter precision, even taking steps to make a heist he pulled look like it was done by amateurs. Likewise, Erik acts with the same conviction. He never falters in his quest to deliver vibranium-powered weapons to the oppressed masses so they can rise up and overthrow the world. His beliefs are so powerful that in the end he ends up changing T'Challa. And this is what helps Black Panther rise beyond its genre.

As mentioned above, the culture of Wakanda is powerfully established. The first few moments tell us how the country came to be with beautiful animation, and the present-day culture is expressed throughout, in little moments such as the salute the Shuri and T'Challa throw into a handshake and in larger moments like the rituals that T'Challa undergoes to become king and gain the powers of the Black Panther. This is a culture that is rich in tradition - and this tradition is blown away when Erik sweeps in, claiming the throne and ordering that the heart-shaped herb that grants the Black Panther their powers be burned. Both Nakia and Erik hold a similar belief: That they could be doing more than hiding away in Wakanda. But while Nakia goes out herself, Erik intends to make the world burn. He finds some support in the council that aids the king as his revolutionary ideas start to take root. And T'Challa learns. Erik's beliefs are instilled into T'Challa as he begins to understand his foe, and by the end of the movie he takes the first steps to bringing Wakanda's advanced technology to the world to help move it forward. It's everything about the Wakandian culture and the massive shift it undergoes that makes Black Panther so enthralling. Despite the fate of the world being at stake, it feels intimate because it's not space aliens coming through a hole in the sky or a hammer-wielding warrior bringing a magical stone to battle. It's about two men. One who was outcast from his homeland, who had his father taking away by the people that should have protected him, outcast by a society that oppressed him. One who had been raised with centuries of tradition being placed on his shoulders, who had to deal with the ghosts that kept Wakanda sheltered for all those years. It's about the cashing ideals of two people whose mindset would decide the fate of the world, and who the victor found himself altered by this conflict. Black Panther was a beautiful movie about leadership, tradition and evolution, family and friendship, and about what people owe each other. Black Panther was a success because it went well beyond being a superhero movie.