Apart from the Clichés, Black Panther Makes Good on Its Promises

By Avik Basak

In most cases, Marvel’s solo superhero films are not just superhero films. For example, in Captain America: The First Avenger, we got a World War II film, while in Ant-Man, we got a heist film, whereas Captain America: The Winter Soldier was made like a political spy thriller and Spider-Man: Homecoming was kind of a John Hughes high school drama. The latest instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Black Panther carries this tradition forward as it fuses the superhero genre with science fiction and political drama.

“Afrofuturism” is not a new term but I am sure many of us were not familiar with it before this movie hit the screens, at least I was not. It denotes “a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and philosophy of history that explores the developing intersection of African/African-American culture with technology”, according to Wikipedia. The way this film’s story unfolds and the way its science fiction backdrop works, it showcases Afrofuturism in each and every frame. Apart from amassing the courage to bring this movie to the screens with a majorly black cast, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and his team also stay true to the characters and bring up the problems, black people face all over the globe. They deserve a round of applause for that.

One of Marvel’s boldest moves, Black Panther takes place in the fictional African nation, Wakanda which is blessed with the Earth’s only stock of vibranium, the strongest metal on the planet. It was derived from a meteorite that crashed in the African country, years ago. The opening sequence, chronicling the history of Wakanda and how they used vibranium to make technological advancements, is extremely well crafted and sets the mood for the rest of the movie.

Then, the movie jumps back to the modern day after making a brief stop in 1992 (The reason for that you will find out after watching it). On one hand, it shows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who is the successor to the Wakandan throne after his father died in Civil War, dealing with his kingship and the task of bringing Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), a ruthless smuggler, killer and a fugitive from Wakanda, to justice. On the other hand, it has Michael B. Jordan’s Erik “Killmonger” Stevens who works with Klaue to reach Wakanda and challenge the new king.

If T’Challa represents that part of the black people, who in spite of their colour have all the privileges of life along with a kind of righteousness about them, then Killmonger is the symbol of oppressed black mass, for which justice and revenge are not very different. It is the conflict between these two standpoints that is the most compelling thing about the story.

Chadwick Boseman is earnest in the role of T’Challa but it is Michael B. Jordan who steals most of the scenes as Killmonger. On the other hand, Letitia Wright as T’Challa’s sister, Shuri is a treat to watch and you just cannot help but admire her soulful performance. Andy Serkis returns as Ulysses Klaue and just owns every frame he is in; it is so good to see him in a human role after quite a while as he was out mastering the art of motion capture. Martin Freeman is a little underutilised here but he does have a meatier role than the one he had in Civil War and he does well with it.

Ryan Coogler does extremely well behind the camera, especially his vision for Wakanda (Though heavily Star Wars influenced) and taste for innovative action require special mention. But when the screenplay is concerned, Coogler and Joe Robert Cole depend so much on clichés in their way of reaching the third act that it dampens which is otherwise a nicely weaved script. No wonder that I heard someone in the audience say, “It is like old wine in African bottle.”

The most special thing about Black Panther is its amazing cinematography by Rachel Morrison. The way she captures the night time locales of Africa with so many black characters (Hey! No offence meant) is really commendable. Another special thing about the movie is its background score by Ludwig Göransson, who efficiently fuses hip-hop with African music. The film also stands out for its excellent production design, while like every Marvel flick nowadays, the quality of visual effects is also top notch.

Overall, Black Panther is a movie that makes good on its promises and if you can ignore the clichés it serves, you are surely in for a fun-filled ride. And do not leave the auditorium until the screen turns completely black (No pun intended!).

4 Stars Out of 5 from Me...