With a compelling lead performance by Chadwick Boseman and a phenomenal soundtrack, Marvel’s Black Panther is an amazing production that represents true creativity and African cultural spirit. Marvel has truly outdone itself in this action packed, futuristic film. Wakanda is a fictional nation in sub-saharan Africa. The people of Wakanda use a fictional element known as vibranium to technologically advance them in ways that the modern world has no knowledge of. This use of vibranium has also led to the nation becoming completely isolated to the outside world. T’Challa, Chadwick Boseman’s character, must ascend to the throne of king while also maintaining his “superhero” status of black panther. When an enemy becomes a sudden threat to Wakanda and it’s people, he must learn to balance and survive the fears of losing his family, his love, his home, and his ancestral right of the title of black panther.
Throughout this spectacular film, the soundtrack, created by Kendrick Lamar and Ludwig Goransson, leaves the viewers pumping with adrenaline. The uplifting hip hop music makes the viewer feel as if their heart is thumping in synchrony with every beat. The soundtrack also represents genuine African culture with its spectacular integration into the plot in order to further the understanding of the theme. The music from this film was so respected that its very own album was released. The music from the movie was heavily inspired by African Tribal music, as well as modern African Hip Hop. Garansson went on tour with a prominent Senegalese musician to capture the uniquely African sound for the film. Lamar included multiple African Hip Hop artists in the film to get a sense of the culture and pride in the film.
A second major aspect of this film that I thoroughly enjoyed was the makeup and costume design. At one point during the movie all of the tribes of Wakanda had to gather. There, you could see the true beauty from the specific choices of the makeup artists. Not only their face and body makeup, but also the choices of prints and colors truly lit up the scene and represented the heritage of the actors. The weapons seemed to be authentically African which made it that much more realistic as well. Each tribe also had specific hairstyles: locks, braids, twists, or no hair(for the warriors). Some tribes had extravagant piercings such as one that had massive plates on their lower lips and ears. Also each tribe was depicted as African animals; gorillas, rhinos, crocodiles, panthers, lions, etc. The black panther suit was made to fit snugly on Boseman’s frame, and would occasionally change (watch the film to get more information) and the suit really made the character look like a real life black panther. It had night vision, claws, and panther ears just as its real life counterpart has. All of these amazing and thought out details makes it fairly easy to conclude why it has been nominated for the 2019 Oscars Award for the best technical categories and the best original songs, along with many others.
The acting in the film made it extremely relatable and lovable for the viewers. King T’Challa, the black panther himself, was very charismatic and charming. He showed how self-assured and selfless he is throughout the movie, and how heroic, strong, and capable he is, while at the same time having the all too familiar feelings of nervousness and “butterflies in the stomach” of ascending to the throne and being around his love interest and dealing with the loss of his father, who he was very close too. His sister, Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, brought most of the humor the film with her childlike yet comedic jokes, along with her genius intelligence that led to the success of Wakanda. She is one of the most loveable characters who brightened up every scene she starred in. The warrior, Okoye, played by Danai Gurira, and Chadwicks love interest, Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong’o, both show immense bravery and loyalty throughout the film, while each retaining their individualities. Michael B. Jordan plays the antagonist of the film, Erik Killmonger, a Wakandan born and raised in America who return to take his “rightful” place on the throne. He proves to be a very complex villain, one that viewers can’t help but sympathize with at times, which makes this film that much more unique. The entire cast of Black Panther does an incredible job working together to create a truly exceptional and remarkable film.
In short, the Black Panther is a truly remarkable and inspirational film that combines authentic African culture with modern day African-American culture and ideologies. Its creativity and imagination knows no bounds, and is a movie I would recommend to any film enthusiast.
The descriptiveness of the unique soundtrack and costumes was accurate and well-appreciated. The analysis of the cast and their performance was thorough and well written as well. Other important aspects of the film that were not included are the fact that this was the first all-black Marvel superhero movie produced and the overall responses/reactions to that in various industries (film-makers, actors, audience…), which could have enhanced the review.
Being a big fan of Marvel motivated me to see Black Panther. I can relate to your praising the movie. I was particularly impressed by your mentioning the use of vibranium to advance technology. Clearly technology played an important role in the movie. In addition, your mentioning that Kendrick Lamar was responsible for the movies soundtrack was clever. This connection will encourage his fans to witness his latest creation. Finally, your details about African music and culture made the film come alive to prospective movie goers.