Black Panther

(Warning: contains spoilers for Black Panther, Wonder Woman and general MCU)

Something new from the MCU - a film where the main protagonist isn't a white man.  Gadzooks, what is this brave new world?

Black Panther

Black Panther is set in Wakanda, a nation composed of 5 tribes in Africa built on meteorite called Vibranium.  With Vibranium, they advance in terms of technology, but disguise themselves as a Third World country in order to protect what they have.  King T'Chaka's (John Kani) death leads to the throne being taken by his son T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman).  He is challenged by Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), who provides a legitimate claim to the throne and gathers the support of a number of T'Chaka's key allies.  Power struggles ensue.
  
Black Panther, by its very existence, is going to have similar scrutiny levelled at it as Wonder Woman did last year.  Where Wonder Woman was the first non-male in a lead role (in either DC or MCU), Black Panther is the first* superhero film in the MCU to feature a black lead and predominantly black cast (apart from the Tolkien white guys Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis, and Stan Lee who turns up in a film as a stamp of MCU authenticity).  It's been a long time coming.  Wesley Snipes has been talking about trying to make a Black Panther movie since 1992.  Indeed, in 2005, the CEO of Marvel announced that Black Panther was one of ten Marvel films to be developed by the studio.  Over the past 12 years, it would seem that the film has been offered to various writers and directors (including John Singleton, Mark Bailey and Ava DuVernay) who have played with the idea and passed on it, perhaps not relishing the idea that all cultural expectation would weigh heavily on whoever made this film.

The final film was written by Joe Robert Cole (The People Vs OJ Simpson) and co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler (Creed), who accepted on the proviso that he could bring his own collaborators from different previous projects, rather than relying on the "in-house" Marvel creative team.

The result is glorious.  Having seen this film once, I already feel as though these are characters I have known for longer.  Each is well developed and realised, so that the decisions they have to make have weight and consequence.  Each has a distinct style and tone, which means that already the film has been embraced by fans and cosplayers (imperative in the geek culture).  Letitia Wright (Shuri) has been particularly singled out for praise as a teenage version of Bond's Q, but praise has generally been effusive for all the cast.

As with Spiderman: Homecoming before it, (and with a number of films already released in 2018), there was no real thing as the "good guys" and the "bad guys".  Both sides had their strengths and weaknesses, and both sides were understandable, which made tensions between lovers W'kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) and Okoye (Danai Gurira), or friends W'kabi and T'Challa more resonant.
A thing that I was particularly pleased about is that although the final battle did involve punching each other stupid, there were distinct boundaries at play so there was a real understanding of how this battle could be won and lost (Shuri used the underground trains to disrupt the Vibranium in the suits, so that T'Challa and Killmonger would be both be vulnerable when the trains were going past and could be harmed).  This is at real odds with most other superhero films where the bad guy dies for no other reason than because the script says so.

In terms of diversity, Black Panther is notable not only for it's portrayal of non-white culture, but also for it's portrayal of women.  From the Dora Milaje (the all female army of Wakanda) to Shuri, from Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) to Ramonda (Angela Bassett) these women are strong, smart and fierce, but also independent individuals drawn as separate unique people (rather than just some female bums on seats, filling up the ranks). 

Are you excited and a bit frightened?  That is the correct response.

In thinking about it, there's a load of inclusivity and a good chance that most people can find someone to identify with.  Man? Woman? Disabled? Able bodied? Tattooed? Ink free? Scarred? Unblemished? Bald? Hirsute? Masculine? Feminine? Androgynous? There's someone for everyone.  I have seen some criticism that a potential gay storyline (between Okoye and Ayo) wound up on the cutting room floor, which is reasonable in some ways.  In other ways, sexuality can be found in the subtext if you're looking for it - in the same way it can be found in Top Gun.  And although it is definitely a film representing black culture and black experience, it is not done in a way to make it isolating.  If anything, it feels welcoming and inclusive. 

Take my breath awaaaaaay... 

The concern and scrutiny now turns to Avengers: Infinity War.  The MCU have their own raft of usual writers, directors and producers which now must work with the Black Panther team to produce something that best serves both (or risks undoing all the good feeling that Black Panther has brought to the predominantly white, male MCU).  Black Panther and Wonder Woman have both proved there is a huge market and interest in non-white, and non-male leads and stories.  In the time it's taken you to read this review, Black Panther has probably made another eleventy million pounds (as of 5th March, it's grossed $899.9 million and is the fastest Marvel film to reach the $50 million mark).  No pressure, MCU, but Wakanda forever! 

Additional thoughts, questions and comments:

• So...all the heart shaped herbs are now gone, we assume?  How does the next Black Panther get their superpowers?
• Killmonger specifically states that each of the marks on his body represents someone that he's killed.  Is that specific to him, or is that what all those marks mean?  W'kabi has the same marks on his face, but do they represent people he's killed?
• Is it...a bit like The Lion King?

* Blade doesn't count.  Not in the MCU.  Sorry.