The Bridge Between A Ryan Coogler Drama and a Fantasy Superhero Film

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2018)

I came into the theater with high expectations for Black Panther, given it was directed by one of my favorite young and rising directors, Ryan Coogler. Coogler, who previously directed Fruitvale Station and Creed, has proven to be an excellent director for portraying drama and character studies in contemporary settings. With Black Panther, though I had high expectations, I also didn't know what to expect; was Coogler going to do a drama or was he going to stray from his style to fit Marvel Studios' aesthetic?
The answer is both, and the result is a unique film that at times feels like a Coogler film and, at other times, feels like a Marvel Studios fantasy.
I overall enjoyed Black Panther; it fell short on some aspects in terms of being both a superhero film and a sociopolitical drama, but still manages to hit all the marks.
The characters are well-written and lovable, simple as that. A superhero film is only as good as its villain, and Michael B. Jordan's portrayal of Killmonger is sure to be in the books as one of the stronger Marvel villains in the MCU. The film invests its story into fleshing out the emotional drama and perspective that Killmonger uses to justify his antagonistic actions; for the first time in a long time in the MCU, we sympathize with the "villain," and his viewpoints touches on the social commentary in which the film finds its strengths. Letitia Wright as Shuri also stole the show, both serving as tasteful comedy relief and as a strong supporting character to Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa.
The social commentary of this film, which is what I was most looking forward to, is excellent. It's not very explicit and takes some thinking to dissect, and frankly I could spend hours analyzing the metaphors this film produces that connect the fantastic themes present in Wakanda to our real-world issues of marginalization and how the world perceives Third World Countries. Instead, I will say that the social commentary is used as a means to advance the film's plot and retain the central themes; it's like any good Marvel movie that poses a moral question (Winter Soldier, Civil War), only this time it feels more contemporary and more relevant than ever. The themes touch on the power of countries and what responsibility they bear to the world, and particularly focuses on the marginalization and historical oppression of African Americans and poses the question on what can be done to resolve this continuous issue in our society. It's very compelling and is a story that must be told, making Black Panther an excellent addition to Ryan Coogler's dramatic filmography.
That said, this film does try to balance between being a dramatic social discussion and a fantastic superhero film, and ultimately that becomes the reason why this film fell flat on certain moments. The action is derivative, CGI-laden, and boring, and this was disappointing given that Creed had simply phenomenal fight sequences and choreography. I will say that the action in Black Panther has the same emotional background and payoff that the fighting in Creed had, but Coogler is still trying to find his footing on how to direct a superhero action sequence, and I think he tried a bit too hard on appealing to comic book fans on this one when it came to the action (too many cutaways, not enough careful focus or emphasis on skilled combat, etc.). There were definitely some action moments I loved (at one point we had a one-shot moment again a la Creed), but there wasn't enough. The film is also grounded in fantasy; few scenes take place in contemporary cities, which I was hoping for more of, but, ultimately, that's personal preference. Wakanda's scenes feel somewhat like the scenes of Asgard in the Thor franchise, so the fantasy aspects can be a bit tiring. To each their own.
Overall, Black Panther is definitely the best Marvel film in a while (since, arguably, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) but is certainly not the best. Although riddled with superhero cliches and dialogue, Black Panther's compelling social commentary, strong characters, and an all-around excellent cast make it an excellent addition to both Coogler's filmography as well as the MCU.