Wakanda Forever

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2018)

Black Panther uses the superhero genre to have conversations we're all currently having: "Should we serve our country with blind commitment, or push back against the forces that are destroying it?" "Should we use our resources to protect our people, or help others in need?" That deep interest in societal culture is in every frame of Marvel's latest venture. To be sure, it's a celebration of black culture, and a bright and proud one at that. However, it's also a celebration of culture in general, an awards assembly giving medals to those who lean into their own history, even while improving it. Those themes help Black Panther exudes confidence and power in even its quietest moments.
Its vigor vibrates from the fictional country of Wakanda, a place so vibrantly beautiful and well-realized you'll wish to jump into the screen. The story of a prince-turned-warrior-king doesn't provide tons of plot-surprises or even a super compelling protagonist. Nevertheless, it soars in its emotionally exciting action scenes (waterfall ceremony), its stacked cast of characters (greatest superhero sibling ever?), and potent villain psychology.
Sure, Coogler has fallen into the Marvel trope of the hero having to fight the evil version of himself at the end of the film. It also follows the recent Marvel trend of creating villains who are empathetic and fully logical, to the point that you find yourself rooting for them. And with Jordan's Killmonger, we're shown one of the most rich and heartfelt antagonists in superhero history, making Boseman's Black Panther confront the truth in the film's line, "It's hard for a good man to be king." Thankfully, Black Panther knows that's a challenge worth taking. Wakanda forever.