So, continuing my rewatch. Recently was Black Panther.
You know, this movie made a WHOLE lot of noise when it came out. It was a god damn social phenomenon. 1.3 billion dollars on a 200 million dollar domestic opening weekend. That is HUGE for a movie like this. The name Black Panther is not too familiar to non-comic book fans. People know The Black Panthers, the sometimes militant civil rights group, which was oddly birthed two months after the Marvel character debuted in 1969. This was one of the first major black super-hero. He wasn't just a black guy either, he was African. An African king. He represented pride in African heritage and roots and helped speak to an entire part of the population that might not able to fully connect with the hundreds of white superheros that existed at that time. He was a really important piece of history and deserves his rightful place in it. That said, he was never a character I fully gravitated toward. Not because he was an African king, but because his character just kind of lacked the charisma needed to draw me in. I enjoyed him in bigger books and loved him as an Avenger, but never dug too deep into his solo issues. A bit here and there, but not a ton. He was, however, great on a team. He added a really great element. Nobility, moral rigidity, and a flawed stubbornness. He bounced off the others wonderfully.
As far as the MCU goes, he had a jaw dropping debut in Civil War. They found a fantastic actor, who did not only a great performance, but also really emphasized the African aspects to the character. A brilliant way to expand the MCU into new cultural domains. So when this movie was coming out, I wasn't totally sure what to expect. The dude doesn't have much of a sense of humor, and people aren't familiar with him. I expected a global box office of maybe 500 million. Tops. Akin to an Ant-Man. Lord, was I wrong. Who could have predicted such a global phenomenon? Turns out, we all should have. An entire portion of America's population was finally getting a movie that speaks to them. That looks like them. That doesn't feel like they have to aim primarily at a white male audience to succeed. It was a huge risk, because studios have gone on record before that as saying they feel these kinds of movies need to be aimed at a white, male, younger-middle aged audience to succeed. This was the first movie to shatter that illusion. Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel carried that torch moving forward and it's changing the kinds of movies getting wide and domestic releases to this day and going forward.
So the movie! I remember watching it for the first time and got really caught up in the social narrative. Why is THIS movie being considered for an Oscar? It's not Logan. It's good. It's not GREAT. Why do people love it so much? I didn't see it. I liked it a lot, but not THAT much. I also had a number of problems with it. I though Killmonger took over WAY too easily and it made no sense. I thought the ending battle was a huge mess and didn't like it. I thought T'Challa was pretty flat. So I let it be at that. Then I watched it again recently for my rewatch and I have a VERY different opinion.
I love this movie. It's fantastic. I think once the social fad had ended, I was able to just watch this movie and enjoy it for what it is. Also, knowing what happens helps me see the setup they had in it that I had missed before. How did Killmonger get so accepted so quickly? The movie establishes early on that leadership is won through strength. The leaders have been Black Panthers, the strongest, mightiest warriors in the country. If anyone beats them in that ritual combat, they take over. If M'Baku had beaten T'Challa in that opening scene, that dude would be the leader of Wakanda. Killmonger beat him. How did he even get there you ask? Two ways. 1) He demonstrated strength by defeating a major enemy of Wakanda when no one else ever good. That is a huge sign of strength. He also had royal blood. Movie also established the importance of bloodlines. They also weren't thrilled with him except for the Get Out guy who was mostly focused on strength as a sign of leadership. In America that might seem weird, but coming from the Middle East, I see it in most countries there. Strength wins. "It's difficult for a good man to be king"
Why did the whole country fight T'Challa just because Killmonger told them to? Well, on this viewing I noticed that it wasn't that many people. I believe it was 2 tribes only. And a small number of them in the end. So that sat better with me this time around too. The Rhino's didn't bother me quite as much this time either. Still not a fan, but they weren't as big in the fight as I remembered. Also the final fight with Killmonger and Black Panther was much better than I remembered. And of course that final line by Killmonger. Genius stuff. Also a random thought: Erik becoming king kind of represented the whole problem with the country. So stuck in their old ways that they deny themselves progress.
Likes:
- The cast. Every character shines in this movie. Besides the leads, Lupita, Danai, Daniel, Letitia, Winston Duke, Forest, etc. All brought their A games. Let's not forget Angela Basset too. She could have pulled a Glen Close and just phoned it in, but she really delivered a great performance.
- Michael B. Jordan. God damn. Dude just crushes it. What a fantastic actor.
- Andy Serkis as Klaue. I loved him so god damn much. Just chewing the scenery and giving a dynamic fun and energetic performance. I know his character had to die, but it's a real shame. I just want to watch more of him going nuts.
- Danai throwing her wig at that guy. Just a great statement and moment.
- The set-design. The look of Wakanda was original and inspired. A beautiful mix of futuristic and traditional African.
- Same with the costume design. Deserved that Oscar.
Dislikes:
- Some of the action is a bit video gamey. Most of it is great, but it has moments where it's SO CGI that it's distracting.
- A big plot hole I noticed this time. Well, not a plot hole, but a weird thing. So when Erik breaks out Klaue, Black Panther sees him wearing that ring. So when Erik is presented to him with that ring, as the dude who killed Klaue, couldn't T'Challa put two and two together that this was the dude that helped Klaue escape and expose him? Doubt they'd get too behind the dude who helped Klaue escape from custody, even if he did kill him later. I dunno. Seems odd.
- Gonna be honest, the technology seemed a bit too much. Like...what CAN'T these people do? God damn. It seemed unlimited and endless how advanced and powerful they had become.
- A little unclear on the timeline. I think it established that this takes place like a week after T'Chaka's death. Yet when he lands, they're all joking and seem pretty fine. Maybe it was quite a bit after? I dunno. It was short enough that Nakia had not been informed at all. But it couldn't have been THAT long, cause then they'd have no king for that whole time. Ah well. Just confused.
All in all. A much better movie than I remember it being. Really loved it.
Tonight is Thor: Ragnarok!