Marvel Studios has done it again. The production company has once again taken a character popular with comic book readers yet relatively unknown to the average person and transformed it into a sensation overnight. It did this rather spectacularly with Iron Man (2008) when no one knew who Tony Stark was, quickly shaping the superhero into one of the hottest properties in the cinematic world. It did it again with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and it does it now with Black Panther. Meanwhile, DC, with arguably more iconic properties such as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and the like, struggles of late with a few exceptions such as Wonder Woman.

How does Marvel strike gold so consistently? The answer is in the characterisation. While DC, especially with Zack Snyder, seemed to focus on style and special effects first with the narrative being an afterthought, Marvel appears to start with the story before moving on to the dazzling special effects.

With Black Panther, it is clear that Marvel put extra thought into the storytelling, and why wouldn’t they? This film is a cultural event of great significance. Sure, there have been other black superhero films before, such as Marvel’s Blade (1998). But Blade (Wesley Snipes) was an anti-hero and not a member of Marvel’s as-of-then unestablished cinematic universe, which is now a cultural cornerstone. In addition, Blade was a superhero who happened to be black, while Black Panther is a black character who happens to be a superhero. In today’s world, where openly racist world leaders lead nations, uttering bigoted comments against people from black countries, a film such as Black Panther gives the middle claw to men like Donald Trump by creating box office records.

Black Panther has one-upped most superhero films, which is nothing less than what an Afrofuturist film of this significance deserves

The level of self-awareness Black Panther carries is admirable. It understands that the black man has historically been oppressed and continues to be oppressed. It knows that Africa happens to be easily the most resource-rich continent in the world, yet the average African nation and the average black man happens to be poor. It also knows that this is due to both internal and external forces.

Although these elements are woven into the film with nuance, not surprisingly, they have fractured the fragile egos of many viewers whose nations have been built on the backs of various ethnic people. Watching the film overseas I could only shake my head when leaving the theatre as some felt the film, and I quote, had too much “anti-white politics.” Thankfully, these vocal voices are clearly in the minority as Black Panther is already on its way to becoming one of the most successful superhero films of all time.

In many ways, the fictional African nation of Wakanda, from where our hero T’Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) hails, is symbolic of what the world’s second-largest continent could be. Rich in a resource called vibranium, it is more technologically advanced than any spot in the universe and fiercely embraces African culture, with gorgeous costume design built on styles from various corners of Africa, giving us a delicious slice of Afrofuturist cinema.

The heart of the story focuses on Wakanda’s new king, and the challenger to the throne N’Jadaka / Erik ‘Killmonger’ Stevens (Michael B. Jordan) who suffered a great tragedy in his childhood. Admittedly, it isn’t the most original tale, derivative of works like Disney’s Lion King or, if you want to go further back, Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But what propels it to the stratosphere is the multilayered nature of both characters.

T’Challa is powerful but also quite vulnerable, unsure of himself and almost unable to shoulder the burden he carries. He is easily more human and complex than any Marvel superhero on film, and may be up there with Christopher Reeve’s Clark Kent from Superman (1978) and Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne from The Dark Knight trilogy. Likewise, N’Jadaka is the most multifaceted, and therefore best, villain seen yet in the Marvel cinematic universe. The trick with N’Jadaka is that director Ryan Coogler establishes his evil nature first before digging into his past and letting us empathise with a boy who turned into a monster. N’Jadaka’s closing line in Black Panther is not only crushing, it is incredibly gutsy. I heard it with disbelief, considering this is the same universe that features kid-friendly heroes such as Iron Man, Hulk and Thor. I suppose it’s no wonder that some of the fragile egos in the North American audience were fractured.

Of course, well-written characters are nothing without good performances, and the acting in Black Panther is outstanding. While Boseman is superb, Michael B. Jordan steals the show, yet again displaying his immense talent after knocking us out as the lead in Creed (2015). My only criticism is that, at 134 minutes, Black Panther still wasn’t long enough, and I would have loved to have seen the film dive even deeper into the principal characters. As much as I enjoyed their chemistry, the pacing felt somewhat abrupt.

I was impressed with how the African characters in Black Panther spoke with authentic accents rather than British ones, which is how Hollywood often portrays international characters. Moreover, it was refreshing to see a black film without the regular tone-deaf stereotypes. Further breaking the walls that Wonder Woman cracked in 2017 are the rich female characters. The two who stand out are Okoye (Danai Gurira), a formidable tribal warrior who has some of the best scenes in the film and T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), who appears to be as much of a genius as Tony Stark. Both are wonderfully acted and equally compelling.

For my money, the action in Marvel movies usually ranges from good to merely acceptable, but in Black Panther it is sometimes sensational, and this is mostly due to the amazing choreography that brings to life Black Panther’s special abilities in hand-to-hand combat and Okoye’s mastery with the spear. This, coupled with the beautiful cinematography by Rachel Morrison, makes for some jaw-dropping sequences. My favourite is a car-chase sequence early on that was thrilling to watch. Before it began, Shuri made what was clearly a James Bond reference, before the film decided it would try one-upping the spy franchise. Ultimately, Black Panther one-upped most superhero films, which is nothing less than what an Afrofuturism film of this significance deserves.

Rated PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action violence and a brief, rude gesture

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 25th, 2018