Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Song "All The Stars" (written by Sounwave, Kendrick Lamar, Anthony Tiffith, and SZA), and Best Original Score.
Won: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.
After the death of his father in Captain America: Civil War, T'Challa returns home to the secluded and technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. However, T'Challa's mantle as king and Black Panther is quickly challenged when a powerful enemy suddenly reappears and the young king is drawn into a conflict which puts Wakanda and the entire world at risk. T'Challa must now rally his allies and unleash his full potential as the Black Panther if he's to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and the world at large.
Black Panther is the eighteenth addition to the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, and while many would suspect that this franchise would have started to show signs of wear and tear by now, the Wakandan King proves otherwise thanks to the assured direction of Ryan Coogler. I'm ecstatic to report that Coogler's hot streak is still going with Black Panther, as Coogler's ushered his highness into fresh, foreign territory for a unique superhero solo story.
It's crazy to believe that this is only Coogler's third feature following Fruitvale Station and Creed, but it makes a lot of sense once you consider the quality of those other two films. One of Coogler's greatest strengths as a storyteller is undoubtedly focusing first and foremost on character, and the screenplay written by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole is only further evidence of this. Black Panther adds plenty to the MCU in terms of intense and invigorating action sequences, but Coogler never loses track of his captivating characters amidst all the hub-bub. For every second of surreal spectacle, there's a scene dedicated to the importance of legacy and the challenges of kingship.
In the department of world-building, Black Panther does not disappoint at all. Wakanda is truly like nothing we've previously seen in the MCU, or film in general for that matter! The environment feels fully fleshed out and is remarkably sophisticated as the advanced vibranium technology utilized by the Wakandans is absolutely otherworldly. Most importantly, the exploration of this fictional African nation is an interesting expansion on the setting depicted in the source material, which stretches the boundaries of the Marvel Universe in fresh, exciting directions.
As for action, Black Panther's a little light on that front when compared to other MCU-fare, but that doesn't make the engagements any less interesting. In fact, the Korean casino fight and car chase is one prominent sequence that you won't be forgetting anytime soon, the scenes involving T'Challa's ritual combat for the throne were especially suspenseful, and the third act showdown's appropriately epic. My only minuscule complaints would be that I found the beginning to be a little slow and the CGI was noticeable on occasion when characters looked a bit more like video game avatars. However, it was never jarring enough to completely take me out of the viewing experience.
While I already felt Chadwick Boseman was a perfect casting choice for the role of T'Challa based on his standout stint in Civil War, Black Panther doubled down and confirmed my suspicions. Boseman wears a calm composure as King, but the challenges that accompany sitting on the throne seem no less burdensome on his shoulders. Boseman projects a regal attitude, yet he imbues T'Challa with enough nuanced uncertainty for you to buy into his internal struggle of accepting the mantle of King. Where Civil War didn't quite allow him to flex his acting muscles, Boseman is able to demonstrate a wide acting range here and I was quite impressed. He's truly fit for the Wakandan throne.
By his side, Lupita Nyong'o and Letitia Wright provide sufficient support as noble spy Nakia and good-hearted, genius teen sister Shuri while standing apart as noteworthy individuals in their own right. Wright, in particular, really stole the show for me as Shuri. She's gifted with the funniest lines of dialogue and her excellent comedic timing made the wisecracking work wonders. On that note, Black Panther's use of humor is relatively subdued in comparison to recent MCU entries, more akin to Captain America: The Winter Soldier than say Thor: Ragnarok. The humor's interwoven sparingly and never compromises dramatic weight for the sake of a quippy one-liner.
As for other prominent Wakandans, Dana Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Forest Whitaker, and Angela Bassett each contribute an influential attribute to their respective roles. Gurira's Okoye is a fierce general of the Dora Milaje, Kaluuya stands tall as a confident confidant W'Kabi, Duke measures M'Baku to be a resilient warrior, Whitaker imbues Zuri with sagely profound wisdom, and Bassett's Ramonda is remarkably regal as T'Challa's mother and Queen.
Meanwhile, Michael B. Jordan KILLS it as one the greatest villains the MCU has ever seen. Across the board, Marvel's really upped their game in that respect, but Jordan's Erik Killmonger kicks it further up a notch. Killmonger's an antagonist who's absolutely menacing and whose point-of-view can be completely understood. When you top this all off with another committed performance from Michael B. Jordan, you have an appropriately awesome antagonist.
Rounding out the cast, Black Panther offers audiences a Hobbit reunion between Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. This time they're not playing Bilbo or Gollum of course, but rather returning as CIA operative Everett Ross and black market dealer Ulysses Klaue respectively. Freeman plays the agent to be a sardonic presence while Serkis delightfully cackles his head off as the kooky Klaue. Beyond their two characters and a few nods to the events of Age Of Ultron and Civil War though, Black Panther proves to be one of the MCU's more standalone stories. Audiences are still treated with a standard Stan Lee cameo and two post credit scenes, but Black Panther is fairly far removed. Instead, Black Panther devotes its energy to carving out a new niche location for audiences to invest themselves in, and it worked because I'm genuinely concerned what will happen to the nation in Avengers: Infinity War based on trailers.
Bolstered by powerful performances, striking visuals, a spectacular score, and a meaningful story, Black Panther proved to be much more than just another solid solo superhero outing from Marvel. Black Panther must have vibranium coursing through its veins, because it tells a worthy story for the Wakandan king that's nearly indestructible.
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