BLACK PANTHER
The African Screen
You can now own Wakanda forever. And put it on a shelf.
released 11 JUNe 2018 | 12 | Blu-ray (4K/3d/standard)/ dVd/download/ VOd Director ryan Coogler Cast Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, lupita Nyong’o, danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, daniel Kaluuya
There’s a lovely, remarkably potent idea at the heart of Black Panther, and it’s this: just because you can’t see Wakanda, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. That notion is so powerfully evocative it helped turn Marvel’s 18th film into a phenomenon, one which went on to garner a record-smashing $1.3 billion. But what makes the film so compelling is that it gave audiences – and specifically black audiences – something usually reserved for stories set in a galaxy far, far away: hope.
Our eyes have now been opened up to the wonders of Wakanda, and its impact on contemporary culture can’t be ignored. Here’s a multi-million-dollar blockbuster featuring a predominantly black cast who talk about black issues and celebrate their blackness in a way that’s so joyful, it mobilised A-listers like Octavia Spencer (who bought out cinemas to ensure impoverished communities could see the film) and opened up a dialogue about inclusion in Hollywood blockbusters. And in T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the film presents a complex hero who is proud of his African heritage and will fight tooth and claw to protect it.
Taking the spotlight, Boseman is as clear-eyed and robust – if not overly animated – as he was in Captain America: Civil War, bringing just the right amount of nobility to the role. While he’s at the centre of a relatively predictable coming-of-age plot, as T’Challa inherits the Wakandan throne and then loses it to Michael B Jordan’s angry, physically superior Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, Black Panther has so much more going on than that.
What’s most surprising about the film is that its message of empowerment extends to everybody around T’Challa. He’s frequently overshadowed by the women in his life, with top marks going to Danai Gurira as warrior Okoye. Whether discarding the wig forced upon her during a mission or riding a car like a bucking bronco, she’s one of the film’s strengths; a living, breathing example of the power of Wakanda.
You get the feeling that none of this would have been possible without Ryan Coogler. The Creed director’s love for T’Challa is clear from the first moment. He treats this world with the same awe and respect as Joss Whedon did the Avengers, and uses Black Panther’s story as a platform for addressing the many issues facing black communities today. The clash between T’Challa and Killmonger, for example, takes on an added tragic dimension when you realise that it’s a fight between an African and an African-American.
Coogler wraps all of this up in a typically polished Marvel package. The action is fast and slick, the CGI near-flawless. It’s a credit to him that he does so much while working within the Marvel framework. While it shouldn’t be “innovative” to have a prominently black blockbuster, the film’s dedication to so enthusiastically promoting pride and hope is – and that’s what really makes it roar.
A platform for the issues facing black communities today
Extras A wealth of material – though nothing hugely revelatory. Four featurettes (25 minutes) zoom into the various aspects of the world of Wakanda, including its technology and language, all commented on by just about every major player. Nothing, strangely, on Ludwig Göransson’s exceptional music. There’s also mini-featurette “Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years”, which mostly acts as an extended trailer for Avengers: Infinity War.
The four deleted scenes (seven minutes) arguably should have been kept in the movie. They include a fun moment for Martin Freeman as he fudges his attempt to speak Wakandan, and an emotional encounter between a young T’Challa and his father. The gag reel is comedy gold, involving a lot of between-takes crunking, and people struggling to fit the word “Wakanda” into a sentence. “There’s some exciting shit happening up in here,” comments Angela Bassett at one point.
That’s certainly true of the best extra. “From Page To Screen” is a 25-minute roundtable discussion in which Coogler chats with comic creators and contributors, among them Christopher Priest, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Don McGregor. Their passionate debate charts the legacy of Black Panther, and Coogler seems genuinely shocked by the way that his adaptation has become a phenomenon. He observes, “The things that make us unique and African, we’ve been taught to hate.” Which is exactly why his film hit so big: the Wakandan philosophy of empowerment for all is something long needed.