'Black Panther' Review

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. 

It should also be noted that Black Panther is easily one of Marvel's most visually-striking works to date! Every shot captured by recently Academy Award nominated cinematographer, Rachel Morrison, is breathtaking to say the least, and the vibrant visual effects only accentuate her work. On top of that, the production design and elaborate cultural costumes worked wonders in regards to meshing Wakanda's astounding technological achievements with a tribal aesthetic, and I haven't even mentioned Ludwig Göransson's sumptuous score! Göransson's compositions are delightfully diverse and feature an extensive arrangement of instruments including everything from upbeat African drums to a swelling string section. For those hooked on the film's accompanying album assembled by Kendrick Lamar though, you may disappointed to learn that most of the music didn't make it into the film (barring a few exceptions).

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. 

Film Assessment: A

'Creed' Review

Nominated For: Best Supporting Actor; Sylvester Stallone.

I finally found time to go see Creed, and can say I was very impressed! I had heard plenty positive buzz, but avoided allowing that to affect my perception. However, I can say I whole-heartingly agree with all of the love for the film.

Creed is the seventh installment in the Rocky franchise that references events from the previous films while managing to invigorate the franchise. It pays homage to the original while viewing it through the lens of more modern filmmaking. Ryan Coogler directs the film and does a phenomenal job. There have been rumors recently that Coogler may be up to direct one of Marvel's upcoming films Black Panther, and I really hope he lands the gig after seeing Creed.

Coogler effectively works with the cinematographer to create some incredible shots. The fighting sequences were very well shot, with one lengthy fight done in one-take to great effect. The very tightly knit camerawork matches the fighting choreography for the film and remains very focused on the action effectively. Coogler utilizes slow motion, POV shots and some very tight frames to really add to the intensity of the action.

The film also takes full advantage of the classical musical score from Rocky subtly inserting it in small doses throughout the film till the training sequence that rivals that of the original while paying homage to that classic scene as well. When the film reaches this training scene that clearly parallels the original classic scene, it no longer holds back. The iconic score and the trumpets begin to blast and it really adds to the experience of the film.

The performances in the film are limited to a few key characters, in particular Jordan and Stallone. Michael B. Jordan brings a feeling of intensity to the film and proves he is very capable as the leading man portraying Adonis Creed.

Sylvester Stallone provides what may just be his best performance ever in revisiting the role of Rocky Balboa. Stallone is able to bring the character back while adding new layers of depth to the character with a new air of sagely wisdom, and gives a performance I think could be deemed worthy for awards consideration.

Tessa Thompson brings a more interesting love interest to be paired with Adonis and had some great chemistry onscreen with Jordan, maintaining a presence for the character with an interesting story.

The film's antagonist is played by real life boxer, Tony "Bomber" Bellow, who is serviceable as the villain, but doesn't really bring anything special or much to the role aside from the intense climactic fight.

Overall, I can say that this is one of the best films I've seen all year! Now, I'm going to give it an A+ and I've done that quite a bit with some of my more recent reviews, but be aware that I do hold this score back and only give it to films that I believe deserve it and earn the rating. I can't recommend this film enough and can say I feel it holds up to Rocky and is just as great if not better!

Film Assessment: A+