ThisBlack Pantherreview contains spoilers.
I wouldnt be surprised ifBlack Pantherturns out to be one of the most influential movies of the decade.
But TChaka refuses and is forced to kill NJobu.
The politics at the center ofBlack Pantherare what give the movie its urgency and power.
Coogler and co-writerJoe Robert Coleuse Wakanda both as a vision and as a symbol.
Its a glorious, What If?
Image via Marvel Studios
and taken on its own terms, its a wondrous land that we want to keep visiting.
But Coogler doesnt ignore the politics that have made Wakanda so successful.
Its a nation built on isolationism, and that isolationism mirrors the America First policies of Americas right wing.
Image via Marvel Studios
ButBlack Pantherisnt just TChallas story.
It stops being about the political repercussions and the challenges of leadership and more about stopping the bad guy.
And thats fine to a degree since Killmonger needs to be defeated, but its far less interesting.
Image via Marvel Studios
Pretending that TChallas dead is a waste of time since we know he didnt really die when facing Killmonger.
And then the climactic battle just feels like a CGI parade without the weight of character interactions.
In its third act,Black Panthermoves from groundbreaking to perfunctory.
Image via Marvel Studios
Image via Marvel Studios
