“Black Panther” reigns as Marvel’s best film yet

Superhero fatigue has become more common in Hollywood and it seems to be more rampant in movies nowadays.

“Black Panther” breaks the streak of superhero films that seem like the same as before and brings audiences one of the freshest and smartest films that I have ever

The film picks up days after the death of King T’Chaka in Marvel’s Civil War as T’Challa returns to Wakanda to be crowned king. T’Challa is wrestling with following the tradition of keeping Wakanda hidden from the world or letting the world see the real and true nation. As he struggles with the inner turmoil of honoring his father and his ancestors, a mysterious outsider comes to challenge his rule, and T’Challa must rise to the occasion and honor the title of Black Panther.

The film has multiple factors that make it one of the best Marvel films including one of the best black casts in film.

The film is led by Chadwick Boseman, who continues T’Challa’s development from “Captain America: Civil War” to this film as he battles tradition and foes from outside Wakanda’s borders. Boseman is able to bring depth to T’Challa as a man who wants to live up to the moniker of king while confronting not only mistakes of his country’s past but also just how he will run Wakanda differently from his predecessors.

Boseman is great as the lead but, in my opinion, is overshadowed by many of the supporting cast. Unlike T’Challa, many of the supporting characters are complex and multidimensional and can stand out from supporting casts of past Marvel films.

The character that steals the show is the villain of the film, Erik “Killmonger” Stevens played to perfection by Michael B. Jordan. Jordan takes a one-dimensional villain from the comics and makes him the most dynamic and round villain that Marvel has had on screen since Loki.

Killmonger wants to take over Wakanda not only for the throne but also to bring Wakanda out of hiding and show the world just how powerful the African nation is.

Jordan plays Killmonger as a radical whose goal makes Wakandans sympathize with him but also many moviegoers could agree on. Killmonger is akin to Heath Ledger’s Joker from “The Dark Knight”; all he cares about is his own agenda, and it doesn’t matter what happens to anyone else.

He’s not Ronan the Accuser or Yellowjacket. No, he is ruthless and cunning and will stop at nothing to gain what he wants, taking out anyone who is in his way.

Lupita Nyong’o plays T’Challa’s former lover and spy for Wakanda, Nakia.                                  

She is a confidant that T’Challa speaks to about what he wants to achieve as king and he yearns for her to return to Wakanda and be at his side as queen. Nyong’o gives Nakia depth and shows that, as a spy, she can hold her own as a fighter, but, most of all, she loves T’Challa and Wakanda and wants to protect both from danger, including Killmonger.

Danai Gurira plays T’Challa’s general Okoye, who also leads Wakanda’s elite guard, the Dora Milaje. She is fiercely loyal to T’Challa, and Gurira uses her training from “The Walking Dead” to show just how formidable a fighter Okoye is. Gurira gives one of the best performances of the film, mixing humor with fierce loyalty to create a memorable character at T’Challa’s side.

Another standout of the film is Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, T’Challa’s sister who leads and creates all of Wakanda’s tech. Shuri is a sarcastic and witty character who always has a joke on hand to fire at anyone and a wide variety of gadgets for T’Challa to use in the field. She is the Q to T’Challa’s James Bond, as a sixteen-year-old black girl, breaks the mold of the tech guy or even the “Guy in the Chair” from “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

The rest of the ensemble blends together and creates a rich group of characters that T’Challa has by his side to defend Wakanda.

Actors such as Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett play Zuri and T’Challa’s mother Ramonda, and both are figures that help lead T’Challa to become a better and stronger king.

Andy Serkis returns from “Avengers: Age of Ultron” as smuggler Ulysses Klause, who after the events of that film has a new sonic cannon arm and a vendetta to finally expose Wakanda with the help of Erik Killmonger.

Serkis brings levity and fun to the film, and his jabs to certain characters help make Klaue a funny side antagonist to T’Challa and the inhabitants of Wakanda.

Sterling K. Brown appears as a character named N’Jobu and, in the few scenes he is in, brings his A-game. In one of the most emotional scenes of the film, Brown caused me to shed a tear for the conversation he has with another character that illuminates the idea of family and the overarching theme of tradition.

The fight choreography of the film is fantastic and highlights just how formidable the characters in Wakanda are as fighters. From a ceremonial fight under a waterfall to an epic car chase through Busan, South Korea, the film allows viewers to see some of the best set pieces in any superhero film made by Marvel or DC.

The production value of the film is also spectacular mixing the ideas of Afrofuturism with the traditional garb and styles of African tribes from countries such as Uganda and Rwanda. The idea of Afrofuturism, blending the traditional ideas and look of Africa with the more modern ideas of technology and architecture, allows Wakanda to be one of the most breathtaking and diverse lands of any film.

The colors are stunning and pop on the screen bringing one of the most visually breathtaking films to screen. From the neon in Busan to the traditional colors of the five tribes of Wakanda, the film brings one of the widest arrays of colors ever seen to a Marvel film only rivalled by the look of Sakaar from “Thor Ragnarok.”

The themes of the film though are what definitely make this a must-see film for anyone.

The idea of helping the world with the unlimited resources is truly good but Killmonger twists that idea into something sinister. That idea of isolationism is threaded through the film and makes people, including myself, question the idea of closing borders and limiting who a nation can help, especially in the political climate that we are in right now.

Do you choose to protect the country you live in and the people there or help benefit the world outside and those who really need the aid?

That is the idea that burns at the center of “Black Panther,” and the film not only allows you to ponder it but even take it and form your own opinion of it. The best thing about the entire movie is that, unlike past films, you can sympathize with the villain and his overall cause. The use of modern day issues mixed into a comic book film allows viewers to confront those ideas but in a recognizable sense from something that they know.

“Black Panther” is not only the best Marvel film in my opinion but also one of the best films I have seen in a very long time. The film mixes a spy thriller with a political drama and blends them seamlessly into a coherent, strong picture.

The acting is superb and the performers bring their all delivering some of the most nuanced performances ever seen in the MCU. Everything about “Black Panther,” from the villain to the themes it tackles makes it the best film that Marvel has ever released.

I give “Black Panther” 5 stars out of 5.