Set one year after the unexpected death of King T’Challa of Wakanda aka the Black Panther, the film follows those close to T’Challa trying to move forward as Queen Mother Ramonda assumes the throne as she and the country are aware of other countries wanting to have their vibranium yet is faced with a new threat in an underwater nation lead by a warrior named Namor. It is a film that isn’t just an exploration of grief and legacy but also a young woman coming to terms with loss as she discovers this new threat and why they’re angry at Wakanda as things eventually go into chaos with the country having lost its leader and great protector. The film’s screenplay by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole is really about the journey that T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) endures as she is wracked with guilt in not being able to save her brother as she spends a lot of time in the lab and trying to figure out things as a way to cope. Yet, she would be among the first to encounter Namor with her mother as well as other things that have put Wakanda in danger with other countries including the U.S.
The script doesn’t just play into Wakanda’s newfound vulnerability following T’Challa’s death and his own plans to open the doors for the country from its isolationist status. It also show why the country’s vulnerability also leaves this underwater nation known as Talokan becoming just as vulnerable due to the creation of a machine that detects vibranium. After attacking a base in which the Wakandans are accused of, Shuri and the Dora Milaje leader Okoye (Danai Gurira) travel to Boston to find the young scientist that created the machine in Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) who had no clue that the CIA had taken her creation as she helps them until they’re targeted by the FBI and later the Talokan in which Shuri goes to the Talokan home where she meets Namor and learns about his culture and where he and his people are from as well as his own issues with the people on the surface dating back to the 16th Century when he was a child and saw the horrors of humanity and how they saw him as it also play into Wakanda’s own disdain towards colonialism. Yet, things become complicated as it also has these big questions about imperialism where the script has a scene where Queen Ramonda is at Geneva talking to the United Nations about the reasons why Wakanda refuses to share their vibranium because of politics and how it can be used in the wrong hands. Even as the Talokan has vibranium in their world that has allow them to thrive without any threats until recently as it raises more tension with them and Wakanda.
It’s not just a lot of the thematic elements that Coogler and Cole are exploring with the script but also in the characters with Shuri being the one with a major arc while Okoye, Queen Ramonda, T’Challa’s former lover Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), and the Jabari mountain tribe leader M’Baku (Winston Duke) also go through developments as they encounter an ever-changing world with Nakia living in Haiti during the Blip while M’Baku becomes concerned for Shuri’s own issues following his own encounter with Namor and the Talokan. Okoye whose duty as the Dora Milaje leader would also endure her own arc following a fight with a Talokan general that didn’t go well but also be stripped of the identity that she has only known forcing her to take on a bigger role for its third act.
Coogler’s direction is vast in terms of not just the different locations the film is set as a lot of it is shot at the Pinewood Studios Atlanta in Duluth, GA as well as locations in Boston and Puerto Rico yet the film is set in many places including Haiti, Mexico, and Switzerland. For a film with grand set pieces on the surface and underwater, it doesn’t open with something big but rather a scene in Shuri’s lab as she and other scientists are scrambling for a solution until Queen Ramonda comes in and tells Shuri that her brother has died despite a small chance that Shuri took to create a cure. It would then be followed by a funeral ceremony that is just beautiful in its presentation as well as the scope of this ceremony with its usage of close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots in the Wakandan capital city streets where T’Challa’s casket is at the center of this set piece. The usage of the different locations including the scenes at the Talokan city underwater are among some of the finest set pieces created with unique wide and medium shots as they were shot in studio soundstages in actual underwater.
While the film has serious thematic elements as well as intense action set pieces that include some unique fight scenes that are wonderfully choreographed by Micah Karns that include Okoye’s fight on the bridge against a few Talokan warriors including Attuma (Alex Livinalli). There are a few comical moments such as Shuri and Okoye’s meet-up with CIA agent Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) and their first meeting with Williams who would later go to Wakanda to create her own suit similar to the Ironman suit as she would become Ironheart. Coogler also play up into a lot of the suspenseful moments in how the Talokan would introduce themselves as they would attack a couple of scientists underwater while they search for vibranium as would the dark shadow of Namor would appear in the film’s first act and his first meeting with Ramonda and Shuri during a moment between the two women as it relates to grief. Coogler also play up into Shuri’s own reliance on technology and how it would force her to look inward into her mother’s idea of faith as it is something that is key to coping with grief as it is something Namor had dealt with as it relates to his own mother (Maria Mercedes Coroy). Since this is a film set in a global scale, many different languages are used in the film in not just English, Spanish, French, and various African dialects but also Mayan as it is a language that the Talokan use to communicate.
The film’s third act is definitely the most intense not just in terms of its climax but also in terms of its emotion as it relates to Shuri confronting her own grief and guilt but also take on a role that is bigger than herself. Yet, she is also troubled by the fact that she is still a young woman as Nakia, Okoye, and M’Baku are concerned knowing that their backs are against the wall with the rest of the world and the Talokans. The film’s climax is grand and intense as it forces everyone to think about their roles in the world but also lessons learned in the aftermath. Even as it all play into grief and having to move on but also make decisions for a country whose back is against the wall by other countries who are more likely to do more damage than good. Overall, Coogler crafts a majestic and visceral film about a royal family and their country in the middle of Africa dealing with new threats as well as the loss of their great protector.
Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key lighting for the underwater scenes including the shots of the Talokan city as well as a lot of naturalistic photography for the scenes in the day as well as exterior scenes at night. Editors Michael P. Shawver, Kelley Dixon, and Jennifer Lame do excellent work with the editing as it has some unique rhythmic cuts and some stylish transitions as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Hannah Beachler, with set decorator Lisa K. Sessions and supervising art director Brad Ricker does amazing work with the set design from the look of Shuri’s lab, M’Baku’s palace, and the home of the Talokan with a lot of attention to detail that is inspired by Mayan culture. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter does phenomenal work with the costumes from the funeral garb that Shuri and Ramonda wear for T’Challa’s funeral as well as some of the new designs that Shuri has created for Okoye and the look of the Talokan in their Mayan-inspired clothing.
Special makeup effects artists Erin Keith, Tonilee Marrone, Greg McDougall, and Mark James Ross do fantastic work with the look of the Talokan with their blue-skinned look as well as some of the makeup the Wakandans wear for battle. Special effects supervisor Daniel Sudick, along with visual effects supervisors Geoffrey Bauman and Reetu Aggarwal, does terrific work with the design of Riri’s Ironheart suit in its final form as well as some of the design of Talokan as well as the force fields from Wakanda. Sound editors Steve Boeddeker and Benjamin A. Burtt, along with sound designer David C. Hughes, do superb work with the sound in the way some of the Wakandan tech are used as well as some of Riri’s designs as well as scenes underwater at the Talokan as it is a highlight of the film.
The film’s music by Ludwig Gorransson is incredible for its bombastic score that mixes orchestral music with African percussions and woodwinds as well as old Mayan woodwinds and percussions as it is a highlight of the film while music supervisor Dave Jordan help cultivate a music soundtrack that mixes elements of hip-hop, electronic music, and pop in different arrays of style that also include African and Mayan-elements in the music features contributions from Burna Boy, Tems covering Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry, Snow tha Product featuring E-40, Stormzy, Tobe Nwigwe and Fat Nwigwe, Fireboy DML, OG Day V and Future, Aleman with Rema, Bloody Civilian, and two original songs co-written and performed by Rihanna.
The casting by Sarah Halley Finn is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances as Lake Bell as a scientist trying to find vibranium only to have a bad encounter with the Talokan, Trevor Noah as the voice of Shuri’s A.I. Griot, Richard Schiff as the U.S. Secretary of State who wants access to Wakanda’s vibranium for his government, Maria Mercedes Coroy as Namor’s mother in flashbacks, Mabel Cadena as Namor’s cousin Namora who is also a warrior, Alex Livinalli as a Talokan general in Attuma whom Okoye would battle against, Connie Chiume as a royal elder stateswoman who used to be the mining tribe elder, Danny Sapani as the border tribe elder, Isaach de Bankole as the river tribe elder, and Dorothy Steel in her final film performance as the merchant tribe elder. Florence Kasumba is superb as Ayo as Okoye’s second-in-command in the Dora Milaje as she would later become its new general. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is fantastic as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine as the new director of the CIA who helps her ex-husband in Everett K. Ross in investigating what is going with Wakanda while having motives of her own.
Micaela Cole is excellent as Akeena as a Dora Milaje warrior who is bit of a rebel in terms of the weapons she likes as she would also play a key role in the third act as it relates to a new role that Okoye would also play. Martin Freeman is terrific as Everett K. Ross as a CIA agent who helps Okoye and Shuri in finding Riri Williams while trying to keep them away from the authorities. Dominique Thorne is brilliant as Riri Williams as a MIT student who has created a machine that would help find vibranium that she didn’t realize would be used by the government as she becomes a target for the Talokans where she joins the Wakandans in dealing with them while creating a suit of her own that would become Ironheart. Winston Duke is amazing as M’Baku as the leader of the Jabari tribe who lives in the mountain as he would have some comical lines in how he would deal with the Talokan while later being aware of how powerful they are as he tries to counsel Shuri about the dangers of war. Danai Gurira is incredible as Okoye as the leader of the Dora Milaje who is devoted to her role until her encounter with the Talokan in Boston has her shaken and unsure of what to do next forcing her to take on a new role. Lupita Nyong’o is remarkable as Nakia as T’Challa’s former lover who had given up her life as a spy for a quieter life in Haiti as she is asked by Ramonda to find Shuri while being aware of the threat they’re facing as well as becoming concerned for Shuri’s emotional state.
Tenoch Huerta Mejia is phenomenal as Namor as the leader of the Talokan whom is referred to as the serpent god of K’uk’ulkan who is trying to protect his people from the surface world while also seeing Wakanda as a threat where he tries to be reasonable with Shuri only for things to go wrong prompting him to fight as Mejia’s performance is full of complexities but is also someone who makes his character an anti-hero rather than a typical villain. Angela Bassett is outstanding as Queen Ramonda as the mother of Shuri and the late T’Challa who watches over the throne as she deals with the threats of other countries as well as mourning her son where she also tries to help Shuri as well as having her own encounters with Namor as it is a performance for the ages from Bassett. Finally, there’s Letitia Wright in a sensational performance as Shuri as T’Challa’s younger sister who has a hard time coping with her loss as she is also trying to figure out what Namor wants where it is a whirlwind of a performance where Wright captures the anguish and confusion of a young woman who is still lost while also unsure of where to go as she ultimately takes on a role that her people need to play.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a tremendous film from Ryan Coogler. Featuring a great ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, intricate set and costume designs, an evocative music score and soundtrack, and its exploration of loss, identity, and grief on a world stage. It is a film that isn’t just this intense yet exhilarating action-blockbuster but also a film that tackles some serious political ideas as well as being this exploration of loss as the film is also a fitting tribute to the original Black Panther in Chadwick Boseman. In the end, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a spectacular film from Ryan Coogler.
Ryan Coogler Films: Fruitvale Station - Creed (2015 film) - Sinners (2025 film) - The Auteurs #74: Ryan Coogler
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man and the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Eternals - Spider-Man: No Way Home - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Thor: Love and Thunder - Werewolf by Night - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
© thevoid99 2022
Written and directed by Jordan Peele, Us is the story of a family who go on a summer vacation as their time of relaxation is shattered by the presence of their doppelgangers. The film is a psychological horror film that explores a family who meet people who look exactly like them but with elements that are totally different. Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Evan Alex, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Tim Heidecker, and Elisabeth Moss. Us is an eerie and terrifying film from Jordan Peele.
A family travels to Santa Cruz, California for a summer vacation as their bliss is interrupted by people who are their doppelgangers as they would terrorize the family. That is the film’s premise as it’s really more about a woman who is still haunted by a traumatic event at the Santa Cruz boardwalk back in 1986 when she was a kid as she is convinced that her doppelganger is coming after her. The film begins with a sequence in 1986 where this young girl goes into a hall of mirrors place at the Santa Cruz boardwalk where she sees something and has been traumatized since. Jordan Peele’s screenplay does maintain this air of suspense and ambiguity as well as knowing when to use flashbacks as it relates to Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) when she was a child (Madison Curry). Going on a vacation with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), their teenage daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason (Evan Alex). The first act is about Adelaide and the family arriving to Santa Cruz that is supposed to be fun as they also meet family friends in Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and Josh Tyler (Tim Heidecker).
When Jason goes to the bathroom, he encounters something strange as it would set things up for what is to come later that night when Adelaide, Gabe, Zora, and Jason discover a family coming into their home as they’re wearing red jumpsuits, a glove in their right hand, and carrying a sharp pair of scissors. The second act isn’t just about Adelaide and her family dealing with their doppelgangers but also other doppelgangers who are trying to wreak havoc. Peele’s script doesn’t just play into Adelaide’s own memories from the past but also the intention of her doppelganger that also includes a warped version of the 1986 benefit event where 6.5 million Americans hold hands to form a human chain that was known as Hands Across America in an effort to fight hunger and homelessness.
Peele’s direction definitely echoes elements of 1980s horror but also elements of Alfred Hitchcock yet Peele aims for something that is atmospheric with a bit of social commentary and humor. Shot on location in Santa Cruz, California and nearby areas including Los Angeles, the film does play into this idea of a family summer vacation where there’s some shenanigans and other humorous moments. Particularly where Peele does play into Gabe trying to show his wife and kids the new boat he bought along with a moment of him in bed wanting to have some alone time with the wife. There are some wide shots in some of the locations including the film’s opening flashback sequence that includes a reference to a 1980s horror classic where the young Adelaide is with her parents (Anna Diop and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) are taking her to the Santa Cruz boardwalk where her father is drunk and playing games with Adelaide being interested in her surroundings leading to the hall of mirrors. Peele’s approach to compositions for these moments are straightforward with its usage of close-ups and medium shots including a family dinner early in the film with Adelaide, Gabe, and the kids.
Once the family meet their doppelganger, Peele does maintain this air of unease into what this family is facing as many of the doppelganger don’t really say a word as a matriarch’s doppelganger would crow into the sky as a way of communication. Yet, it is Adelaide’s doppelganger Red that is able to say something intelligible but with a speech that is chilling. During its second act when Adelaide and her family try to escape, there are these moments of dark humor when the Tylers meet their own doppelgangers where Peele reveal the home they live in is spacious and very modern in comparison to the more quaint and humble home of Gabe and Adelaide. The film’s third act is about the discovery of these doppelgangers and their habitats but also reveal some deep ideas about humanity and identity that also relate to this biblical quote from Jeremiah 11:11. Overall, Peele crafts an unsettling and provocative film about a family’s summer vacation that turns into a nightmare by their doppelgangers.
Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward for many of the exterior scenes in the day while maintaining some low-key lighting and moods for scenes set at night including at the homes of some of the characters in the film as well as the hall of mirrors. Editor Nicholas Monsour does brilliant work with the editing as it doesn’t dwell too much into style in favor of something more straightforward in its presentation along with rhythmic cuts that don’t play too long into scenes with some long shots. Production designer Ruth De Jong, with set decorator Florencia Martin and art director Cara Brower, does fantastic work with the look of the home that Gabe and Adelaide live in along with the home of the Tylers and the hall of mirrors. Costume designer Kym Barrett does terrific work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with the exception of the red jumpsuits the doppelgangers wear as well as the masks that Jason and his doppelganger wear.
Makeup artist Sabrina Castro does nice work with the look of the doppelgangers in how they’re different from their real selves including what is under the mask of Jason’s doppelganger. Visual effects supervisor Grady Cofer is superb for the look of the doppelganger in scenes with their real selves as well as some set-dressing and material shown on 1980s television in those times. Sound editor Trevor Gates does amazing work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the film as well as small sound effects and such that also build in the tension of the suspense and drama. The film’s music by Michael Abels is incredible with its haunting usage of vocal choirs, bombastic orchestral arrangements, and other eerie pieces that definitely recall some of the work of Bernard Herrmann in his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock in maintaining a mood and tone for the film as it is a major highlight. The film’s music soundtrack is a wonderful mixture of music ranging from pop, R&B, and hip-hop from acts such as the Beach Boys, N.W.A., Janelle Monae, Minnie Ripperton, Luniz featuring Michael Marshall, Koffee, and Noname with Eyrn Allen Kane and Akenya.
The casting by Terri Taylor is great as it feature some notable small roles from Cali and Noelle Sheldon in their respective roles as Kitty and Josh’s twin teenage daughters in Gwen and Maggie as well as their respective doppelgangers in Io and Nix, Anna Diop and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Adelaide’s parents in the film’s flashback scenes as well as their doppelgangers, and Madison Curry as the young Adelaide as the young girl who encounters something terrifying in her own doppelganger. Tim Heidecker is superb as Josh Tyler as a guy who likes to drink and wear punk rock t-shirts where he is lazy while his doppelganger Tex is just a wild man that is sort of the opposite of Josh. Elisabeth Moss is fantastic as Kitty Tyler as a friend of Adelaide and Gabe who likes to drink and not do much as she plays the typical rich housewife while her doppelganger Dahlia is just fucking insane in terms of her facial expressions and physicality.
Evan Alex and Shahadi Wright Joseph are excellent in their respective roles as Jason and Zora as Gabe and Adelaide’s kids with Alex playing the young Jason who likes to wear a mask and do magic tricks while Joseph displays the trait of a typical teenager yet both prove that they can do some things and figure out how to outsmart their doppelgangers where Alex and Joseph both display a creepy vibe into their performances as their respective doppelgangers in Pluto and Umbrae. Winston Duke is brilliant as Gabe Wilson as a typical dad who likes to do silly things and listen to old music as there is a comic element to him but also someone who isn’t willing to take shit from his doppelganger Abraham who has a more intimidating presence due to his size and animalistic physicality. Finally, there’s Lupita Nyong’o in a phenomenal performance as Adelaide Wilson as Gabe’s wife who is still haunted by her childhood memories where she finds herself needing to protect her family while her doppelganger Red is just chilling in her physicality and in her speaking voice as it is truly a career-defining performance for Nyong’o.
Us is a tremendous film from Jordan Peele that features sensational performances from Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke. Along with its ensemble cast, riveting script, eerie visuals, intricate sound, and Michael Abel’s unsettling score. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to showcase its influences but also find ways to create a story that is willing to ask big questions about identity, race, and the faults of humanity. In the end, Us is a spectacular film from Jordan Peele.
Jordan Peele Films: Get Out - Nope
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the comic series by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, Black Panther is the story of a king of an isolated yet thriving African country who finds himself dealing with his new role as well as an enemy who wants to claim his right to the throne. Directed by Ryan Coogler and screenplay by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, the film is an exploration of a man trying to protect his country while dealing with some of the drawbacks of his country’s isolationist approach from outsiders as Chadwick Boseman plays the titular role of the hero and the King of Wakanda in T’Challa. Also starring Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Forest Whitaker, Martin Freeman, Leticia Wright, Winston Duke, Andy Serkis, Isaach de Bankole, and Angela Bassett as the Queen Mother of Wakanda in Ramonda. Black Panther is a riveting and exhilarating film from Ryan Coogler.
Following the events in which King T’Challa finds the true killer of his father as well as deal with conflict between Captain America and Iron Man, the new king of Wakanda returns home where he doesn’t just deal with his new role but also the threat of new enemies who challenge T’Challa’s claim to the throne as well as what the country possesses. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore a man dealing with the weight of what he has to do to protect his country and its people but also deal with the sins of the past that his predecessors had made including his own father T’Chaka (John Kani) as it relates to the country’s isolationist persona. The film’s screenplay by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, with un-credited contributions from Donald and Stephen Glover, doesn’t just explore some of the fallacies of being an isolationist country that prefers to keep its resource known as vibranium to itself rather than share it with others in fear they would use the resource for devious reasons.
It’s this sense of isolation that would prove to be futile as the film has a prologue in which the young T’Chaka (Atandwa Kani) confronts a man (Sterling K. Brown) who helped the notorious arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) in obtaining vibranium. That man would have a son named Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan) who would later create havoc with Klaue’s help as he has some legitimate reasons for wanting to stake his claim to Wakanda’s throne. For T’Challa, the news about Killmonger as well as his failed attempt to capture Klaue has him turning to his father’s longtime advisor Zuri (Forest Whitaker) about some truths of Killmonger’s identity as well as what happened back in 1992 as it relates to Killmonger’s father. Killmonger’s motivations for wanting to claim his right to the throne definitely has a lot about not just Africa’s role in the world but also the need to rise up against those that had repressed the continent and its people where he sees Wakanda as a country that should lead this revolt. For T’Challa, he understands Killmonger’s reasons but knows that it can go wrong where he finds himself having to deal with Killmonger.
It’s not just Zuri that T’Challa turns to for advice and wisdom but also his mother Ramonda and other tribe elders who express concerns for Killmonger’s claim and Klaue’s black-market dealings. Still, T’Challa has others to count on such as his younger sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) who is the country’s tech genius, his former lover/spy Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), and Okoye (Danai Gurira) who is the leader of the king’s personal bodyguard regiment known as the Dora Milaje who all understand T’Challa’s struggle to make the right decisions. There are also tribe leaders such as longtime friend W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) who wants the country to thrive yet understands that Killmonger has some legitimate views about Wakanda. Killmonger’s threat to the throne would also force T’Challa to turn to a tribe leader in M’Baku (Winston Duke) whose tribe isn’t part of the council due to ideological disagreements as he would see what Killmonger is trying to do with Wakanda.
Coogler’s direction is sprawling not just in its action set pieces but also for the way he would create a country that is unique in the middle of Africa where it disguises itself as a third-world nation but is really a first-class country that has technology that is far more advanced than the rest of the world. Shot mainly at EUE/Screen Gems studio in Atlanta with a few sequences shot in Busan, South Korea and Oakland, California, the film does play into this idea an African country that never experienced being colonized or endure ideas of racism like other countries in Africa. The country of Wakanda is a character in the film where it has this mixture of being pure in its fields, mountains, and rivers while the cities are filled with these immense technological advances but that are also colorful and with its own identity. It’s a country that Coogler created where it feels like it could be real and it also displays elements of tradition and culture that has a lot of respect of what Africa is and what it could be if they weren’t shackled by colonialism and centuries of horrible atrocities and oppression.
Coogler’s direction also has some stylistic flair in its visuals as well as in some of the action scenes where he would create some tracking crane shots to play into the scope of the action as well as some of the dramatic moments in Wakanda. The usage of wide and medium shots do capture that beauty of Wakanda with a great depth of field as Coogler would see what goes inside of the country as it relates to its mines as well as the council meetings where tribe leaders, tribe elders, and others are treated equally in a shot with T’Challa part of this circle. Especially the women as the Dora Milaje is a task force that takes care of business where Coogler knows how to present them with this air of importance as well as knowing they’re a regiment not to be fucked with. The stakes do become more important in the third act where T’Challa has to turn to those who are loyal to him as well as unexpected allies that include CIA agent Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) who would see what Wakanda really is as well as why the country has isolated itself leading to this climax between T’Challa and Killmonger. A showdown that isn’t just about Wakanda’s future but also a chance for the former to prove his worth as the country’s true king. Overall, Coogler crafts a gripping yet thrilling film about a king defending his throne and people from a mysterious outsider.
Cinematographer Rachel Morrison does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of colors and lighting cues for many of the exterior settings in South Korea and Wakanda as well as some low-key yet gorgeous looks for some of the interiors including the vibranium mines and Wakandan herbs. Editor Michael P. Shawver and Claudia Castello do excellent work with the editing as it does have elements of style without going too much into fast-cutting editing styles where it allows the audience to see what is going on as well as provide rhythmic cuts for some of the film’s humorous moments. Production designer Hannah Beachler, with set decorator Jay Hart and supervising art director Alan Hook, does incredible work with the look of Wakanda in the buildings as well as the palace hall and Shuri’s lab to showcase a world that is unique as it is a highlight of the film.
Costume designer Ruth E. Carter does amazing work with the costumes from the look of the Black Panther costumes to the colorful robes and uniforms that the characters wear as it is based on a lot of African clothing as it is another of the film’s highlights. Makeup designer Joel Harlow does fantastic work with the some of the makeup that the characters would sport including some scars in the bodies and prosthetics that one of the tribe elders would have. Special effects supervisor Daniel Sudick and visual effects supervisor Geoffrey Baumann do terrific work with the visual effects in the way they present some of the exteriors of Wakanda and its city as well as the vibranium mines and other things including Shuri’s technology as it is another highlight of the film.
Sound designer Steve Boeddeker, along with co-sound editor Benjamin A. Burtt, does superb work with the sound as it help play into some unique sound effects as well as textures in the sound to play into the locations and weapons that are used. The film’s music by Ludwig Goransson is phenomenal for its bombastic mixture of orchestral music with elements of traditional African music in its mixture of string and vocal music as it play into the world that is Africa while music supervisor Dave Jordan would provide a mixture of traditional African music and some hip-hop with original songs by Kendrick Lamar who would help cultivate a soundtrack that features contributions from Vince Staples, SZA, 2 Chainz, Schoolboy Q, Saudi, Khalid, Swae Lee, Yugen Blakrok, Jorja Smith, Future, the Weekend, and several others as it’s a highlight of the film.
The casting by Sarah Finn is tremendous as it feature some notable small roles from John Kani as T’Challa’s father T’Chaka, Atandwa Kani as the young T’Chaka, Denzel Whitaker as the young Zuri, the quartet of Danny Sapani, Connie Chiume, Dorothy Steel, and Isaach de Bankole as tribe elders, Seth Carr as the boy version of Killmonger, Ashton Tyler as the young T’Challa, the obligatory cameo from comic co-creator Stan Lee, Florence Kasumba as Okoye’s right-hand woman Ayo who is second-in-command of the Dora Milaje, and Sterling K. Brown in a small yet pivotal role as a Wakdadan agent who would play a major role into the drama that would occur many years later. Andy Serkis is terrific as Ulysses Klaue as a black-market arms dealer that is trying to get a hold of vibranium to sell as it is a comical yet fun performance from Serkis. Forest Whitaker is superb as Zuri as a royal advisor who was a friend of T’Chaka as he would guide T’Challa about his role as well as carry secrets that he knew would haunt him. Angela Bassett is fantastic as Queen mother Ramonda as T’Challa and Shuri’s mother who would help T’Challa with his role as well as deal with revelations about Killmonger.
Daniel Kaluuya is excellent as W’Kabi as a tribe leader who leads the country’s border defense team that is a friend of T’Challa who finds himself intrigued by what Killmonger is offering while Winston Duke is brilliant as M’Baku as a tribe leader of an isolated mountain clan who has issues with T’Challa but realizes the seriousness of Killmonger’s threats. Martin Freeman is amazing as Everett K. Ross as a CIA agent trying to capture Klaue in South Korea only to be injured by an attack where he’s taken to Wakanda as he learns about the country and helps T’Challa deal with Killmonger. Danai Gurira is incredible as Okoye as the leader of the Dora Milaje special forces unit whose job is to protect the king as she is also a traditionalist of sorts as it relates to Wakanda as she also sees Killmonger as a serious threat to everything she stands for. Letitia Wright is marvelous as Shuri as T’Challa’s teenage sister who is considered to be the smartest person in the world as she creates much of the country’s technology as well as provide gadgets for her brother and is also willing to defend her brother’s throne by any means necessary.
Lupita Nyong’o is remarkable as Nakia as a former lover of T’Challa as a spy for the country who works to liberate people from other countries as she helps T’Challa in his new role as well as the threat of Killmonger whom she sees as a dangerous extreme. Michael B. Jordan is phenomenal as Erik “Killmonger” Stevens as a mercenary who has legitimate claims to the throne of Wakanda as he’s an unconventional villain that has not just political and social motivations for his claim to the throne but also personal as he displays a sense of charisma that makes him a top-tier antagonist that has some compelling arguments about Wakanda’s place in the world. Finally, there’s Chadwick Boseman in a sensational performance as the titular character/King T’Challa of Wakanda as a man who has just become king as he deals with his new role and the new threats that are emerging where it’s a performance that has humor but also a gracefulness and the need to display humility as a man that is trying to create his own legacy but also play a role that carries a lot of weight as it’s a career-defining performance for Boseman.
Black Panther is a tremendous film from Ryan Coogler. Featuring an incredible ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, top-notch art direction, stylish costumes, thrilling visual effects, a killer music score and soundtrack, and themes that are willing to engage audiences about political and social themes around the world. It’s a film that isn’t just an entertaining and riveting superhero film but it offers so much more as it allows audience ideas of what an African country could be but also what it could for the world and the people with a simple message that universal and relevant. In the end, Black Panther is a magnificent film from Ryan Coogler.
Ryan Coogler Films: Fruitvale Station - Creed (2015 film) - Sinners (2025 film) - The Auteurs #74: Ryan Coogler
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers (2012 film)
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man & the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World
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