Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Tonally more of a bleak war movie more than a high-energy superhero one; the added weight and maturity in the script is refreshing, though the interesting dramatic dynamic of two oppressed nations on edge deserved a more nuanced climax and resolve than a generic and uncomfortable green-screen battle that ends abruptly. Fantastic turns by Wright, Bassett, and Huerta in particular accentuate some great character work though, especially for the grief-stricken Shuri. Great visuals and music.

6

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Not a huge fan of cell-phone graphics and I suppose in retrospect there might be a couple moments here too on-the-nose, but damn if this isn’t ultimately utterly beautiful and devastating in its execution. Naturalistic dialogue, excellent acting, and gorgeous handheld cinematography subtly portray Black beauty and heart poking their way through the cracks of white concrete (see the b-day dinner) only to be crushed mercilessly by the boot of racist law enforcement in a gut-wrenching final act.

9

Black Panther (2018)

The people, sets, and costumes of the fascinating Wakanda are a fantastic breath of fresh air, and the supporting characters especially (Nakia, Okoye, Shuri) all beg for further fleshing out. As an action film it worked better with Serkis’ simpler villain (see the awesome South Korea sequence) than Jordan’s more complex one, as the good vs. evil nuances he introduced deserved a slower drama instead of a sudden civil war and typical superhero climax (though the epilogue was of course touching).

6