Why Black Panther will bust a billion & maybe out-gross TLJ
Feb 27, 2018 12:38:28 GMT
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coldenhaulfield likes this
Post by Surly on Feb 27, 2018 12:38:28 GMT
Thanx to coldenhaulfield - he compared these 2 movies in another thread. So I'm gonna jump right into a detailed comparison. And I'm gonna make a case for why BP is a better movie.
The lead protagonist: Rey vs. T'Challa
Coincidentally both these characters go through internal conflict, insecurities, and a measure of self-discovery based off of the absence of parents.
For Rey she is obsessed with finding her parents for obvious reasons typical of any orphan: a sense of being loved, self worth, a sense of family, answers to why and how she grew up without them. For T'Challa it's to fill the void of losing his father. And trying to find his way as being a leader and king unexpectedly without this key parental figure.
Rey constantly waffles on embracing her destiny, and putting the search for her parents before it is one of the main reasons. Her storyline tried to portray Rey's search for her parents as conflicting with her destiny. But it teased that their identification was part of Rey's destiny. Eventually her parents turned out to be pointless deadbeat nobodies who have no bearing on her destiny at all. Just an emotional distraction she can't seem to get past. Not exactly rewarding stuff as character development goes.
T'Challa needs his father for guidance in a crucial moment in his life. His absence leaves him insecure and uncertain about how to fulfill his destiny. For spoiler purposes I'll just say that he was also affected by his father's absence when it came to secrets that affected his destiny. The storyline did a good job of showing why those things affected T'Challa's destiny. How he dealt with it was important.
The lead character's exposition: Rey vs. T'Challa
Through 2 films what have we gotten on Rey's backstory and exposition? First, Jar Jar Binks... oops, Jar Jar Abrams mystery box nonsense. Then Rian Johnson unlocking their empty content... or context, depending on how you look at it. Rey is the most powerful Force user we've ever seen because...?
It must be because of her parents? After all she's obsessed with knowing who they are (and so was the storyline). Nope! They were drunkards likely long dead from cirrhosis of the liver. It must be because of the lightsaber? It called to her and gave her visions. Nope! Luke tossed it over a cliff. Then Reylo ripped it apart in a Force pull contrast. Rey doesn't need any training because?... Because Yoda said so.
Rey's exposition is poor to none. And the storyteller tells us to blindly accept it and don't question it. Or risk being labeled a misogynistic nerd.
Within the first 10 minutes of the Black Panther movie we're given backstory on T'Challa's heritage. We're given exposition on what he owes his talents and powers to. And from there the exposition is occasionally strengthened throughout the story. I don't know about you but that only helps me identify with character more. And take her more seriously within the context of the story's universe.
The women characters
Rey I've already gone over. The only thing I would add is that we are continually reminded in both films that Rey is better at everything than everyone else (possibly Snoke withstanding). The best at dueling. The best at using the Force. The best at piloting the Millennium Falcon. The best at gunning the Millennium Falcon. The best at translation. The best mechanic. JUST BECAUSE SHE'S REY. And people wonder where the MarySue stigma comes from.
But in TFA Leia and Maz seemed to be well rounded female characters. TLJ only undermined that. Maz was a pointless cameo. Leia turns into Carrie Poppins. She quipped humorous sarcasm throughout, as if she were trying to channel Han Solo. But real negatives for the female characters came in the form of Holdo and Rose. Both acted like strong women not afraid to take charge of situations. But both constantly made head scratching decisions that did more harm than good, and sometimes risked ruining everything that they claimed that they were fighting for. But the storyteller tried to portray it as assets, not flaws! Huh?
By contrast the women of Black Panther; namely Nakia, Okoye, and Suri were strong female characters. Characters that the audience could plainly see were making positive impacts on their situations. They were portrayed as trained, educated, and experienced. As passionate and devoted. As skilled and intelligent. The story built in reasons why we could or should believe it. In contrast, TLJ and TFA asked us to just believe their female characters to be the same thing just because they take charge. Or just because the Force makes them that way without exposition... Weak.
The tone:
The tone of TFA was often copied from ANH. But you could also clearly see typical Disney tone. Finn's being more of a bumbling heel sidekick was typical Disney. At times it seemed out of character for anyone with a Stormtrooper background. The tone of Rey's connection to the Force was more Disney magic than the Force. In other words, an unexplainable power that is unbeatable and even beyond being challenged. It chooses the female protagonist because it likes her. It has a fan crush on her. That's the exposition we got on Rey's connection to the Force. It continued in TLJ. One problem though - as Han said "That's not how the Force works!" It's how Disney magic works.
The Last Jedi"s tone had even more problems. Over the top, out of place humor. (It seemed more Disney or Marvel than Star Wars). Weak supporting characters. And a poorly done characterization of hallmark character. Yeah, how they characterized Luke Skywalker was unforgivable.
The tone of Black Panther was one of the better examples from the MCU. Some good general humor was mixed in with typical Marvel humor. But the movie also had a more serious tone. Something that moved it's tone a little in the direction of a DC fan's appreciation. It had lulls and flaws at times but mostly of the nitpicking variety.
Action and visuals:
All of the Disney SW films have excelled here. TLJ is no exception. I would give the nod to TLJ but BP's visuals were no slouch. And the action in BP was more consistent.
Fight choreography? TLJ threw all of it's eggs in one basket with the duel in the throne room. But BP's fight choreography was high caliber also and spread throughout the film. The Dora Milaje was great. Not quite as stylized as the Amazonian warriors of Wonder Woman, but still very watchable, skillful portrayal and ballpark by comparison.
Writing:
Bluntly put, the characters, storylines, and plot are far better written in BP than in TLJ. While BP may have been sprinkled with plot holes, TLJ was hemorrhaging with them. Sometimes gaping plot holes! BP had storylines that strengthened and progressed character development. TLJ had storylines that weakened or regressed character development. Luke, Hux, and Poe weren't the only ones but they were the most blatant examples.
The villains:
Kylo Ren is not without his weaknesses as a character from a storytelling standpoint. But he does often carry the story when asked to. And Adam Driver's acting only strengthens the portrayal. And Snoke was mesmerizing and intriguing. Unfortunately that was deflated when it became apparent that he was just a throwaway placeholder for Kylo devoid of exposition.
Killmonger came off as a skilled villain and a viable threat. You could make an that the character might have been a little too cliche and/or politicized. But the number two bad guy might've actually been a more memorable villain: Ulysses Klau.
Arguably the nod to SW here.
The conclusion:
I went to see Black Panther this weekend and the lines are still long; the shows are still selling out regularly. It's not without it's flaws but I can see reasons why.
The Last Jedi? I think most of the momentum for that movie from Disney warrior princess fans and hardcores who will watch anything with the SW name on it. (SW: A Porg Story if they made it). By strength of characters and story BP is a better movie than TLJ. And there's no reason that couldn't carry it past a billion or even catch TLJ.
The lead protagonist: Rey vs. T'Challa
Coincidentally both these characters go through internal conflict, insecurities, and a measure of self-discovery based off of the absence of parents.
For Rey she is obsessed with finding her parents for obvious reasons typical of any orphan: a sense of being loved, self worth, a sense of family, answers to why and how she grew up without them. For T'Challa it's to fill the void of losing his father. And trying to find his way as being a leader and king unexpectedly without this key parental figure.
Rey constantly waffles on embracing her destiny, and putting the search for her parents before it is one of the main reasons. Her storyline tried to portray Rey's search for her parents as conflicting with her destiny. But it teased that their identification was part of Rey's destiny. Eventually her parents turned out to be pointless deadbeat nobodies who have no bearing on her destiny at all. Just an emotional distraction she can't seem to get past. Not exactly rewarding stuff as character development goes.
T'Challa needs his father for guidance in a crucial moment in his life. His absence leaves him insecure and uncertain about how to fulfill his destiny. For spoiler purposes I'll just say that he was also affected by his father's absence when it came to secrets that affected his destiny. The storyline did a good job of showing why those things affected T'Challa's destiny. How he dealt with it was important.
The lead character's exposition: Rey vs. T'Challa
Through 2 films what have we gotten on Rey's backstory and exposition? First, Jar Jar Binks... oops, Jar Jar Abrams mystery box nonsense. Then Rian Johnson unlocking their empty content... or context, depending on how you look at it. Rey is the most powerful Force user we've ever seen because...?
It must be because of her parents? After all she's obsessed with knowing who they are (and so was the storyline). Nope! They were drunkards likely long dead from cirrhosis of the liver. It must be because of the lightsaber? It called to her and gave her visions. Nope! Luke tossed it over a cliff. Then Reylo ripped it apart in a Force pull contrast. Rey doesn't need any training because?... Because Yoda said so.
Rey's exposition is poor to none. And the storyteller tells us to blindly accept it and don't question it. Or risk being labeled a misogynistic nerd.
Within the first 10 minutes of the Black Panther movie we're given backstory on T'Challa's heritage. We're given exposition on what he owes his talents and powers to. And from there the exposition is occasionally strengthened throughout the story. I don't know about you but that only helps me identify with character more. And take her more seriously within the context of the story's universe.
The women characters
Rey I've already gone over. The only thing I would add is that we are continually reminded in both films that Rey is better at everything than everyone else (possibly Snoke withstanding). The best at dueling. The best at using the Force. The best at piloting the Millennium Falcon. The best at gunning the Millennium Falcon. The best at translation. The best mechanic. JUST BECAUSE SHE'S REY. And people wonder where the MarySue stigma comes from.
But in TFA Leia and Maz seemed to be well rounded female characters. TLJ only undermined that. Maz was a pointless cameo. Leia turns into Carrie Poppins. She quipped humorous sarcasm throughout, as if she were trying to channel Han Solo. But real negatives for the female characters came in the form of Holdo and Rose. Both acted like strong women not afraid to take charge of situations. But both constantly made head scratching decisions that did more harm than good, and sometimes risked ruining everything that they claimed that they were fighting for. But the storyteller tried to portray it as assets, not flaws! Huh?
By contrast the women of Black Panther; namely Nakia, Okoye, and Suri were strong female characters. Characters that the audience could plainly see were making positive impacts on their situations. They were portrayed as trained, educated, and experienced. As passionate and devoted. As skilled and intelligent. The story built in reasons why we could or should believe it. In contrast, TLJ and TFA asked us to just believe their female characters to be the same thing just because they take charge. Or just because the Force makes them that way without exposition... Weak.
The tone:
The tone of TFA was often copied from ANH. But you could also clearly see typical Disney tone. Finn's being more of a bumbling heel sidekick was typical Disney. At times it seemed out of character for anyone with a Stormtrooper background. The tone of Rey's connection to the Force was more Disney magic than the Force. In other words, an unexplainable power that is unbeatable and even beyond being challenged. It chooses the female protagonist because it likes her. It has a fan crush on her. That's the exposition we got on Rey's connection to the Force. It continued in TLJ. One problem though - as Han said "That's not how the Force works!" It's how Disney magic works.
The Last Jedi"s tone had even more problems. Over the top, out of place humor. (It seemed more Disney or Marvel than Star Wars). Weak supporting characters. And a poorly done characterization of hallmark character. Yeah, how they characterized Luke Skywalker was unforgivable.
The tone of Black Panther was one of the better examples from the MCU. Some good general humor was mixed in with typical Marvel humor. But the movie also had a more serious tone. Something that moved it's tone a little in the direction of a DC fan's appreciation. It had lulls and flaws at times but mostly of the nitpicking variety.
Action and visuals:
All of the Disney SW films have excelled here. TLJ is no exception. I would give the nod to TLJ but BP's visuals were no slouch. And the action in BP was more consistent.
Fight choreography? TLJ threw all of it's eggs in one basket with the duel in the throne room. But BP's fight choreography was high caliber also and spread throughout the film. The Dora Milaje was great. Not quite as stylized as the Amazonian warriors of Wonder Woman, but still very watchable, skillful portrayal and ballpark by comparison.
Writing:
Bluntly put, the characters, storylines, and plot are far better written in BP than in TLJ. While BP may have been sprinkled with plot holes, TLJ was hemorrhaging with them. Sometimes gaping plot holes! BP had storylines that strengthened and progressed character development. TLJ had storylines that weakened or regressed character development. Luke, Hux, and Poe weren't the only ones but they were the most blatant examples.
The villains:
Kylo Ren is not without his weaknesses as a character from a storytelling standpoint. But he does often carry the story when asked to. And Adam Driver's acting only strengthens the portrayal. And Snoke was mesmerizing and intriguing. Unfortunately that was deflated when it became apparent that he was just a throwaway placeholder for Kylo devoid of exposition.
Killmonger came off as a skilled villain and a viable threat. You could make an that the character might have been a little too cliche and/or politicized. But the number two bad guy might've actually been a more memorable villain: Ulysses Klau.
Arguably the nod to SW here.
The conclusion:
I went to see Black Panther this weekend and the lines are still long; the shows are still selling out regularly. It's not without it's flaws but I can see reasons why.
The Last Jedi? I think most of the momentum for that movie from Disney warrior princess fans and hardcores who will watch anything with the SW name on it. (SW: A Porg Story if they made it). By strength of characters and story BP is a better movie than TLJ. And there's no reason that couldn't carry it past a billion or even catch TLJ.
