Captain America: Civil War
Hats off to directors Anthony and Joe Russo for giving the
audience a great joy ride. This is what we go to the cinema for. I can imagine
the two directors, like Russel Crowe in Gladiator, holding a mic and yelling demandingly
at the audience “..are you not entertained?! Are you not entertained?!” outstretched
arms with palms open and a gangster lean. The impression I get is that CamCw
will do well at the box office, it is likely to have greater staying power as
word of mouth spreads and encourages people to see the movie, there are also
likely to be more people who see the movie more than once to relive the
experience. In terms of how it will compare to how other blockbusters have
performed I would expect the returns from this movie to be surprising at the
tail end of its run rather than the beginning. This is due to the fact that
after the Batman Vs Superman (BvS) debacle people will go in expecting to be
disappointed but will be pleasantly surprised. It’s therefore important for the
marketing team not to let up as the movie progresses. It needs to spread the
awareness about people who have actually seen the movie stating how good and
entertaining it is. The impact BvS is likely to have on CamCw brings to fore an important point and this is that this genre of movies in reality cannot afford to work against one another. When audiences leave the cinema after watching a superhero movie on a high it will tend to encourage them to watch the next offering, the fact that it is a Marvel or DC movie will not be a deal breaker as audiences for the most part simply want to be entertained. The opposite will occur if a movie in this genre doesn't hit the spot. At the end of the day the genre as a whole suffers or rises with each movie made. Its very much like a relay race and each movie in this genre is a baton. If any director or studio drops the baton or fumbles and produces a dud due to carelessness or failing to understand the project it hurts the whole genre.
The first impression one might get after watching Captain
America: Civil War (CAmCW) is watching a Franchise on the verge of greatness. This
stems from what is nothing less than visionary. For example: opening a whole
new vista and world for the audience to explore in Tchalla’s world in what
appears a doorway to Africa, splitting the Avengers into two functional teams
or body corporates, one under Tony Stark’s capital and empire, the other under
Tchalla’s. This allows the Franchise to broaden its creative material and
narrative. Whatever Tony’s wealth can do for the team can be matched by Tchalla working closely with Steve Rogers allowing them to eventually become one Avenger unit with separate divisions
that carry out separate Avenger Missions e.g a Wakanda Division of the Avengers, one team based in different locations. The two divisions may work together, have AGM (Annual General Meetings) so to speak where all the superheros gather to discuss pressing issues. They accept they are one institution but may not take orders from the same team leader. They don't always have to agree, will occasionally step on each others toes and may go toe to toe if necessary, for example when
and if they come for Bucky, to bring him in for his perceived misdeeds. Even the vibranium
shield Cap gave up or was stripped of by Tony can be ceremoniously and
meaningfully replaced by one built and designed in Wakanda, the very source of
the metal it was first built from. This important development would define the
beginning of a new era in the Avengers narrative. What impressed me the most
about CamCw is how close watching the movie was to actually reading a Marvel
comic book. This couldn’t have been easy for the directors to achieve.
If you haven’t yet seen this movie, make the time to go and
see it.
I’ll not go over more about the movie for now due to the
fact that there would have to be numerous spoilers. For now let’s talk about what
could be made of the future Black Panther movie in 2018.
Ensuring the Makings of a Blockbuster
in the Black Panther movie, 2018
The first Black Panther movie is due out in 2018. The soft ingredients
the audience might expect in this movie are first and foremost the firm
establishment of a new Avengers team in Wakanda using Tshalla’s resources and
Steve Rogers experience. The new team will have to learn to work together and
will get to explore their new home. Hopefully Tchalla will see to it Hawkeye’s
family is spirited into Wakanda to join him in the exotic African paradise as a
surprise that gels their new friendship. Scarlet Witch will meet a fictional sangoma
that helps her understand, better control and discover new abilities. Bucky’s
arm will be built bigger, badder and stronger by Wakanda scientists when he is
woken up because the team needs his help. Falcon will get a little romantic
action with Wakandan Princess (aka Lupita Nyong’o) and upgrade his flying kit
as well as his new sidekick drone, which is upgraded to look more bird of prey or falcon-like and enhanced with artificial intelligence. Antman will be intrigued
by Wakandan wildlife, particularly its red ant species and discover new
abilities by interacting with them.
When Tchalla returns with the new Avengers team they are
likely to be introduced to a world of power and privilege of an African monarchy,
as well as how government functions and so on; the intrigues of how a country with the most important mineral in the world functions. It will be interesting Coogler's technological interpretation of the fictional Wakanda as the wealthiest and most advanced nation on earth from an African perspective (historically rich powerful countries tend to impose their moral values, are pushy with other governments and have a love hate relationship with other countries, Wakanda is likely to be no different). In the beginning it will be
peachy. But their new world will be threatened by a succession challenge from
Tchalla’s nemsis e.g. possibly an evil cousin with a claim to the throne and group of
sinister elders. Tchalla will have to prove that he deserves the title of king.
This will make for some great story telling. In the midst of this there is likely to be
a different kind of struggle. Tchalla’s security is provided by a group of
highly trained women who have become accustomed to making decisions about his
security and who have grown very close to him. But now Tchalla’s life is
threatened by his cousin’s challenge to his kingship and he asks Natasha Romanov
for help with his security. Consequently, Romanov must shadow Tchalla and
accompany him as a guest everywhere he goes.
Finding synergies between real life and fiction
The Wakanda monarchy is ofcourse fictional, but its all in good fun and some of the moral issues touched on are positive. Tchalla is a morally upright and positive force, who was dutiful to his father, cares about the fate and welfare of his people; all the positive traits the public expects of a good monarch. Wouldn't it be great for Marvel to approach Prince Harry and have a few cameo scenes with him and Tchalla in the 2018 movie? This would simply be a public relations activity on Harry's part that in general casts a positive light in the audience and public mind about the monarchy. Wishful thinking, but this would be very good PR. Mobilizing resources for charitable causes, finding friends who believe in what you are doing and networking in order to create the contacts that will aid in charitable causes is hard work. Marvel could offer to donate to some of Harry's charities, Chadwick Boseman and other cast members could lend their time to some of the charitable work Harry is doing. Engagements like this reflect modern society especially when the message in a movie casts a positive light on the monarchy and work it does to help people in need and charities across the world. This kind of collaboration with the film industry becomes a modern way of connecting with the audience and the public in general that a young royal like Harry would excel at. When the audience sees a genuine royal make this effort or appearance they will know its to bring awareness to charitable work they are doing, and to generate a positive influence on society. This is a billion dollar industry and it is not child's play to consider credible tie ins and collaborations that raise funds for charity. At the end of the day this kind of PR is simply like any other effort a hard working royal may engage in to support the causes he or she believes in. Obviously its not an easy task to accomplish, but how to reach out and make these collaborations happen is really the responsibility of a marketing team.
Finding synergies between real life and fiction
The Wakanda monarchy is ofcourse fictional, but its all in good fun and some of the moral issues touched on are positive. Tchalla is a morally upright and positive force, who was dutiful to his father, cares about the fate and welfare of his people; all the positive traits the public expects of a good monarch. Wouldn't it be great for Marvel to approach Prince Harry and have a few cameo scenes with him and Tchalla in the 2018 movie? This would simply be a public relations activity on Harry's part that in general casts a positive light in the audience and public mind about the monarchy. Wishful thinking, but this would be very good PR. Mobilizing resources for charitable causes, finding friends who believe in what you are doing and networking in order to create the contacts that will aid in charitable causes is hard work. Marvel could offer to donate to some of Harry's charities, Chadwick Boseman and other cast members could lend their time to some of the charitable work Harry is doing. Engagements like this reflect modern society especially when the message in a movie casts a positive light on the monarchy and work it does to help people in need and charities across the world. This kind of collaboration with the film industry becomes a modern way of connecting with the audience and the public in general that a young royal like Harry would excel at. When the audience sees a genuine royal make this effort or appearance they will know its to bring awareness to charitable work they are doing, and to generate a positive influence on society. This is a billion dollar industry and it is not child's play to consider credible tie ins and collaborations that raise funds for charity. At the end of the day this kind of PR is simply like any other effort a hard working royal may engage in to support the causes he or she believes in. Obviously its not an easy task to accomplish, but how to reach out and make these collaborations happen is really the responsibility of a marketing team.
Tchalla's return to Wakanda
Into this tight space enters Natasha Romanov’s experience as
a double agent. She learns a lot, is awed and schooled by the sheer expertise
of the Dora Milaje. But as an outsider her critique spots subtle flaws in Tchalla’s
security detail and methodology some that save his life when she is brought on
as a security consultant to the new king. It would be wise to capitalise on the obvious onscreen chemistry between Tchalla and Romanov in CamCw. This and the budding romantic
relationship between her and Tchalla can go on to stir conflict between her and the leader
of the Dora Milaje aka Florence Kasumba that will inevitably cause them to duel or spar in the 2018 movie. The narrative Dora Milaje has been infiltrated by an agent loyal to Tchalla’s cousin, but who
Kasumba trusts implicitly. The grand conflict and battle between Romanov and
the Dora Milaje and her budding complex romantic relationship with Tchalla must be well
written and executed to further launch Black Panther (BP) in 2018 and help set a solid stage for a future Black Widow movie. Tchalla
and Romanov hit it off, become very close and fall in love but soon discover
that Tchalla as king must follow strict custom about whom he may be with. The
Princess aka Lupita (who is rumoured to be joining the BP 2018 cast) has been chosen as a favorite for him to marry by royal houses since their teenage years. But unlike other royals in her house she is a bit of rebel, an activist with heart for the disadvantaged. She frowns on some of the excesses of the royals. She and Tchalla have been close friends since childhood and she adores him as he does her, but they both resent the fact that the decision for her to be his queen one day is not her own rather it is one that has been made without her consent. Tchalla is protective of her but when Sam Wilson arrives in Wakanda she is smitten by him. She happens to be more interested in Falcon while Tchalla,
happens to be attracted to Romanov and she to him building on the chemistry seen in CamCw. Tchalla is torn by his duty to the royal houses and the fact that he still adores Lupita's character to the extent that he does feel jealous about her interest in Sam. In a heart breaking twist,
after going the distance Romanov and Tchalla realise they cannot be together officially and have
to make a decision to set it aside and put work before their relationship. In a
bid to remain with Sam and prevent any romantic relationship with Tchalla Lupita’s highly trained character joins the
Dora Milaje as its leader. As a member of the Dora Milaje she may still remain a candidate to beTchalla's bride but as a rule Tchalla's relationship with the DM is required to be strictly professional allowing her to fend off Tchalla and still see Sam. Meanwhile Kasumba’s character opts to leave Wakanda and
joins Tony Stark’s team as the new Pepper bringing more diversity to Stark's team as well as create a key link to Wakanda on his team. The testy and peppy character she showed in her encounter with Romanov would play off well with Tony, being headstrong they would tend to rub each other the wrong way which is adequate for upping the interest from the audience. This level of diversity and conflict should be
enough to muster public intrigue, interest and international appeal necessary
for Scarlett Johansson to launch a successful future Black Widow movie. Throw
into this turmoil the invasion of Wakanda to get Bucky back and you have the
makings of a blockbuster. In addition to this the audience does not believe for
minute that Zemo is done with the Avengers and his capture may be nothing more
than just another cog in his wheel of a larger plan to destroy and take over Wakanda's Vibranium set in motion to pave the way for Klaw and Doom. The other members of the
Winter Soldier experiment he made the audience believe were gone by his hand may
still be very much alive. For all we know a bullet hole to the head may be inadequate to kill them if they have a pinch of the healing properties of Wolverine, they may just take longer to recover from such an injury. He could still use them to set him free and pose a renewed threat with allies such as Klaw, Doom etc in the future. There is so much the audience could be wowed with in this movie.
In creed Ryan Coogler proves that he is not only adept at directing riveting action but can direct complex personalities, intriguing and unusual romantic relationships as he did with Bianca and Adonis. This is a rare gift and he should use it alongside the politics of Wakanda, its wealth in Vibranium resources and a superhero showdown to set the stage for an unforgettable BP debut in 2018. The important aspect to note would be to ensure that the romance is packaged in a way that adds to the pace of the movie, it should not subtract from it or cause an uncomfortable and boring lull in pace. Few directors are gifted enough to get this aspect right, in Creed Coogler shows that he is one of the few. The Russo brothers have also provided good cues in CamCw for how to handle romance in this genre as was masterfully shown in the relationship between Steve and Sharon.
After the success of CamCw Kevin Feige's leadership of Marvel Studios is now truly nothing short of legendary.
In creed Ryan Coogler proves that he is not only adept at directing riveting action but can direct complex personalities, intriguing and unusual romantic relationships as he did with Bianca and Adonis. This is a rare gift and he should use it alongside the politics of Wakanda, its wealth in Vibranium resources and a superhero showdown to set the stage for an unforgettable BP debut in 2018. The important aspect to note would be to ensure that the romance is packaged in a way that adds to the pace of the movie, it should not subtract from it or cause an uncomfortable and boring lull in pace. Few directors are gifted enough to get this aspect right, in Creed Coogler shows that he is one of the few. The Russo brothers have also provided good cues in CamCw for how to handle romance in this genre as was masterfully shown in the relationship between Steve and Sharon.
After the success of CamCw Kevin Feige's leadership of Marvel Studios is now truly nothing short of legendary.
The Dora Milaje
She only says one line in the movie, but boy does she deliver it. Florence Kasumba's poise, tone of voice and confidence when she confronts Romanov was one of the most memorable scenes in CamCw. "Move or you will be moved." She was downright intimidating, as though in that moment there was nothing in the universe this woman feared. It was thoroughly entertaining.
In my view the Dora Milaje are a marketing manager and merchandisers dream. Dora Milaje already sounds like the original term for the well known Black Girl Rising movement associated with artists like Beyonce. It evokes powerful images of a sexy, strong, fierce, principled woman willing to stand her ground, fight and die for what she believes in, its got nothing to do with putting men down, if its her king then she's gonna go all out for him, there will be no compromise.
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| Girl Power. An awesome Studio asset: The Dora Milaje: e.g. Midnight Angels. #Squad |
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| One word for Florence Kasumba's fierce introduction of the Dora Milaje to the big screen "Wow!!!" [next course please!] |
Avengers Wakanda: #Squad
Technically, Bucky is one of the most important characters in CamCw. Why? Bucky is a Winter Soldier. A formidable, almost unstoppable force no one wants the misfortune of ever having to go toe to toe with. Instead of Civil War CamCw could have easily been called the War over Bucky. The Russo brothers ingeniously used Bucky as the power yardstick for almost every hero in CamCw by which the audience gauges how they fair in the skill and ability scale; most importantly newcomers Black Panther and Spiderman (who stops Bucky's incredibly powerful bionic arm effortlessly, a demonstration to the audience that despite his youth his strength is off the charts). Sebastian Stan fits the Bucky role perfectly. What is most interesting about him is that there seems to be no transition in his persona between the character he plays in this movie and the real life Sebastian Stan. Its as though he's not acting, which is what gifted acting tends to be all about. Bucky is too good in this role to bench, he has to be made a permanent member of the team. The fact that anyone who knows Bucky's code can hack him and turn him into a personal assassin makes him all the more interesting. You can never guarantee he will be on your side, this uncertainty makes him awesome. The Russo brothers recognised this and used it to full effect. The only brushstrokes this now requires is Bucky developing his own techniques for fighting back the word activated mind control sufficiently enough to make him an operational member of the team. He needs to go through some kind of mental training with Scarlet's help for example that enables him to resist mind control. Scarlet would allow him to simulate "going under" with her powers and yet be able to communicate with him thus helping him find ways to counter the activation. Its easy to imagine a scene where someone is using the code to take over Bucky's mind, but midway Bucky himself begins to say the words that activate the Winter Soldier mind control. When he is in full trance and ready to comply he says out loud those ominous words, "What are your orders..Bucky?" In other words he's used a trick that allows his alter ego to take orders not from the person activating the code but from himself. Having gained this ability, when he's in a tight spot he can say the code to himself and it becomes like an upgrade that pushes him into a mental zone and terminator mode where he is himself, still lucent and much more powerful than he is when he is conventional Bucky. But even when he gains this kind of control of himself and is able to resist being controlled the fact that you will never be quite sure if Bucky is on your side is what makes him interesting as there are formidable foes who may still be able to penetrate his defenses and exploit this weakness. This can be taken a step further by his ability to feign being under mind control in order to take down an enemy. Not knowing if he is with you or not is worth gold to the intrigue required to keep him relevant.
Boseman as Tchalla
Chadwick Boseman does Tchalla justice. He carries the persona and fits the part of a royal who is also a superhero perfectly. His African accent is not perfect but it was passable and pleasant. He is the Black Panther. To act the part of an African, an actor has to learn the African disposition. Boseman nails this. What is the African disposition? Africans across the continent grow up in homes where traditionally respect, especially for your parents, their peers and elders is a tremendous grounding factor. This respect cannot be learned without discipline. Consequently, humility, patience and calm tends to be the main disposition of Africans because we are taught to project this by having to learn how to control our emotions in formal settings from an early age. This does not mean we cannot be arrogant, angry, selfish, headstrong and conceited when we want to be. It just means we are taught from an early age how to suppress this kind of emotion and attitude through traditions grounded in respect for our parents and elders that range from how we are expected to speak to them, how we address and greet them, the tone of voice you can use, how we are expected to behave in their presence, how we place our hands when we hand something to them, which may sometimes require you in some very formal settings to genuflect, curtsy or kneel in deference and many other social or traditional signs of respect. Most Africans have learned to seamlessly change gears or switch it up depending on whose company they are in because in a Western setting, in many cases the African disposition can be inappropriate or will be misunderstood, so they drop customary behaviour and adopt a more Western disposition, vice versa. Your African friend who is loud, the life of the party and social may suddenly be calm, reserved and show deference as though he is a completely different person because he recognizes the two personas may be inappropriate in different company. Its great to hear that Michael B. Jordan will be on the cast of Black Panther. Observing Michael on and off the screen shows that he is a very confident young man. This kind of persona of confidence he projects in every situation and with anyone on and off screen is more Western than African. Its acceptable in Western society as being a jock or very self assured. However, in African society this kind of confidence can very easily be mistaken for general arrogance or impudence. Africans will tend to have this kind of persona when amongst their friends and peers where tradition is on the back foot (for example when Tchalla casually jokes about being interested in seeing Romanov and his Chief of Security tussle) but will not have it in formal situations and with certain people or when in certain company. Michael will have to learn how alter his disposition if the part he will act in Black Panther in 2018 is that of an African to one that is able to project humility and calm as Boseman does in CamCw. This is not an easy idea to put across because often we are unaware of what we project and how people see us. It sounds superfluous but learning to project humility and calm as Africans do as a result of upbringing can be more intimidating than projecting confidence and power that can easily be mistaken for arrogance. Michael will bring the kind of talent that will attract audiences to the coming movie and its great to hear he is on board for this film.
The Black Panther suite is just sick. Its the best superhero gear I have seen thus far. His fighting style is also on point, that signature triple kick is just off the chain. The audience in the cinema gasped and cheered when he did that triple, think you could keep him in the air long enough to realistically add a fourth kick next time? Lets see just how gifted your choreography is wink, wink. The audience would be floored by that. What was amazing was the relentlessness of the triple kick. When the audience thinks the two strikes are over, there's a remarkable third. Its used to, two punches from one opponent, one from the other, a duck from one, block and punch from the other. That continuous pummeling from Tchalla without letting up was extreme and set him apart (It reminds me of a mystical trigram strike of the Hyuga clan that cannot be blocked or stopped once it begins). It can be further developed as his signature method of fighting. Its like bringing a machine gun to a pistol fight. In other words it doesn't have to be a triple kick alone but a continuous barrage of continuous well executed blows that don't let up, don't give an opponent an inch to respond or adequately defend and force the audience to think "ouch, I'm glad it isn't me on the receiving end of that." Further developing this relentless attack style for Black Panther, that leaves an opponent no breathing space, will help set him apart in the Marvel universe.
Black Panther; identifying the box office direction and
the need to define personal fighting styles...
No two people fight alike, even if they are trained under the same martial art, how they fight will develop unique traits and characteristics unique to them. Sometimes it can be something as subtle as Bruce Lee thumbing his nose and how he places his fists that sets a fighter apart. Many choreographers, even on big budget movies don't get this. It is absolutely important to distinguish personal fighting styles. This kind of differentiation is what separates mediocre fight choreography from choreography genius. For Sharon this could be as simple as pinning one side of her hair behind an ear and a unique or unusual stance unseen before that tells the audience she means business and is about to brawl. My all time favourite fighting persona does not come from any live action movie, it comes from a cartoon, namely Naruto. It is none other than Itachi. If you do not know who Itachi is look him up. Itachi fights effortlessly, moves through the air and executes moves with the uncanny calm of a master. At no point does he become agitated or express fear even when faced with the most difficult foe or situation during battle. It's not that he has no emotion or feelings which would be dull. He has been up against some of the most difficult adversaries, has seen it all and it takes a lot to impress or move him. Consequently, when he does react or is moved it carries weight and makes viewers more attentive. His moves during combat are sequenced, minimal, understated but devastating and he is one of the most daunting adversaries of the Naruto universe. Most importantly, no one in the naruto universe displays this exact same fighting style and character. Differentiation is key. Some of this could be seen in how Black Panther fought and moved, for instance the calm with which he blocks the path and rises to confront Bucky after chasing him up the stairs and in the eerie way his footsteps made no sound even when he hit the ground hard. It was signature panther stealth and agility. This was excellent. Another favorite fighter is Minato Namikaze. In Naruto there is the concept of "No wasted move". If a skilled fighter like Minato or Itachi only has to shift his weight from one leg to the other and turn his head by 0.1122 degrees to watch a punch, kick or laser beam swish by that's the only exertion they will make as to do more than this represents wasted effort. Consequently, instead of common heaving and ho-ing, grunt work of deep ducking, diving and dodging observed in CamCw greater finesse can be brought to Black Panther in 2018 where some brawlers differentiate their fighting style into the no wasted move method which is no less deadly and just as theatrical. It goes back to the the concept of "gentle fist" in kung-fu or Bruce Lee's one inch punch. Power is not always exhibited by the strain or effort a combatant places in a blow or strike but in the training and skill that has been applied to its execution.
Black Panther's fighting is stylized around a panther. This is a major development and historically ties into Chinese kung-fu. Marvel should therefore not doubt for a moment that the strong performance of CamCw in China has a lot to do with the martial arts personified by Tchalla that are in fact also fundamental to how kung-fu is stylized around nature and its unique creatures. This may indicate the significant earning potential future movies that will include characters like Iron Fist can have and where to point future movies like Black Panther in 2018. It also gives Marvel a very important cue that higher movie ticket sales will require the Black Panther to go up against adversaries with similar or very advanced martial arts skill/training that intrigues and wows the audience. Chinese kung-fu movies where once wildly popular across the world. The tendency over the years however was to begin to find fighting that involves techniques stylized around animals such as snakes, tigers, eagles, crane, preying mantis and so on as gimmicky or superficial to an actual fight and therefore they became outdated. A classic clip that says this is the one where Indiana Jones contemptuously shoots a sword wielding foe. However, Black Panther proves that there is still a huge market for these fighting styles, how they are used and the myths behind them or how they were created simply has to be revisited, re-interpreted, re-established as incredibly deadly and made once again palatable for a modern market.
The Black Panther movie is coming in 2018. Fine, but the billion dollar question is just what the heck is it going to be about? Especially if its going to distinguish itself masterfully from the numerous offerings in this genre. Marvel must know and realise exactly what the blockbuster-edge of Black Panther will be. CamCw shows that advanced and mystical martial arts is the direction the box-office is going and keeping a finger on that pulse, interpreting it correctly and implementing it in this movie alongside a good narrative is a smart financial play. Even Spiderman fighting and moving like a spider is very much like a modern expansion and reinterpretation of techniques transferred from creature to man in movies like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1976) giving birth to the concept of superheroes to make them more mainstream. The fundamentals remain the same and maybe the audience is now ready to revisit the action and thrill of high octane kung-fu in superhero movies like Black Panther. This is where fight choreographers need to step in and step up, in order to begin to find ways of bringing back these ancient fighting concepts in subtle ways and reintroducing them in a manner that modern audiences can digest, Tchalla, Black Panther does exactly that in CamCw and the positive response cannot be ignored by a Studio like Marvel. Consequently, Black Panther will require opponents who are tougher and more skilled in kung-fu and other martial arts than Bucky and Captain America who are technically conventional brawlers. They are thus unable to push Tchalla to reveal the full extent of not just his super-strength and skill but his deep and intricate knowledge of other martial arts; their strengths and weakness. Black Panther in 2018 may need to revisit the deeper lore of martial arts such as the intricate concept of pressure points and their link to the human nervous system such that a master knowledgeable about these points could strike them to induce specific weakness or forms of paralysis. See the Hyuga Clan and Neji in Naruto and the concept of tenketsu. A master can predict exactly how many tenketsu strikes it will take to defeat an opponent and how in visualization they are shown to the audience drawn around the adversary. The ability to show adjustments in vision that show the opponents chakra that the master uses to strike. The tri-gam, ying-yang, chakra sounds and visuals for unstoppable gentle fist strikes used by the clan would be fantastic if adopted in live action as something spectacular audiences have never been treated to before.
The other readily adoptable art is the creepy use of puppets in martial arts as weapons by a hidden adversary. In Naruto we see Chiyo, Sasori and Kankuro use this technique. The clever use of sometimes visible and often invisible chakra strings and diverse puppets, some indistinguishable from humans or the opponent is worth adopting in live action movies as a martial art with a lore audiences have never seen in a live action movie. Puppets can be made to look human or look half animal or half human; since they can look like anything the creepy factor they can create is very high. This can be very useful for creating a mysterious adversary, that does not appear human, that can be struck down with lethal blows but keeps coming back until the big reveal when the audience realises that the strange fiend that appears living and breathing is in fact a puppet and cannot be killed without first finding the hidden puppet master. There are many fantastic African creatures, effigies and masks from cultures across Africa from which can be adopted for use in this way for a Black Panther movie. Puppets can range from being large to capture and trap opponents, tiny, skinny, stealthy, rigged with hidden weapons and gadgets, and even be controlled in large groups or to made appear intimidating in order to use fear to weaken an opponent. There is plenty of material that can be drawn on to create this kind of enterprising opponent.
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| In Zambia Makishi dancers are popular. There are countless styles and effigies cgi and visual artists can draw on to create an "African Puppetmaster" styled around the Sasori concept as one of the adversaries for Tchalla adopted for a Black Panther movie that would not only intrigue but scare the pants off movie audiences across the world who at first would believe these are actual living creatures. They discover later they are in fact being controlled by a hidden puppeteer using a specialized form of martial arts. |
This is possibly the kind of level of martial arts lore and ideas the Black Panther movie can draw on to distinguish it from other superheo movies. If the object of the battle is not to knock the opponent out but disable a leg or even a lethal arm such as Bucky's the master will simply strike the tenketsu linking the arm to the nervous system temporarily disabling it, thus restraining the opponent but keeping them lucid and vulnerable for interrogation. Coogler should also study how speed is expressed in cartoons like Naruto, for example how an opponent can be at a distance, leap towards his adversary, the adversary thinks he has gotten away but the opponent is moving right behind them. In Naruto this is sometimes referred to as shadow dancing. There is a lot of really great and theatrical martial arts visuals that have not been brought to the big screen that Coogler and his team can make use of, they just have to look in the right places. This is probably the level of mastery that needs to be explored to move the Black Panther movie into a league of its own, especially if the bid is to break the psychological one billion dollar ticket sale mark for movies at this level. If Coogler plays his cards right this will be the first movie he directs that crosses the one billion dollar threshold; but to do this he needs to pay attention to detail, understand audience psychology and hit all the buttons that pull audiences into the cinema.
Its important to know and understand this in the build up to the Black Panther movie in 2018 as it means Tchalla's foes will have to challenge him enough to take his fight scenes and choreography way beyond the introduction the audience saw in CamCw. Technically, this means that Captain America and Bucky were actually no match for him when it comes to the knowledge of fighting and fighting skills but relied mainly on super-strength to hold him off. There was inadequate blocking, striking and parrying in CamCw neither was it intricate enough to qualify for a Black Panther movie to rise to the level of a martial arts exhibition. Its as though Tchalla was going easy on these other heroes. Though it was a great introduction his abilities seemed a little underplayed. Theatrically this can only be explained if he was holding back because this wasn't his movie (wink, wink). Just avoid the clumsy high-wire methods used in martial arts movies of the past that make leaps, jumps and other superhuman feats look fake and lame. Tchalla's fighting method looks similar to Tiger-Claw kung-fu, however, methodologically its technique will have been adopted from the black panther by the ancient Wakandans who developed the martial art. Some of this ancient lore will probably have to be referenced or mentioned by Coogler in the 2018 movie.
Marvel needs to note that for Black Panther 2018 to be successful it is essentially a martial arts movie re-interpreted into a superhero movie on a scale the audience has never seen before. Listen to the advice, don't ignore it as they did in BvS. The style is fundamentally kung-fu. But we are not talking about conventional martial arts here, but martial arts that relies on science and that is mystical in nature. This edge enables it to deflect or absorb Visions lasor and penetrate his impenetrable defenses, break Scarlett Witch's mind spell or cut through her gravity. How? All these powers must work through and be controlled by a nervous system and or pressure or chakra points that are fundamentally understood in martial arts. If the right tenketsu or pressure points are struck Spiderman would find that he is temporarily unable to fire his webs or if struck in another patter, unable to stick to walls, an alternate pattern and he temporarily loses his Spidy sense or super-strength. At first the audience may think feats like this impossible, but martial arts involves the study and insight that enables the practitioner to break down and analyse an opponents ability, power or source of super-human strength or special abilities and thereby determine an opponents real and potential weaknesses no matter how great or powerful they may seem. This is achieved through the seen and unseen workings of the human physiology. It is martial arts on a level audiences have simply never seen before that would even do the unthinkable like challenge a hero like Superman, Vision or Ironman. For instance Ironman's tenkutsu can be struck even through his seemingly impenetrable suite using gentle fist to direct chakra through the metal and directly into his body thereby weakening or disabling him. In CamCw when Hawkeye confronts Vision, he hits him over and over, but Vision is impervious to physical blows from a mortal. However, even an intelligent synthetic being like Vision has a life force built around pressure points. If Hawkeye were knowledgeable of the mystical martial arts he would alter his consciousness to be able to see them. He could then strike Visions pressure points and Vision would be affected by these strikes that are not on a physical plane where he is impervious but at metaphysical level so to speak allowing a mortal with the skill to penetrate the defenses of an immortal and cause injury. Having struck the right pressure points even Vision could be temporarily stripped of invulnerability and would feel Hawkeye's blows. The ability to exploit pressure points realistically narrows the huge gap in ability between mortals and immortals, humans and superhumans. The knowledge and superhuman ability to do this, for Tchalla, would come from something he used science to invent or create, namely Shadow Physics. This is the level Tchalla, his knowledge of the martial arts of the Black Panther, his vast education and skill in science has to bring to the table and the audience needs to feel its weight. His opponents have to be just as gifted especially in martial arts, to create a threat and challenge that movie goers will feel is worth paying to see in 2018. Marvel and Coogler shouldn't get this formula wrong.
Shaolin monks learn to do two and one finger press ups to strengthen a specific region of the body. They learn the nerve centres and pressure points on the human body. A simple flick of the wrist and snakelike strike off the hand or two fingered strike can look benign but be deadly if it finds its target. During battle the human body is a map a fighter reads to determine which path to take to the desired pain, temporary disability or discomfort he or she wishes to inflict. Fight choreography is a complex and multi-layered, multi-faceted art. It brings audiences to cinemas in droves when the choreographers are in tune with what the market wants to see. It should never be taken for granted. In this genre it is absolutely essential to get it right. Its great to see how fight choreography in this genre is growing. You don't have to see a punch or kick connect to know it was powerful, and the impact of a blow can be interpreted and expressed in so many ways to wow an audience. However, developing personalized fighting styles for every fighter is still lagging. It requires a great deal of creativity from a director of fight choreography, is tedious, time consuming but if its what you're paid to do, make the time and put in the effort if you want to move a movie from mundane to great and to hit those financial targets.
I used to enjoy watching the television series Arrow and still watch it occasionally, but one of the weaknesses of the series is that absolutely everyone fights the same, there is no definitive uniqueness, no personalized finesse in a series that relies very heavily on martial arts; this is a remarkable mistake. Black Widow for instance has a unique fighting technique that is often characterized by using her opponent's own body against them swinging under and over them into a choke hold or to throw them. I noticed that the fight choreography used for Sharon Carter during the fight with Bucky almost mimicked Black Widows. This is a big mistake, sloppy. Really. Sharon should have a fighting technique and mannerisms developed especially for her. Its sloppy to simply use Black Widows style. Her stance, the position in which she places her hands and fingers, the way she strikes must say something about who she is, her history and her past. The audience should look at her in action and say what fighting style is the woman using? Those subtle hand gestures and strange strikes..Is..is that mantis? The team overseeing fight choreography should not let this tarnish Marvel's track record for being able to give each person a unique fighting method and style. Marvel has the best fight choreography right now, no one compares. Its often very difficult to show untrained women genuinely and skillfully throw down in a fist fight. Often they don't hold their fists in the correct position, stance is off, punching, kicking trajectory is off, there is no perceivable power in a strike and the intent is not deadly enough. All this can be corrected by a great choreographer and camera play. None of these weaknesses are seen in Scarlet Jonhansson's fights and fighting style. She isn't a professional fighter in real life, and yet on the screen she brawls like a female champion. The fight choreography for Black Widow and Sharon Carter (less the copying) is excellent, believable, hard. Its not the lame stick fighting by Oberyn's daughters seen in Westeros in season 5 of Game of Thrones. They are supposed to be highly skilled female warriors, but the choreography is pathetic. The audience should not have to pretend a fighter is a master at fighting, male or female, when they are shown with poor or weak fighting choreography.
The airport fight scene
The airport fight scene was awesome. Its possibly the first time an audience has been treated to their favorite superheroes lined up like that. The best part of this battle royal was the nuances within the battle itself. For example, Tschalla wasn't interested in anyone else but Bucky. During the battle that's the fight he was looking for. In our local African languages we have a term for that, its called "chikonko". Its a very definitive word. Its stronger than the English word "grudge". It means you have something against someone and whatever it takes you are going to get them. Tchalla had a "chikinko" for Bucky because he felt Bucky was responsible for his father's death. The method used during the airport fight was to to pit similar abilities against one another and stage assists. This is nice, but I think its more important next time to advance this to building up "chikonkos" between heroes that may have nothing to do with their special abilities. For instance if Black Widow has chikonko for Scarlet Witch she will not care that there is a vast difference in their special abilities, she will pointedly go after Scarlett during the battle, make her way to her and the audience will know why. These grudges during a fight fest are more important than pitting similar abilities against one another. Ideally a director should build these grudges and rivalries up. Sometimes it can be as simple as something inappropriate or untrue they heard a opposing hero say about them in a television interview that made them seethe. Chikonkos need to exist to make the fight more sinister and move the battle to another level. Black Widow would have gone after Scarlet and at some point Vision might have had to temporarily intervene not because he has similar abilities to Scarlet but because his team member is in a position where for a moment she is in over her head. Its important to remember that technically the personal grudges or rivalries are even more important than the battle itself, in terms of what an audience will find thrilling to watch. Sometimes these rivalries can take on verbal confrontations earlier in the movie, or behind the scenes Hawkeye may have no idea Spiderman has a grudge to settle over something he inadvertently did when they bumped into one another at a Cafe last month when he had Spiderman sent to the back of a long queue for a popular cappuccino. Consequently time has to be spent building these personal grudges and chikonkos during the movie, even if its between team mates as it was with the Avengers, these personal issues need to exist to add salt the audience can savour to the battle.
Falcon's upgrades are awesome. It was really entertaining to watch him use his wings as shields and deploy the drone to aid in combat. The transitions between hand to hand combat and his aerial feats were superb. Everyone in CamCw was on point. From Don Cheadle's War Machine to Scott Lang's Ant Man. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Junior held it down as they always do. Elizabeth Oslen, Paul Bettany and Tom Holland were awesome. Scarlett Johanson is as bad ass as always ,she has become the gel that holds the Avengers together and really is the darling of the movie, the audience likes her more with each new offering from Marvel.
Romance and humour
Captain America: Civil War is an awesome package. It has intrigue, action, suspense, is a thriller, is smart, tackles real relatable issues and has humour. One of my favourite scenes with humour is the ride in the old VW Beatle and the exchange between Bucky and Sam, and the youthful way in which they react when Steve and Sharon kiss. Both times I watched the movie the audience reacted warmly, loudly and humorously, it brought out the youthful side in everyone. At best this simple scene between Steve and Sharon and the very clever subtle build up to it is how romance in an action movie like this should be kept. It should be light, rather than long and boring; deep but not overbearing. It should tend to have second person shots and reviews such as Sam and Bucky's reaction as means of keeping it from becoming too cloistered. First person scenes where one or both of the couple are shown should be kept brief but poignant or meaningful and should not interfere with the pace of the movie. The Russo brothers got the romance right, it added to rather than subtracted from the pace and overall quality and enjoyment of the movie.
Observations
Areas to note for the Russo brothers would be maintaining the pace of the movie. CM Winter Soldier had a fantastic pace, it never let up from the get go. CM Civil War was just as snappy but there were moments when the dominoes stalled and audience could feel a slight lull in pace. Its also time to revisit Captain America's head gear, it feels outdated, think more - skull-cap maybe. His suite is on point but its head gear is not keeping up with Tchalla's amazing costume. Vision's visage was awesome, the skin texture looked real, amasing work there.
The Score and Soundtrack
The score in CamCw was alright, the action was intense enough to sometimes forget it was there aiding every scene. However, more could have been done to improve it. Tchalla and Black Panther's theme music for instance, no African drums, no gulleteral growl from a panther worked into it? There is room to do more.
With Coogler directing Black Panther it is hoped there will be a strong African and American R&B and Rap influence in the coming movie. R&B and Rap fits this genre well. It made Deadpool more enjoyable to watch. Hopefully Coogler can work with someone who can move this aspect to the next level.
Diversity & the Writers
Marvel must be commended for the diversity that audiences are beginning to see. The Studio its leadership, casting director, art and visual effects directors, actors and staff are now moving ahead of the curve. Every great movie hinges on the quality of the screenplay; and the writers are the foundation on which all the parts come together seamlessly for this movie to make sense from the start to the very end. The questions the movie forces the audience to ask and the suspense filled manner in which they unfold was second to none. They did an awesome job and deserve their fair share of the credit. The reel is being kept fresh.
There is no doubt that Marvel's move to improve diversity under Kevin Feige's leadership has had big gains for CamCw especially in the international market. There is a finger firmly on the audience's pulse and its paying off not just at the box office, but its pushing back audience fatigue as well as adding to the longevity of this genre. Diversity, creativity, insight and sheer talent are what will keep it alive. Audience fatigue for this genre is a very real threat to its profitability. When directors get it wrong and create a dud that doesn't resonate well it does not bode well for the industry. Its important for studios to appreciate that as much as there may be rivalries to see who can make the biggest block buster every super hero movie that flops has an impact on the industry as whole. If this boat is going to be kept afloat it will take a collective effort or we will not be graced by these movies anymore as they will go the way of the dodo.
These are small observations. CamCw is without a doubt one of the best ever offerings from Marvel. This is a movie you don't want to miss or only get to see once. I will be going to see it for a third time soon.
I have now seen it for the third time. Damn its good.
Early on most did not expect CamCw to break the $1 billion threshold as it has now done, however, as I explained at the beginning of this review the surprises in performance would come towards the end of the run of this great movie. Let's hope creativity thrives and a finger is kept on the pulse of what will entertain audiences in future.
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| Wakanda: See you in the Cinema in 2018! |
