Archive for February 2018

By Nadia Ranaputri

Image source: The Verge

Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman, and Forest Whittaker.

As the 18th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther delves into a much more reclusive world, an uncharted territory that has never before been explored. Opening to a beautiful sequence to Wakanda's origins, Marvel has set the stage on building their most technologically advanced nation and unravel its glory to the rest of the world.

Black Panther begins a week after the events of Captain America: Civil War, where in the wake of his father's death, T'Challa would eventually take his place on the throne. Challenged by his need to protect his nation from enemies beyond the border, T'Challa must take both the mantle of the Black Panther and the king of Wakanda.

Boseman is a revelation in this role. The film isn't rested solely on his shoulders, but he makes damn sure that he's giving it his all to play the prince turned king. His compassion and rigid principles become challenged once he realizes that an outsider has threatened to usurp the throne from him. This is some brilliant development from his already impressive introduction in Civil War. T'Challa might have been fully equipped for a fight, but leading and protecting his nation is another matter. Opposing our hero is Michael B Jordan's Killmonger. An outsider determined to usurp the throne from T'Challa, Killmonger has a heartwrenching history that becomes a vital arc for the film. Michael B. Jordan doesn't just kill the role, he owns the role like a true villain. He has a much more emotional and driven performance than Boseman's more precise and restrained performance, but that's part of what made Killmonger such an intriguing villain to see.

Image source: Vulture

The standout would perhaps go to Letitia Wright as T'Challa's sister Shuri, who happens to be the smartest person in the Marvel universe, exceeding the intelligence of Tony Stark's or Peter Parker's; maybe even more than both of them combined. As smart as she is, Wright gives the character some flair and a whole lot of fun elements, such as when she enthusiastically gives her brother a tour of all the latest technology that she has, stating that "just because something works does not mean it cannot be improved," when her brother complains about how he doesn't need another upgrade.

The film opens a gorgeous sequence involving the origin of Wakanda, told as a bedtime story to a young T'Challa by his father. The secluded nation has five tribes, all shown with each of their own gorgeous garments that represents each of the tribe. From crowning ceremonies, ritual combats, to the spiritual world of the ancestors, briefly mentioned by T'Challa himself in Civil War; director Ryan Coogler embraces the different shades and palettes of Wakanda, and there's not a moment where I wasn't in awe of the world he has painted on screen. Wakanda is more than just a secluded nation with a chalkful of vibranium, it's also diverse when it comes to creating an effortless blast of color, a wicked immersion to their fully advanced technology; complete with some of the film's most immersive shots by cinematographer Rachel Morisson (most recently nominated for an Oscar for her work in Mudbound), the most impressive being a shot of M'Baku's throne room of the Jabari Tribe (seriously, that shot is just breathtaking).

Like Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok before it, Marvel is giving their directors plenty of creative freedom in bringing the characters and the world they live in to life, hence why Black Panther works so well. It is filled with beautiful imagery of a secretive nation that intends on keeping its traditional African heritage alive whilst being the most technologically advanced nation in the world. As we enter the world of Wakanda, places like its vibranium mine, Shuri's vibranium based workplace, to the home of the Jabari tribe, the poingnantly colorful colors of Africa is richly painted, and it just makes you so immersed in this world that they've brought that you might never want to leave once you're there.

Image source: Vulture

Most of the arcs in Black Panther are solely rooted in Wakanda, and the conflicts within the nation. Just because it's the most advanced nation in the world, it does not always mean the most peaceful. The conflict between whether or not Wakanda should stay isolated from the rest of the world as well as Killmonger's arrival made sure of that. Marvel has incorporated personal conflicts in some of their films, but Black Panther goes beyond that. Black Panther deals with the politics of a nation, questioning what one should do in order to rule and protect, whether or not the truth could protect the legacy or destroy it. Coogler plays with these elements effortlessly, making for a much deeper meaning behind it rather than just having it be a superhero film.

Black Panther is of course, not without flaws. Some parts feel inconsistent, with scenes that were abruptly cut for another, leaving them incomplete. And for a film filled with great character arcs and development as well as some spectacular world building, the final battle sequence somehow lags compared to its other fantastic aspects. It doesn't feel as epic as other standout action sequences such as the ritual combat battle for the throne or the car chase in South Korea. The thrill from the previous sequences just feel more cohesive and epic than the final battle, and the final is the one that's supposed to be the culmination of all the previous action sequences.

Despite that, Black Panther just nails almost every single aspect of not only a great superhero film, but as a great film in general as well. Black Panther is one of Marvel's most gorgeous films to date, bringing the world of Wakanda from the comics to the big screen with an immersively aesthetic palette (I also want to mention the amazing score by Ludwig Goransson, because the score is just fantastic). It brings the best out of what makes these heroes special and turns it into a much more intimate, personal, and thrilling adventure. In the middle of it is a journey of conflict and loyalty to the throne. This is about a king who is thrust into the role of both a leader and protector. There's all kinds of potentials that Marvel could take in order to convey such story, and for the most part, they take those potentials and spark them into something special.

Stars: 4.2/5

Trailer

By Nadia Ranaputri

Image source: StarWars.com

Star Wars: Bloodline takes place a couple of years before the events of The Force Awakens and decades after the fall of the Empire, where after having to sacrifice her wish to return to a normal family life, Leia must take full responsibility in the Galatic Senate. Pitted against the people who do not see eye to eye with her beliefs, Leia is forced to fight for both the good of the established Senate as well as her relationships with the people on her side and with those who aren’t.

Gray’s characterization of Leia is an absolute cherry on top of the cake. Bloodline is essentially Leia’s story. Everything that is built from the ground up, whether it can come from Casterfo’s (more on him later) point of view or from some of the New Republic fighters; is built around Leia, the sole core of the entire novel. She is still the same woman we’ve seen in the films: compassionate and driven; but with more depth and layer. We see her struggle as not only a Senator, but as a wife and a mother who had to leave her family behind for the sake of the galaxy’s fate. Leia is thrust into the whirlwinds of both her duties to the Galactic Senate and confronting the looming shadow of her hatred and pity towards Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire.

Because this novel has more than one point of view, Gray has more opportunities to explore the mind and motives of other characters. Gray takes this opportunity so willingly and passionately, that the characterizations are amazingly deep and profound. But the one character other than Leia that I was absolutely intrigued with, and also became one of my favorite characters of the Star Wars universe, despite never appearing in any of the films; was Ransolm Casterfo. Casterfo is a Centrist, which means he opposes the Populists, therefore opposes Leia. His character is something of an enigmatic wonder. He starts off as someone Leia despises, since he has different views regarding the Galactic Empire, in which he highly values the Empire’s tactics, but the more you get to know him, the more intricate and complex he becomes. I don’t want to spoil his arc, but his arc and characterization in this novel is simply put, one that becomes increasingly more interesting the more we unravel his true intentions. This is in some way, the complex characterization that Holdo should have possibly gotten in The Last Jedi.

Bloodline is filled with multidimensional characters and some of the best structure and pacing that I have ever read in a novel. Gray is intent on creating her own world from scratch as well as create tension and introductions to several new characters in which Leia meets and eventually forms bonds with. It’s a character driven story with diverse motivations. You can’t simply jump to an assumption as to whether or not a character is a threat because of what he or she believes, or if someone is merely doing the right thing, but seen as another. Every quick assumption that you might have had in the beginning about some characters, Gray diminishes with some wickedly subtle twists.

It is very much a sci-fi action adventure that delves into the expansion of a galaxy far, far away; as it is politically rooted. Beyond the Hosnian Prime, there’s always an uncharted territory in an already established world, and Gray digs deep into the world beyond what we have seen in the films. Gray unravels these unseen planets and reveals them one by one, each more intriguing than the last. Furthermore, Gray addresses what has never been fully addressed in any of the Star Wars films except for the prequels: the issues within the Galactic Senate itself. The Galactic Senate, despite their efforts on ridding the galaxy of threats, has to have issues of their own, and Bloodline digs deep into those issues. Not everyone in the Senate is perfect, not even Leia. A senate can crack when there is a flaw in the system, and that’s what Leia sees.

Not everything is fleshed out though. Some of its arcs and character developments are either cut short or placed on hold, one of them being the revelation of a group called the Elder Houses, which is mentioned a couple of times in the book; but never fully elaborated on. Other revelations are only mentioned once or twice for the sake of one arc, and are never mentioned again; shadowing on what could have been an interesting arc to delve in to.

Other than that, this book was a fantastic read. This is the first Star Wars novel that I read, and I am eager to read more. Since this is set in the years before The Force Awakens, much of its buildup is intent on leading us on to the Leia we see in Episode VII. It’s a great read for Star Wars fans that are eager to discover more about the expansion of the Star Wars universe. It’s also a particularly bittersweet journey, given Carrie Fisher’s passing, but Claudia Gray honors the Princess turned Senator in the best way she could. Beyond the characters, the world building is spectacular. Gray has managed to create this world her own, all while draping it over with that same familiarity of a galaxy far, far away.

But at its core, Gray presents us with not only a woman who knows how to be a badass and show everyone how it’s done; but also a woman who is complex, who’s not perfect, who makes mistakes, whose assumptions towards others aren’t always proven right, and most importantly, a woman who learns from her mistakes and her past. We see a woman on the verge of becoming the General of the Resistance the moment The Force Awakens begins.

Stars: 4.4/5

By Nadia Ranaputri

Image source: Goodreads

Deborah Harkness' novel A Discovery of Witches is set in the backdrop of Oxford University, where historian and witch Diana Bishop unintentionally finds, and opens, an ancient manuscript in the Bodleian that has been bewitched for decades, and that she had been the one to counteract said spell without ever realizing it. Afraid of its possibly dangerous contents, Diana sends the manuscript back to the stacks, never wanting to see or touch it again. Soon after, the Bodleian is packed with witches, vampires, and daemons that demand to discover the current location of the manuscript, one of them being Matthew Clairmont, a mysterious vampire with centuries full of an equally mysterious past.

Diana Bishop is a witch that hides her true identity in favor of Oxford and alchemy. She doesn't know how to fight, and doesn't know the potential in her, but that doesn't make her any less of a heroine. Diana's brilliance with alchemy is exceptional. Harkness isn't afraid to show her heroine's intelligence and passion for alchemy. This is a woman with smart wits and a stubbornly forward-thinking personality. Because this story is mostly written in first person, Diana's mind is one we read into the most. For a professor of alchemy, her insight into that particular field is always a joy to read. Harkness really knows her stuff, as she is after all, a historian herself. Though I'm not an expert on alchemy, Harkness' description regarding the field through Diana's eyes is enough to make readers want to reach the nearest history book.

Competing against Harkness' heroine is one of the creatures interested in her discovery of the ancient manuscript: the brooding vampire Matthew Clairmont, a biochemist at Oxford (Diana jokes about how she doesn't find it surprising that a vampire would be a biochemist, given that the field included the vampire's two favorite things: blood and anatomy) who also happens to be extremely fond of wine. Clairmont is no Edward Cullen for sure, despite their broodingly mysterious appearance, but Matthew is just so much better at conveying that broodiness and likeability. He's lived for centuries, and is not willing to share all he's done until the time is right. When he does share his tales of his life during the past centuries, it makes for a compelling read and exploration into Harkness' own little history lesson (his constant exclamation of "Dieu!" whenever he's agitated or just overwhelmed was a nice touch to his character).

The novel has a very promising start, and there's some great development between Diana and Matthew, from their constant banters and their trips to a yoga class full of vampires, witches, and daemons in one room (yes, that happens in the book), this is one of the more slow burn romance that surprisingly for me, is quite enjoyable. I'm not usually one for romance, and despite the romance being one of the central themes in the story; it really didn't bother me. I liked their back and forth banters and their constant need to protect one another. However, there are some issues regarding a few aspects of their relationship, especially sometime during the second half of the book.

A Discovery of Witches has the burden of balancing the elements of alchemy, history, and science to the world of the supernatural, but Harkness just nails that balance. From my own personal reading experience, I've never seen a novel that balanced these type of elements into one and incorporate it with something fictional. The more it goes in to the alchemy and the science, the more intrigued and more fascinating it gets. This was one of the book's strongest points, balancing elements that one might have never thought would be possible to put in a novel. Harkness' writing is obviously the biggest reason why many of these elements work. From Diana's insight of alchemy, to Matthew's complete interest in science, they could not be more different, but these two just click like magnets.

It's during the second half of the book however, when it hits its pacing issues, and things start to drag a little, to the point where you're wondering where all the tension has gone. Some things that happen feel like a set up for things to come in the future or in this case, the next book; rather than focusing on what's currently happening in this book. Because I had several expectations going into this book, it's possible that they factored into the novel suddenly screeching to a halt and dragging the plot across the ground for me. And for a plot that suddenly drags, some plot points are even resolved too quickly, where one thing suddenly becomes another without clear explanation. There were issues with some character developments during this stage, particularly Diana's, but I won't delve any further in case of spoilers to those who haven't read the novel and are interested to. Despite that, there are indeed some other more positive things that came out of the second half, such as room to develop more of Diana and Matthew's relationship, as well as some interesting insight into Matthew's family and past.

Nonetheless, I really did like this book. It's so rare for me to find a story with a romance centered around it that I actually liked and went along with, but A Discovery of Witches is one of those rare gems. The Oxford setting is also nothing short of brilliant and stunningly painted by Harkness in her descriptions, like the Bodleian library, or even the smell and taste elicited from Matthew's endless collection of vintage wines. The alchemy and science elements that are thrown into the world of the supernatural was one of the things that made this book a tremendously fun read and a fun exploration to the wide field of alchemy, not to mention a brilliant minded heroine to boot.

Rating: 3.5/5

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