Although few filmmakers have emerged within the past decade whose name is reason enough to check out their work, Ryan Coogler has solidified himself as an artist whose projects are unquestionably his own. It’s become far too common that an independent filmmaker with a promising debut is swept up within the studio system and then forced to make franchise properties that they have no creative stake in. However, Coogler has proven to be the exception to the rule, as he has managed to bestow a remarkable degree of personality within the films that he has made that are already part of established, successful franchises.
Coogler’s talents were evident from early on in his career, when his short films “Locks,” “Fig,” and “Gaps” were all met with critical acclaim. Over time, he has developed his own unique set of collaborators, having worked with actor Michael B. Jordan and composer Ludwig Göransson on all five of his theatrically released feature films. Where Coogler goes next is left to be seen; while it remains highly likely that he will return to helm a third chapter in the “Black Panther” franchise, there’s always the hope that he will have the track record to fund completely independent, original films based solely on his own imagination. Here are all five of Ryan Coogler’s movies, ranked from worst to best.
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was a film that placed Coogler in an impossible situation where he was forced to essentially restart from scratch after the tragic passing of actor Chadwick Boseman, whose death came as a shock to everyone involved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the hints had been planted that Boseman’s T’Challa would be the cornerstone of the MCU as it moved into its next era, Coogler was tasked with making a powerful tribute to the departed actor that also established a new character to carry on his mantle as the leader of Wakanda.
As a tribute to Boseman, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is a tremendous success, as it artfully examines the ramifications that the loss has on the characters within the film, allowing both the actors and fans to express their grief through the narrative. Unfortunately, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is saddled with a significant amount of baggage that was intended to set up other Marvel films, with the detour to introduce the character of Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) ahead of the “Ironheart” spinoff being the most egregious. The craftsmanship also takes a step down with some particularly convincing computer-generated imagery, but the biggest issue with the film remains that Letitia Wright simply does not have the charisma or range needed to carry the torch from Boseman.
4. Black Panther (2018)
“Black Panther” is a completely middle-of-the-road installment in the MCU. While it certainly is a step above the formulaic, if entertaining enough charms of “Ant-Man” or “Doctor Strange,” it lacks the perfect union of empathy and action that had made “Iron Man” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” some of the best of the genre. The core issue with “Black Panther” is that it is essentially two different films. In trying to make a politically conscious drama about classism and an action-packed espionage thriller, Coogler made a film that often feels at odds with itself.
Although there’s an impressive degree of worldbuilding and originality that comes with the conception of Wakanda, the allusions to the greater Marvel franchise lead to logical fallacies that are hard to ignore. While Jordan’s portrayal of the villain Killmonger is compelling, the notion that an outsider could easily advance to the top of an advanced civilization and incite a violent civil war is completely unbelievable. As disappointing as it is to see that “Black Panther” settles for a generic third-act battle scene where emotions are lost in the spectacle, the early moments in which T’Challa’s attempt to balance his heroic and leadership duties are very compelling. “Black Panther” works quite well, but it’s not the best that either Coogler or the MCU has to offer.
3. Sinners (2025)
“Sinners” is Coogler’s most ambitious film to date, as this epic period fantasy thriller has all the hallmarks of a John Carpenter classic with the massive scale of a Christopher Nolan epic. It’s impressive that Coogler did not feel encumbered to downplay the audacity of his vision; “Sinners” openly confronts the racist history of the American frontier, and examines the insidious ways in which extremists have attempted to suppress black culture. At times, it’s easy to simply be in awe at the detail-oriented nature of Coogler’s production, as even the most minor of background characters are given a complete and compelling backstory.
However, “Sinners” also runs extremely long, and doesn’t truly begin its core narrative arc until about midway through. While the theoretical concept behind the villains is quite compelling, the mythology ascribed to them is scattershot at best, and often takes a familiar route in order to smooth out the story. While a particularly impressive tracking shot in the film’s final set piece shows just how deeply Coogler believes in his vision, these elements may have been better imposed had they been introduced earlier. Minor issues aside, “Sinners” is about as imaginative as big-budget filmmaking can get, and could certainly prove to be an interesting new universe for Coogler to play in should it perform well enough to inspire a sequel.
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2. Fruitvale Station (2013)
While Coogler’s other films all fall within broadly accessible genres, “Fruitvale Station” is a grounded, low-budget character drama based on a recent tragedy. In one of his first major performances after his heartbreaking role as Wallace on “The Wire,” Jordan stars as Oscar Grant III, a black man killed by the California police on New Year’s Day of 2009. The subject material is important enough that even a straightforward, streamlined depiction of the horrific events would still have some importance, but Coogler opted to create a more depthful examination of class disparity and masculinity. While it’s a film that is centered around Grant’s death, Coogler is at his best when celebrating his life.
The inevitability of the tragedy gave Coogler the freedom to make an artful, ambulatory examination of a sprawling city filled with life, with allusions to everything from “Breathless” to “The 25th Hour.” Jordan’s performance is as primal and authentic as he’s ever been, but that doesn’t mean that the film is coasting on his work. Octavia Spencer has a deeply affecting supporting role as Grant’s mother. Some filmmakers have to work past their debut in order to figure out their artistic interests, but “Fruitvale Station” proved that Coogler had arrived as a fully formed storyteller destined for greatness.
1. Creed (2015)
“Creed” is a film that had no right to be as good as it is. While “Rocky Balboa” had been a fairly entertaining conclusion to the initial saga of Sylvester Stallone’s charming boxer, there was little reason to believe that the franchise would even return, much less reach the heights set by the Best Picture-winning original from 1976. Yet, “Creed” proved that revisiting a series didn’t need to mean retreading it, as he crafted a modern underdog story that was complicated by the changing racial dynamics and powerful family history. “Creed” accepted the events of the entire history of the “Rocky” series as canon, yet spun an instantly accessible origin story for a new generation.
Jordan’s role as Adonis Creed was not simply another instance of a new protagonist being introduced through a familial connection to an established character; he had to play a spurned, angered child who is fighting for the love of a father that he will never meet. Stallone’s performance is equally gripping, as Rocky’s transformation into a wise mentor meant that he also had to wrestle with the tragedy of his past. Although both “Creed” sequels, helmed by other directors, are fairly entertaining, there was clearly a lightning-in-a-bottle success to what Coogler unlocked with his powerful 2015 legacy sequel.
