BLACK PANTHER REVIEW

Black Panther receives a 10 out 10 stars for me! I’ve only seen it once, but I am going to watch it over and over again. After watching it, you’ll be in the mood to team up and save the world. With his top of the line martial arts, The Black Panther kinetically incapacitates his enemies. Moreover, Killmonger eradicates everything in his way. Wakanda, it’s vibranium, and all the other resources it has to offer are to be protected by any means necessary. While this objective is in progress, Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther, does a superb job with the dynamic action and powerful social messages.   

 

For a Nigerian American who has always wanted to be like the common super heroes, Black Panther is the best super hero movie! Batman, Superman, and Spiderman are all cool heroes, but they do not represent me. Those heroes represent powerful and noble white men, who society has always deemed the superior race and gender. Little white boys can close their eyes and imagine being any of those superheroes. I ran around the house with my cape – which was actually a bedsheet, or a big towel tied around my neck – and shot imaginary spider webs by tapping my wrist with my ring finger and middle finger. I still could not see myself naturally having that Superman curl in my hair. I could not see myself being super smart and rich with a butler. I also could not picture myself dating a girl like Mary Jane. After watching Black Panther, I walked out of that theater finally feeling like a superhero and a king! T’Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman, fully represents me and every other black man/boy. I could close my eyes and actually see myself being T’Challa. My hair can be just like his. I could see myself being a wealthy leader. I also could see myself with a beautiful woman like Nakia, who is played by Lupita Nyong’o.

 

The Afrofuturism in Black Panther is out of this world, but you’ll get a cool African history lesson when watching it. Due to the lack of colonialism, Wakanda is thriving with regards to nature and technology. Shuri – a 16-year-old African Princess, played by Letitia Wright – is responsible for most of the technology you see in the movie. That shows girls, especially black girls, that they can be leaders involved in Tech/STEM.  Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan, refers to the dreadful moments in Black History throughout the movie. The suffering of the past fuels him on his mission to liberate black people. He resembles the character of Malcolm X. T’Challa, on the other hand, resembles the character of Martin Luther King. You’ll see the clash between the peaceful warrior and the violent warrior. The contest for T’Challa’s throne is similar to the wrestling matches in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, where Okonkwo battled different warriors. Wrestling has been a part of African culture from the beginning of time, and Ryan Coogler did a great job at portraying that. More ancient African culture is displayed beautifully throughout. Clothing and accessories, song and dance, African medicine, and other components of African culture, were all executed well.

 

Our society is very corrupt, and this film portrays that corruptness and suggests ways to fix it. Black people have always been portrayed as a threat to society. Take D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation” for instance. Black men were seen as savages and the KKK were seen as heroes protecting their community from black men. In Black Panther, T’Challa has a chance to destroy his enemy, but is being watched by civilians and all their smartphones that would share his savageness to the world. He is told to let his enemy go, so he would not appear as a savage in media. Suspect or victim, you’ll see parallels if you focus on how black men are portrayed in media today. Growing up, there was a clear chasm between me and all the African Americans in my community. Our skin was the same, but I always thought we were a different race. American society conditioned them to believe that Nigeria and other countries in Africa were shithole countries. They made fun of my last name and did not want to be affiliated with Africans. Little did we know, we are all African, but slavery separated our people and introduced African Americans to western society ideals, considering it superior. Ryan Coogler addresses this chasm and lays out a problem that these two groups need to solve together. In a patriarchal society where women are objectified, belittled and excluded; T’Challa’s bodyguards, The Dora Milaje, defy society’s notions and prove that women are powerful and deserve respect. The Dora Milaje are all fierce African women that protect the Black Panther by any means necessary. They are all very beautiful too. Hollywood usually puts white women like Wonder Woman, Mary Jane, and Louis Lane in the spotlight as beautiful. It was great to finally see the full strength and beauty of African Women portrayed in a film. This film will also make you laugh. Many jokes point out the ugly past of white people. Although colonialism was horrible, The Black Panther and his team are inclusive, allowing agent Ross to join the team. He played a small but important role in the movie, opposed to having the narrative controlled by white people. Overall, this movie receives a 10 out of 10 from me. Great action, great messages, and made me feel like a king. I hope you enjoy(ed) it as much as I did.