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Rating: 5 out of 5
Wakanda Forever!!!
When Black Panther first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, it was the beginning of something SPECIAL for Marvel. In 2018, Black Panther stand-alone film dropped on the world, and it was a MASSIVE hit. Everyone LOVED this film, from the direction, writing, acting, costume design, production values, and soundtrack. This was a superhero film of all superhero films. Easily a top 5 superhero film of all time. The film made everyone believe and think that the coolest superhero around was a BLACK superhero. Even white kids wanted to dress up as Black Panther because he was that cool. The film went on to gross $1.3 billion worldwide while being nominated for seven awards at the 91st Academy Awards, winning three and even being nominated for Best Picture. That is freakin big time for a superhero film.
Black Panther was directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole. The film begins after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Prince T’Challa (Boseman) returns home to the technologically advanced but secret nation of Wakanda. Wakanda is by far the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world with its massive supply of vibranium but poses as a third-world developing country. At the ceremony to crown him king, four of the five tribes honor him as king, but the Jabari Tribe’s leader, M’Baku (Duke), challenges T’Challa for the crown in ritual combat. T’Challa defeats M’Baku and becomes the King of Wakanda. When the threat of Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Jordan) threatens Wakanda and the throne, T’Challa must decide how to prevent war within Wakanda.
I want to give it up and give major praise to Ryan Coogler. Coogler made an AWESOME superhero film with so much depth. This film went beyond a superhero film and used realism to it. Coogler showed two characters that were different but alike. If you look deeply at T’Challa and Erik, they had the ideology of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. T’Challa wanted peace and to get things done peacefully. Erik had the idea of Malcolm X. He grew up in a world where he saw injustice and pain and wanted to show the world the true strength of blacks worldwide. This competing ideology came head-on.
The story goes deeper into how one’s environment influences them. T’Challa is a man who was cared for and loved. He was a prince who wanted to help his people and find peaceful ways. This is shown when he goes to the astral plane. The world is calming with the other black panther. He can go there for advice and sometimes answers. On the other side is Erik. Erik’s life was hard as he trained and went to school. He became somewhat a product of his environment. His astral plane was completely different when he took the herb heart-shaped flower. It was his home, and in it was his dead father, who was killed by his brother. That place was his peace, and it was destroyed by his family.
The costume design of this film was phenomenal. The costumes showed the pride of Africa. Loved how each tribe had a specific color to them. Rather than seeing everyone as alike, each had their own way of life and specialty. How about how the Dora Milaje costumes were. Loved the red look with spears. Even though they were made after a real-life group. Seeing strong female warriors as bodyguards was AWESOME.
I want to talk about the acting in this film. Everyone did a fantastic job. It will be hard to talk about everyone because there isn’t enough time and paper to talk about everyone. I am going to talk about the two prominent people. First up is my king, Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa. Boseman was excellent as T’Challa. A man that comes face to face with going from prince to king. He was a man who didn’t want to be a hero but more of a person who protected his kingdom and people. Boseman also has such coolness about him that you wanted to be like him. He had the walk down, and you would be proud to say he is my king.
Second has to be Michael B. Jordan as N’Jadaka / Erik “Killmonger” Stevens. Jordan put on a performance as one of the best villains in superhero history. What made this character so amazing is that he made Erik seem as if he was right. Everything Erik preached was correct and believable. If you lived in the United States, you should know the pain of blacks. Jordan looked like a jacked beast. Dude looked like he could destroy anyone, and Jordan made sure he looked intimidating.
The music is phenomenal in this film. I want to give it up to Kendrick Lamar, who produced the soundtrack. “All the Stars” was a fantastic song. The music video was even better. Along with that was “Pray for Me” by the Weeknd. Another banger song and one to rock to. One can listen to the soundtrack and feel proud of their ancestry.
Black Panther is an excellent, fantastic, and phenomenal superhero film. It has all the elements and was a box office and cultural hit. Boseman, Jordan, and all the cast members were amazing and did fantastic jobs. The music and costumes were also great and should be commended. Watch this film and give the Wakanda Forever hand gesture.
BONUS CLIP!!!
