geek'd
#Marvel continues to thrill consistently with their cinematic universe, and Black Panther doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it goes a little deeper, and a little farther than most super hero flicks in social commentary but never has the weight of blame or racial vilification in it’s delivery.
I wanted to avoid any race based ‘movement’ or ‘political’ discussion that I’ve seen circulating the ‘net regarding the movie. But you really can’t. Black Panther asks some very timely questions about the state of race in the world. It addresses mistakes made in the past and their very present consequences today. But the underlying message I feel here is that the past can only affect and disrupt the present unless all people are willing to sacrifice and work together. With new thinking comes new possibilities, almost a kind of play off of Stan Lee’s ‘With great power’ line. We see this come center stage as a new king is inducted and is faced with choice of doing things as his father would, or perhaps taking the secretive Wakanda nation into full view of the world and begin working to make it a better one. As filmmakers, I can only guess that they sought to produce a movie that could inspire without preaching. One that could celebrate a culture without degrading others. Does it achieve conflict without relying on cliches and skin-tone stereotypes?
The filmmakers succeed on all fronts. I loved this movie.
The characters were vibrant, brought to life by a tremendously talented cast and a fantastic story. The introduction of Wakanda is visually stunning with it’s balance between nature and future tech. The bad guys feel like a very real threat, so much so that the entire audience gasped (like REALLY gasped) multiple times as our heroes took their beatings. Part Lion King, part James Bond, Black Panther delivers the story, action, drama and heart of a real and very moving cinematic experience. While this hero is African, and it’s an African-American/British cast, and the story is established in and around an African country, Black Panther is a hero for everyone – regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or nationality. He fights for family and his home, something we all can relate to. And much like T’Challa, maybe someday we’ll recognize this human bond transcends skin color and that we’ll act more like the family we really are.
This movie will be a big hit, and deservedly so. Thrilling and thought provoking, Black Panther stands out as another great installment from Marvel. Highly recommended.
