Streaming: Disney+ (With Subscription)
Warning:
Violence
Rating: PG-13
Black Panther is a superhero film like no other, it is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The film was directed by Ryan Coogler who also co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole. Black Panther has a long list of stars including Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther alongside Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Ander Serkis. T’Challa is crowned the king following his father’s death making him the new Black Panther. He is challenged by Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) who plans to abandon Wakanda’s independence policies in order to form a worldwide revolution that can only end in bloodshed. In January 2018 Black Panther premiered in Los Angeles and was theatrically released in the United States in February 2018. The budget of Black Panther was $200 million and grossed $1.347 billion in the box office. The film was nominated for numerous awards and won seven Academy Awards including Best picture and even won an American Music Award. Black Panther was the first comic book and superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, as well as the first film in the Marvel Comics Universe (MCU) to win an Academy Award. Critics praised Black Panther for the superb cast, shocking action sequences, and beautiful visual imagery. The costume design was also highly celebrated, Black Panther won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. This film is unforgettable, especially when so many superhero films are very similar, Black Panther stands out and created a new form of superhero to aspire to.
The writing is one of the most important elements of the film, the production team was inspired by Ta-Nehisi Coates who is a modern writer of the comic book series Black Panther. The specific inspiration came from Coates’ poetic dialogue. Characters within the film were picked throughout the comics and were chosen based on what worked well with the film’s storyline. Donald Glover even added some minor contributions to the early draft of the script that helped develop the relationship between T’Challa and his younger sister Shuri. There were a lot of different types of inspiration that came into developing the narrative behind Black Panther, however it is still a unique and original story. Producers from Marvel Studios stated that Black Panther doesn’t depend on any other plots from MCU films, however it does affect the wider MCU moving forward, they also went on to state that it has an important link to Avengers: Infinity War. While staying true to the comics, the film blossomed into an intriguing storyline that will also act as a positive representation for children for generations to come.
The cast was made of many famous familiar faces which allowed the film to develop to its full potential. Black Panther simply would not be the same film without the cast that was chosen, everyone was phenomenal. However, Chadwick Boseman in particular was beyond extraordinary, during his performance in Black Panther he was suffering from stage III colon cancer which eventually progressed to stage IV before 2020; this did not hold him back by any means. During his treatment which involved chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, he continued to work and completed production on several films besides Black Panther including Marshall, Da 5 Bloods, and Ma Rainey. Boseman died at his home as a result of complications related to colon cancer in August of 2020 with his family by his side. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige called Boseman’s death “absolutely devastating,” writing, “Each time he stepped on set, he radiated charisma and joy, and each time he appeared on screen he created something truly indelible […] now he takes his place as an icon for the ages.” Boseman was nominated for many awards for the films he worked on while he was undergoing treatment including Best Actor for both of his roles in Ma Rainey and Da 5 Bloods. Boseman is an unforgettable actor who has changed superhero stories forever, he created space for more superheroes of color to exist in a predominantly white world.
The costume design is another element of the film that added to its success. Ruth E. Carter was the costume designer, she referenced the Maasai, Himba, Dogon, Basotho, Tuareg, Turkana, Xhosa, Zulu, Suri and Dinka people in her designs for the film. She also examined different Japanese, French and American fashion designers for Angela Bassett’s costumes. For the Dora Milaje costumes, she decided to use primarily red to reference different African cultures and overall wanted to avoid the common “girls in bathing suits” look. Instead, she made the Dora Milaje wear full armor that would be used practically in battle while considering the actor’s stunt work. For T’Challa’s costumes, they combined his role as King as well as head of military. Carter was also deliberate in using distinct colors to represent different Wakanda tribes, green with shells for the River Tribe, blue with wood for the Border Tribe, Black with royal purple for the Black Panther and the Royal Palace. 700 costumes were created for the film, Carter worked with numerous illustrators, designers, mold makers, fabric dyers, and jewelry makers to get the correct feel for Wakanda.
Black Panther is a necessary superhero film that was long overdue and became quite frankly, the greatest superhero film of all time. From the attention to detail, the action choreography, the storyline and the acting, Black Panther has created space for more superheroes of color, allowing more representation in Hollywood of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of color) individuals. This film is beyond inspirational not only for the children who see it but for adults as well, most of the characters in the film are noble and positive representations. Black Panther brings positivity to a group of people who have not often been the centerpiece of Hollywood films. Films like this help strengthen identity and helps reduce internalizing negative impressionable stereotypes that are often portrayed in Hollywood and the media. Wakanda represents Africa without Western colonialism which in itself is inspiring for many people to understand and contemplate. This representation has never been portrayed before, especially in Hollywood, which allows the audience to ponder Black liberation in a different light. Hopefully Black Panther has inspired more films to be made with this in mind in order to create a new narrative for BIPOC representation in Hollywood; until then, I highly recommend Black Panther.