Intersting movie

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2018)

Like many people, I enjoyed comics as a child (I still do). However, being black, most of the characters I saw didn't look like me. Of course, I didn't really think about that until I was older. About that same time, I realized that the same racial disparity seen in comics exists in Hollywood, as well. Thus, I was intrigued by the notion of a Black Panther movie.
I wasn't going to see it in theaters, but I did a little digging to learn what the movie was about and it intrigued me, so I saw it during opening weekend. Since it's a comic book movie, I was apprehensive. They're typically enjoyable but have shallow plotlines.
Well, this movie managed to impress me. No easy feat. Why did it impress me? Because Ryan Coogler managed to incorporate everyday social issues into the movie. Most comic book movies deal with some supernatural issue. While that's fine, most of us probably can't identify with fighting aliens or other superpowered beings.
Before walking into the theater, I knew that Wakanda was supposed to be a technologically advanced country in Africa. A possibility of what African nations could be if they hadn't suffered the effects of colonization. So, I came in with a question. If Wakandans are so advanced, what are they doing to help their neighbors? I didn't actually expect the movie to address this question. Surprisingly, it did. When T'Challa considered breaking from tradition and sharing Wakanda's resources with others and admitting refugees into the country, one of his friends closed the matter by saying that refugees would bring their problems and make Wakanda just like any other country.
The villain of the movie turns out to be T'Challa's cousin. He believes that Wakanda should use its resources to arm the oppressed and help them defeat their oppressors. After a big battle, T'Challa decides that his cousin had a point about helping others rather than keeping the wealth to oneself, albeit he is less militant in his views. So, the movie ends with him pledging Wankandan aid to other countries during a meeting with the UN. It's an ending that I admired. So often, people are faced with the decision of helping others and we don't because we may not have as much as we once did afterwards. While Black Panther is a work of fiction, perhaps it will inspire people to pursue a more altruistic approach to life.
One of the things that I admired most about the movie was its casting choices. I hate to say it, but Hollywood has a tendency to cast white actors in minority roles. Thus, I was happy to see a predominantly black cast in a movie that's not one of Tyler Perry's. Not only that, but 4 of the characters we consistently see are women. Wakanda seems to be a society that views women as being just as competent as men. For instance, the royal guard is completely made up of women. It feels rare for me to see black women in roles that aren't tossed aside for the sake of a white character. Here, we see a quartet of women who act as T'Challa's closest advisors: a tech genius, a queen, a spy, and the head of his guard. I'd say that that they serve as examples of how black women can succeed in the world (if given the chance).
My only real qualm with this movie is the villain, Erik Killmonger. As I said, he presents a foible to T'Challa's pacifism. I'm fine with that. It actually reminded me of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Two men who have similar goals but different methods of obtaining said goals. I could sympathize with Killmonger right up until he killed and threatened people who were hesitant to do what he said. What's the point of lifting other Africans up if you're needlessly killing your own people to do it? Without this character trait, I would've still viewed him as misguided, but I could still respect his position and how he came to have it. However, being a sociopathic murderer made him look like every other bad guy I see in Hollywood. I don't even think Killmonger needed to be a villain. He could have simply served as the flip side of the coin on this debate over whether or not Wakanda should aid other nations. Then again, there probably would've been less action and this IS a comic book movie. Oh well.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. If you're a comic book fan, I'd suggest seeing Black Panther. It deviates from the typical comic book formula of fight some aliens, blow stuff up, and end the movie without actually doing or saying anything important. I think Panther does have something to say. It shows us a representation that defies the Western expectations of what an African country looks like. Even more important, Black Panther demonstrates altruistic behavior that we can aspire to as human beings. Give it a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised.