Wakanda Forever - By: Katie O'Neill

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2020)

Black Panther (2018)
Director- Ryan Coogler
Runtime - 135 minutes
In Theaters - February 16th, 2018
Characters -
Chadwick Boseman (as T'Challa/ Black Panther)
Michael B. Jordan (as Erik Killmonger)
Lupita Nyong'o (as Nakia)
Danai Gurira (as Okoye)
Martin Freeman (as Everett K. Ross)
Daniel Kaluuya (as W'Kabi)
Letitia Wright (as Shuri)

Black Panther was Marvel's 18th movie, but its release in 2018 made film history. Not only is it ranked the best Marvel movie according to Rotten Tomatoes, beating out Avengers: Endgame (2019), Iron Man (2008) and Thor: Ragnarok (2018) but Black Panther is one of the most successful movies ever with an African- American director and also a predominantly black cast. Other movies with a predominantly black cast include Moonlight (2016), Get Out (2017), and Love & Basketball (2000) but none have received the attention like Black Panther.
The film opens with a narration about how the nation of Wakanda came to be and why they have isolated themselves from the rest of the world. Wakanda is a fictional African nation known for its connection and source of vibranium and advanced technology. Many nations are trying to steal these resources from Wakanda so they live under an invisible shield.
T'Challa, the main character in Black Panther, lost his father in the movie Captain America: Civil War which means that he is next in line to become king of Wakanda and the new Black Panther. T'Challa now has to protect his people. He battles powerful enemies around the world with help from his people and their allies. The film is packed with fighting, love, honor, and family.
The plot deals with very strong and compelling themes including the role of women in the world, self-determination, and being African vs. being an "outsider". These themes are woven throughout the film and provoke the audience to think about these issues on a broader scale as they apply to our current society.
Black Panther also had an outstanding original soundtrack. All of the music in the film was composed by Ludwig Gogansson. Before the movie, he traveled to Africa to learn and research traditional Tribal music. The pieces that he put together created a very powerful soundtrack that went on to win Best Original Score at the 2018 Academy Awards and a GrammyAwards. Kendrick Lamar also created an album for this movie. His song "King's Dead" also won a Grammy. All of the original music written for this movie enhances the audience's experience, and it transports them to feeling like they are surrounded in the culture and at the battle scenes.
Another phenomenal part of this movie was the elaborate costume design by Ruth E. Carter and the beautiful make-up designs by Joel Harlow. There was a strict color palette of black, red, and green between the three main characters which often represent African nations. All of the dresses, crowns, and robes she designed were directly inspired by traditional African clothing. Joel Harlow spent hours researching traditional looks from African tribes. After that he had to create five different styles for the five different tribes of Wakanda. Harlow had intense detail on the characters including attaching individual scars all over Michael B. Jordan. Both the makeup and costumes were so important to the movie's impact because it transports the audience to feel as if it truly could have been filmed in a real nation in Africa.
The one critique that I have about the film is the actor's accents. I fully understand the purpose was to create a more authentic feel for the setting. However, I believe at times during the story it was distracting and made me lose track of the dialog between characters.
Overall, I would 100% recommend this film to anyone who loves a fast paced storyline with relatable characters. Despite Black Panther being a favorite Marvel movie among Superhero fans, I think it's biggest impact besides being highly entertaining is that it forces the viewer to think about gender and race in a new way.