Wakanda and Naïve Globalism

Rating: 7/10 (26 February 2018)

Marvel has scored another hit at the box office, as well as among movie critics. I read some reviews before seeing the movie and was surprised at the wide range of ratings. Going in I was willing to give it a "7" going in, just because it is Marvel. I haven't seen a bad Marvel movie yet. Black Panther was no exception, yet it possessed a strange dualism. On the one hand, the movie was superbly made, cleverly written, possessing great cinematography, exciting special effects, top-notch acting by all the principals and several moments of laugh-out-loud humor. I would not be surprised if Black Panther received Oscar nominations for more than special effects.
On the other side I felt, as a Conservative, that Coogler and Cole were intent on lecturing me from their Leftist-Globalist political ideology. There were subtle but obvious jabs at the Trump Administration. I suppose we should give T'Challa some slack since he is so new at governing. He (indeed the entire MCU) ignores the threat of Radical Islam and he hasn't considered what he would do if millions of illegal immigrants showed up at the gates of Wakanda for their slice of the pie. Killmonger did offer a valid reality check that as soon as the world became aware of Wakanda's scientific advancements, other powers would want to come and take it away from them.
Wakanda, of course, is a fantasy. While it seeks to reflect African culture and succeeds in various ways, it fails to represent the diversity of the continent of Africa. Many times in the movie speech patterns, idiomatic expressions and mannerisms reflect black culture in America rather than Africa. One aspect that is accurate is inter-tribal competition, which in the history of Africa resulted in internecine warfare. Africans have not historically manifested the philosophy of "one tribe." "White people" are presented in the film as colonizers (which Everett Ross rejects), but ignored is the fact that Christian missionaries brought medicine, hospitals, schools and improved agriculture. Yes, white people engaged in the horrific slave trade, but conversely white people ended it. White people have given over and over for the good of Africa and Africa is the better for it.
Frankly, I liked Black Panther better in Captain America: Civil War where he wasn't preaching at us. I wonder if he will try his Liberal ideology on Thanos. Nah. Thanos does not believe in sharing the wealth.