We are Wakanda!!: Black Panther Review
- Opie Akinsilo
- Feb 21, 2018
- 3 min read
It is officially here and what an entrance it has made! Black Panther has finally landed after much anticipation, and with its arrival, it has smoothly landed the fourth largest grossing opening weekend of all time, overtaking Star Wars: The Force Awakens. By now you probably have already seen the film yourself and know it was an overwhelming success, getting a resounding 97% on Rotten Tomatoes making it the highest rated MCU film in the bunch. But for those who haven't seen the latest in Marvel's road towards the Infinity War, Black Panther provides not only a cultural celebration but also delivers a powerful message that has been one of the staples since Marvel's creation. With great power comes great responsibility.
On its surface, Black Panther embraces its differences and celebrates them. From the first time the open plains and deep valleys of Wakanda appear on the screen, you introduced to a nation that has been completely fleshed out. The Wakanda culture is in full effect, it's people, the clothing, even it's customs feel apart of something much deeper. Personally, as a first-generation Nigerian American, a sense of pride swelled in my chest hearing not only the accents, seeing small little mannerism in their behaviors showed the level of detail put in by its director Ryan Coogler. Wakanda could easily be a real location in the real world, and it is easy to get lost in its beautiful scenery. What didn't work was the CGI fight scenes. While it was great to watch Killmonger and T'Challa go at in the panther suits, it does come off very cartoony.
The real power of the film comes from its main villain Eric Killmonger played by Michael B. Jordan. After being plagued with forget villain after villain, Marvel has finally given its fans someone they can rally behind. In most great comic book films it's the villain that put that film over the top, giving viewers someone that they can relate to and sympathize with. In the past, Coogler has relied on Jordan to drive home the success of his films and it is no different in Black Panther. Marking this their third film together, Jordan proves to us why these two are a great pairing.
Killmongers is not only smart and driven but throughout the film I found myself siding with him. Jordan continually steals the show with every appearance on the screen. As a man who has grown up seeing the worst parts of humanity Killmongers sees those of Wakanda as privileged so its easy to see where he comes from and Jordan is a master at displaying that. This is not to take away from the all-star cast delivers with excellent performances. From the strong and domineering Danai Gurira to the subtle but purposeful Forest Whitaker, each actor makes use of their time on screen especially the loveable Letitia Wright who plays kid sister Shuri.
It's the core of Black Panther that really brings home the power of the film. As a technologically advanced country, is its Wakanda's responsibility to help its fellow man? Or even its fellow black man? This is the questions that Killmonger forces the viewers to address. It's also something that T'Challa himself deals with as well as the sins of the past generations, does he keep the status quo or go against tradition? As a people are we wrong from turning our backs on our fellow man? Black Panther does an excellent job of showing this and Coogler does an even better job of not shying away from such a powerful and controversial topic.
Black Panther gives its viewers something truly special. It provides people of color they kind of representation that hasn't been seen in a film. A movie starring people mostly like them and showing an appreciation for our cultural roots. For others, it promotes a message of togetherness. Showing what is truly possible when we all treat each other as one family. We are Wakanda!!!
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