Pages

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Countdown to Infinity War: Black Panther

Yes, this isn't in the correct order for my countdown, but on Friday I went to see Black Panther, and WOW...



Yes, there has been lots of hype, and maybe that's turned you off. Maybe you've seen the FAKE reports of white people being attacked? Maybe you've read some racist reviews of the movie.

Ignore the noise, and go see it.

Go now.

It was fantastic.

First off, let's talk visuals, because that's the first thing that's going to grab you. The colors, the prints, the textures, the textiles are all vibrant and eye catching. They're different from anything I've ever seen, and make me want to find all of the concept art and just let it soak into my brain. If this doesn't win major awards for costume design all year long, it's gonna be a crime. And yes, I'm saying that even against the visually spectacular Wrinkle in Time that's coming out soon.

Next up, the story. Wakanda, the hidden technologically advanced kingdom that the world thinks of as a poor 3rd world nation has a new king who has challenges both within and without. To remain a hidden nation, or to open up and help guide the world to be better? It's a timely take, seeing how they weave together the tale of a fictional African nation with the challenges faced by black people everywhere, from the abduction and enslavement of boys and girls on the African continent, to the challenges faced by African-Americans here in the USA... it isn't necessarily a comfortable movie from that perspective.

Killmonger, the main antagonist, is one of the most nuanced and sympathetic villains who (without being too much of a spoiler) causes some serious questioning about who's actually in the right, about what the right thing to do is.

And can I tell you about the women? You know the bechdel test? Forget it. We now have the Wakanda test. Seriously, if the women in future films don't match how awesome, independent, powerful, and beautiful as the women in Black Panther are, it's failed. There is now no longer any excuse filmmakers! Step up! 

Look back up at the poster. See how the women take up a solid 3rd+ of the poster? Each of those women steal the scene from T'Challa and Killmonger every time.

Why are you still reading this? Go see it! I can't wait till I can see it again...

2 comments:

  1. "Justin Isaac has left a new comment on your post "Countdown to Infinity War: Black Panther":

    This is one of those times the hype was totally right! This movie was amazing on so many levels. "

    Deleting spam, and accidentally killed this comment.

    ReplyDelete

Comment Moderation is in place. Email notifications are spotty... might be a bit before this gets published. Sorry.