Today's post is all about my new favourite movie: Black Panther! I watched it recently and I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about the whole thing.
The movie came out on the 12th February here in the UK, but I didn't get to watch it until the 25th! I was busy with work and waiting for payday, so when I had the opportunity, I went for it! Obviously I loved it, and I want to talk about what makes it such a great movie, and why you should go see it if you haven't already!
Quick disclaimer: This is coming from someone who has only watched 1 Avenger movie, and a couple of Marvel films, so I went into this with information only from the trailer. So let's begin!
AFRICAN CULTURES
I'm not going to lie; the only reason I watched this movie in the first place (other than the amazing cast I already love!) was because of all the African cultures that would be showcased within the movie. I don't care for superhero films at all (although now, that may change!), so I went into this expecting to see the beauty of African cultures portrayed correctly and I was not disappointed! There was Ndebele necklaces, Basotho blankets, all-female Dahomey warriors, the Xhosa language, and loads more!
It felt so good to see pieces of all of these cultures celebrated in Hollywood and showcased for what they are. Their beauty was brought to the forefront in Wakanda and it just made me feel so proud.
GENDER EQUALITY
Another thing I loved so much about Black Panther was the gender equality. It was right there in your face and you couldn't ignore it! The men and women of Wakanda are equal - because the country was never colonised, they realised that to push forward and advance their country they all needed to work together and that it could succeed - and that was amazing to see.
Women could challenge for the throne, they could be warriors, scientists, and anything that they wanted to be! Seeing this is so refreshing because in real life, that just doesn't happen at all.
THE WOMEN ARE IMPORTANT...
... and not just there for the sake of it. The women in this film were AMAZING. The dialogue was natural and you could see that they had real chemistry that didn't need to be faked. My favourite character was definitely Nakia; she knew the life she wanted to lead and didn't let anything stop her from fulfilling her dreams. Okoye was another amazing character; the leader of the Dora Milaje - the protectors of Wakanda, and Shuri was another great female character that I definitely loved.
Even though T'Challa was king and the leader of a country, he still respected the women around him - his general, his mother, the woman he loves and his sister. He listened to their opinions and didn't let the fact that he was king or a man overshadow the respect he had for everyone. A part that I really liked was when he found a way to keep Nakia with him while also finding a way for her to fulfil her dreams and it wasn't done selfishly or maliciously.
The women were respected and respectable and were allowed to be unapologetically smart, fierce, feminine and strong if they wanted to. They had no limitations to what they could achieve, and the fact that they are women didn't stop them from doing their thing. If anything, age was a greater barrier to their dreams rather then their gender! This movie just shows how far we can all advance if gender isn't a barrier that is emphasised so much, which unfortunately, it is.
EVERYONE IS REPRESENTED
In Hollywood, it is often thought that movies without an all-white cast cannot succeed, but as we have all seen, that simply is not true! Black Panther had a predominantly black cast, and it has surpassed all expectations!
Everyone is represented in this film, whether you're black, white, or Asian, you will find yourself within this movie. I hope that this is the start of some real change within Hollywood, and that the notion that a movie where the cast isn't predominantly white cannot succeed or be funny can finally be put to rest!
NOT ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE THE SAME!
This film definitely showed that not all black people want the same things! We are not a monolith; we have different wants and needs and that should be recognised! Black people are often bunched together and expected to act one particular way, but that's just not realistic.
Killmonger had his own agenda and wants, which were completely different from what T'Challa wanted. Different opinions were thrown left and right and it showed that black people are diverse and have their own personalities and identities that shouldn't just get grouped together, but celebrated and listened to.
All in all, I give Black Panther a 10/10. For someone who doesn't like superhero movies, I was very very impressed! I'm even going back to the cinema to watch it again, which I have never done before. I think this is my favourite movie since It (2017) and Coco (2017), and the first superhero movie I've watched and enjoyed since Deadpool (2016). If this film doesn't win a record number of Oscars, then I'll be extremely disappointed!
I know that not everyone out there is happy about a movie with a predominantly black cast, but honestly, I don't care! This movie exceeded expectations and if it gives just one person inspiration or hope, then it's done it's duty.
If you haven't seen Black Panther yet, then head over to the cinema and give it a watch!