I actually wanted to give Black Panther another viewing before publishing this post. But I was taking forever to do so and didn't want to procrastinate any longer.
As I've stated far too many times on this blog, I'm only here for scripted TV shows with the occasional mix of competition reality shows. Me and movies don't really get along. Of course, I have some favorites - which, interestingly enough, are mostly comedies - but I'd much rather watch an episode of Lost multiple times then rewatch a movie. So for me to be this pressed for a movie, a superhero comic movie, it's a big deal.
But let's be real. The main reason Black Panther caught my attention was because of the cast. Not only is the cast primarily black but it boasts of a who's who in talented actors and actresses. Like, that alone was a win. Then we got the director who comes with a stacked resume of Fruitvale Station and Creed. Yes, only two movies but two critically acclaimed movies. Then to top it all off, the setting is in a (fictional) African country called Wakanda. And this country is rich in cultural and technology.
I had to watch...and support.
Because style and fashion, here's the talented cast and director wearing my favorite looks from various Black Panther movie premieres, in alphabetical order:
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| Angela Bassett in Naeem Khan She played T'challa's mother, Ramonda. |
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| Chadwick Boseman in Givenchy Mr. Black Panther, himself. He gave T'Challa heart and depth and vulnerability. I appreciated that the movie didn't make T'Challa out to be this all powerful dude. And Chad's accent wasn't too shabby. |
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| Sterling K. Brown in La Perla Okay, so when the first scene appeared and Sterling is decked out in a double layer black and white tee with a gold chain, my brain fizzled. I was like, "huh whaa huh? Is he meant to be a hood guy? What? What's happening here?" Sterling had a small role but he did his thang with that small role. Dude can act. I was very much impressed with his accent, as well. |
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| Ryan Coogler 3 for 3. At 31. The end. |
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| Winston Duke in The Black Tux and Dolce & Gabbana shirt The early reviews pegged Letitia as the breakout star. But when the movie was finally released, another star broke through. Say hey to this cutie. His character was my favorite. And he also had a part in my favorite moment in the movie: M'Baku and his tribesmen barking at Agent Ross to keep quiet. Also, I'm convinced M'Baku and his crew represent an Igbo tribe. Convinced. |
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| Martin Freeman When his character, Agent Ross, opened his eyes to the beautiful world of Wakanda, it brought about some amusing moments. |
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| Danai Gurira in The Row Okoye, her character, represented a strong-willed, powerful, takes no bullshit woman. And she had to be given she's a general and oversees the country's armed forces and intel. Danai killed it. |
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| Michael B. Jordan (MBJ, for short) in Calvin Klein Aaah, the man of the hour. He played the villian, Killmonger, an American who wants T'challa's throne. Without giving too much away, I understood where Killmonger was coming from but he went about it the wrong way. Then again, given his childhood, it's understandable why he held on to that grudge for so long. MJB made Killmonger a villain to root for. There's a reason why he's getting rave reviews to the point that some are calling Killmonger the best Marvel villain. Ever. Considering I know nothing about comics and don't care much for comic movies (The Dark Knight was excellent, though!), I can't put in my two cents on that claim. |
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| Daniel Kaluuya in Burberry jacket Nah, fam. I wanted to karate chop his character, W'Kabi, towards the end of the movie. But he right his wrong and all is well in this world. |
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| Lupita Nyong'o in Atelier Versace She played T'challa's love interest, Nakia. |
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| Andy Serkis You know Andy had a blast playing the secondary villain. I had a blast watching him. His character was a trip. In a good way. |
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| Forest Whitaker He played Zuri, an elder. |
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| Letitia Wright As mentioned earlier, Letitia is deemed the true breakout star of Black Panther. And with good reason. She played that annoying but charming little sister to the t. Shuri is funny and hella gifted and hella smart. Like, homegirl designs the country's newest technology. At 16. Do you know what I was doing at 16? Not adding new futuristic elements to my brother's superhero suit, that's for sure. She also had the best line in the movie: "Don't scare me like that, colonizer!" |
Leaving the theatre, a guy, probably guessing that I watched the movie based off the African AF tee I was wearing, excitedly said, "You seen Black Panther?" I acknowledge to him that I did watch the movie. "It was really good! It's gonna win some Oscars!" And before I could stop myself, "Chill. It's not", came out of mouth. He laughed. "You don't think it's gonna win Oscars? For that storyline, the acting?" Shaking my head in disagreement, "Nah. Maybe costume design. Production. Probably cinematography."
It'll probably be nominated for Best Picture but it for sure won't win Best Picture. While the storyline was a good one, the acting from the cast and made it far better. Speaking of acting, the only person I can see getting a nomination will probably be MBJ but since he was rudely overlooked for his work on Fruitvale Station and Creed, getting one for this movie may be a reach. It'll be cool if Danai gets some awards season recognition because she was amazing. In the social media world, the movie has already become meme-able with the viral videos of movie goers decked out in African traditional wear to deeming this emoji the Wakanda greeting to using 'colonizer' as an insult. But most of all, the movie is sparking serious conversations about representation and why it matters.
Black Panther is a phenomenon.
Oh and you should definitely cop or at least listen to the soundtrack. My favorite song so far is "X".
As of today, it has garnered well over $400 million in the box office here in the States and $300 million internationally in 2 weeks! That's insanity. So it may seem like everybody and their mama has seen this movie already. But for those who haven't, go watch. It's for everyone!
I mean, who doesn't love a great superhero movie.
