By Ashley Torres
On February 16th, 2018, the highly anticipated film ‘Black Panther’ was released in the United States. Marvel fans from across the nation were in awe of the film’s CGI effects, cast, and thick plot line. Others were simply fascinated with the fact that a film based on Pan-Africanism was released in America.
“[The] film did a stellar job in showing Pan Africanism, especially with the colors: black, green and red,” said 18-year-old high school student Adrian Frias.
‘Black Panther’ takes place in Wakanda, a fictional region in Africa that poses as a poverty-stricken nation in order to avoid having their vibranium mines exploited by colonizers. Vibranium is a rare metal that was used to construct the Black Panther’s suit and other advanced pieces of technology, such as Panther’s Teeth, booby traps used as protection from outside forces.
The Wakandans have sworn to isolate themselves from the rest of the world and obey their king, T’Challa, also known as the Black Panther, portrayed by Chadwick Boseman.
Erik Killmonger, portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, is depicted as a revolutionist who desires to liberate his black brothers and sisters who are marginalized in American society. As a solution, he wants lethal vibranium weapons in the hands of the oppressed. He decides to fight T’Challa, his cousin, in order to claim the throne and follow through with his mission.
This movie is not just any Marvel superhero movie. The film’s central message extends beyond the screen.
“I thought it was one of the great Marvel films. The film was an amazing representation, showing people of color in positions they hardly ever hold in film roles. A black superhero, scientist, and indigenous warriors was something I’ve never seen, especially not all in one collective,” said Frias.
As someone who rarely sets time aside to watch and appreciate Marvel films, ‘Black Panther’ kept me engaged for a whole 2 hours and 15 minutes. Not only was I enthralled by the film’s cinematic actions scenes, but its portrayal of African people was refreshing to see on the big screen. The colorful Pan-Africanism culture was depicted accurately and beautifully. Another favorite aspect of the film has to be the soundtrack, curated by Kendrick Lamar and featuring artists like SZA, Khalid, Future, and so many more. It brought each scene of the movie to life, especially the fight sequences.
“It’s a big story that deserves to be told in a big way, for all of the cultural and political reasons that people talk about,” said Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige to Vulture.
There has been a notable lack of diversity among characters and the actors and actresses who portray them, as well as production teams. Many say the lack of POC (person of color) actors/actresses and directors are to blame, but ‘Black Panther’ lays all of those claims to rest.
The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, stars an array of POC actresses and actors: Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther; Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger; Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia; Dania Gurira as Okoye; Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi; etc..
Frias describes the cast as,“Revolutionary, where the transcendent roles being played by an almost entirely black cast. It’s a staple showing all these POCs in positions they typically aren’t portrayed in film.”
Cosplayers of color have also raved about the positive depiction of their own race. Portia Lewis, an African-American cosplayer told The New York Times, "We're helping people see us as heroes."
Some of the most notable characters happen to be black females. For example, T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri, is depicted as a scientist who experiments with vibranium to advance Wakanda’s technology. Okoye, T’Challa’s bodyguard, is shown as a fierce warrior who will go to great lengths to protect her beloved country. Something important to note: all the women of color in the film wore their natural hair, which is something uncommon for women of color to do in films.
Frias said, “Showing black people in this positive light is a great thing detracting the inferiority some may think they have, which is totally not the case. All people are able and this movie shows that!”
“[The] film did a stellar job in showing Pan Africanism, especially with the colors: black, green and red,” said 18-year-old high school student Adrian Frias.
‘Black Panther’ takes place in Wakanda, a fictional region in Africa that poses as a poverty-stricken nation in order to avoid having their vibranium mines exploited by colonizers. Vibranium is a rare metal that was used to construct the Black Panther’s suit and other advanced pieces of technology, such as Panther’s Teeth, booby traps used as protection from outside forces.
The Wakandans have sworn to isolate themselves from the rest of the world and obey their king, T’Challa, also known as the Black Panther, portrayed by Chadwick Boseman.
Erik Killmonger, portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, is depicted as a revolutionist who desires to liberate his black brothers and sisters who are marginalized in American society. As a solution, he wants lethal vibranium weapons in the hands of the oppressed. He decides to fight T’Challa, his cousin, in order to claim the throne and follow through with his mission.
This movie is not just any Marvel superhero movie. The film’s central message extends beyond the screen.
“I thought it was one of the great Marvel films. The film was an amazing representation, showing people of color in positions they hardly ever hold in film roles. A black superhero, scientist, and indigenous warriors was something I’ve never seen, especially not all in one collective,” said Frias.
As someone who rarely sets time aside to watch and appreciate Marvel films, ‘Black Panther’ kept me engaged for a whole 2 hours and 15 minutes. Not only was I enthralled by the film’s cinematic actions scenes, but its portrayal of African people was refreshing to see on the big screen. The colorful Pan-Africanism culture was depicted accurately and beautifully. Another favorite aspect of the film has to be the soundtrack, curated by Kendrick Lamar and featuring artists like SZA, Khalid, Future, and so many more. It brought each scene of the movie to life, especially the fight sequences.
“It’s a big story that deserves to be told in a big way, for all of the cultural and political reasons that people talk about,” said Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige to Vulture.
There has been a notable lack of diversity among characters and the actors and actresses who portray them, as well as production teams. Many say the lack of POC (person of color) actors/actresses and directors are to blame, but ‘Black Panther’ lays all of those claims to rest.
The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, stars an array of POC actresses and actors: Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther; Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger; Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia; Dania Gurira as Okoye; Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi; etc..
Frias describes the cast as,“Revolutionary, where the transcendent roles being played by an almost entirely black cast. It’s a staple showing all these POCs in positions they typically aren’t portrayed in film.”
Cosplayers of color have also raved about the positive depiction of their own race. Portia Lewis, an African-American cosplayer told The New York Times, "We're helping people see us as heroes."
Some of the most notable characters happen to be black females. For example, T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri, is depicted as a scientist who experiments with vibranium to advance Wakanda’s technology. Okoye, T’Challa’s bodyguard, is shown as a fierce warrior who will go to great lengths to protect her beloved country. Something important to note: all the women of color in the film wore their natural hair, which is something uncommon for women of color to do in films.
Frias said, “Showing black people in this positive light is a great thing detracting the inferiority some may think they have, which is totally not the case. All people are able and this movie shows that!”