Black Panther
By Ava Fineza
The intriguing world-building, loveable characters, and a villain that you’ll root for more than the hero make Black Panther not just a great Marvel movie but also an exciting and quality film on its own. The world-building of Wakanda is probably one of my favorite parts of Black Panther. The technology, weaponry, and the architecture are so cool - the bead bracelets 0.o - and the costume and hair design pull from many African traditions and cultures and turned out stunning, with all of the different tribes of Wakanda having their own vibrant colors and clothing. Many parts of Black Panther pay homage to African culture, including the soundtrack. You can hear the language of Zulu sung by Babes Wodumo, Sjava, Saudi, and more from South Africa mixed with rap and hip hop from Compton(Kendrick Lamar), the Bay Area(SOBxRBE), the UK(Jorja Smith), and more around the globe. All of these components come together to form a wonderful conglomeration of black voices from all over the world. We also see a range of amazing characters, from Okoye to Shuri to M’Baku, and of course, Killmonger. Yes, the Black Panther aka T’Challa is great(his banter with Shuri is always funny), but the character that really made the movie for me was Killmonger, whose complexities and motive make him one of the most interesting characters in Marvel, as well as a villain you can feel for because he wasn’t exactly wrong. Overall, while I’m doubtful you haven’t actually seen Black Panther I will strongly encourage you to (re)watch it. The film shows great attention to detail in its costume, hair, sound, character, everything design, and is an exciting reminder of the beauty of African culture.
logline: T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.
Source: IMDb
Fun Fact: The language spoken by the Wakandans is a real language from South Africa called Xhosa, characterized by clicks and glottal stops.
My Favorite Characters:
Letitia Wright as Shuri - Hehehe she was my favorite character from the start w/ her funny quips at her brother and of course her technological genius! Shuri’s weapons and inventions are super cool, and the car chase scene further proved how awesome she is. Lastly, a lot of fans speculated that if her and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man were ever to meet they would form the best chaotic hot mess duo, and I just wanted to say that that is something we need to see in the future, Marvel.
Danai Gurira as Okoye - She is so bad*ss! The spear and the uniform and the judgmental looks just everything about Okoye is extremely cool. Her warriors, the Dora Milaje? I would trust them with my life. I respect and admire Okoye because she knows where her loyalties lie, and she won’t hesitate at anything or anyone to protect her country.
Michael B Jordan as Erik Killmonger - I know I already talked about him above, but I just wanted to say a bit more cause he’s like my favorite Marvel villain(I think. Subject to change? Hela is pretty dope). A very do-what-it-takes, hardcore radical, Killmonger has the tragic backstory and arc of a hero, and gets my sympathy in the film. Also, the scars? I had to laff cause it reminded me of when I had to test for allergies hehehehe
Where to Watch: Disney+, Hulu, Sling TV, fuboTV, TNT, and TBS with a subscription(wowza). YouTube, Google Play, Amazon PrimeVideo, and Vudu for purchase.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action violence, and a brief rude gesture (HAH IMDb you crack me up “brief rude gesture” lolll)
first time trying to embed a link^^ an article about the clothing design and the African inspirations!
second time embedding a link^^ this one's about the soundtrack and Kendrick Lamar's journey through creating it :)