If you haven’t been living under a rock this past week, you’ve probably witnessed the hype that Marvel’s latest superhero film Black Panther has generated, and trust me, it is worth it. Black Panther is the first superhero film led by a predominantly black cast in the Marvel universe, such as Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o, to name a few, and black director, Ryan Coogler. This movie is truly unique since it hints indirectly to current issues, such as racism, foreign policy, immigration, refugees and police brutality, without letting them take center stage. The narrative of the movie features a fun superhero story that anyone, no matter their age or ethnicity, can enjoy. Therefore, Black Panther is the film we needed in today’s day and age. A spoiler alert is in order for the rest of this article.
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Black Panther is a superhero film in which the protagonist, T’Challa, also known as the “Black Panther,” must secure his throne from Erik Killmonger, his cousin who wishes to rule Wakanda. Aside from this main narrative, the movie also reflects on many important issues. The timing of the film’s release could not have been better since February is Black History Month and it features positive racial representation for African-Americans, which is rare to have in successful films. There are currently many movements around the U.S., such as the “Black Lives Matter Movement,” the movement to keep DACA and the movement against building the wall that President Trump has proposed, that focus on equality in the face of discrimination. The film resonates with many struggles that African-Americans and immigrants are facing in our current society. For instance, the film’s antagonist, Erik Killmonger, who grew up in the poor ghettos of California, expresses multiple times in the film that he saw his friends experience discrimination, who happened to be the police force. However, it is in Erik’s final moment after receiving a mortal wound that could be healed by the protagonist’s access to advanced technology, when he delivered this powerful speech:
“Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew that death was better than bondage”
The audience understands that he truly resonated with the struggles of African-Americans throughout history and knew that many of these issues are still present. Even with these strong themes, the movie still has an upbeat and hopeful vibe (don’t take my word for it, go see for yourself!). Many audience members agree that this is the movie that society needed, and the sales prove it.
Since its debut, Black Panther has been wildly successful. The film earned a total of $218 million for its holiday weekend box office debut, making it the highest grossing debut for any movie during a holiday weekend and the fifth highest box office debut in history. The world was in need of a film that resonated with today’s events and superheroes that young black kids could look up to.
Many artists realized that this film was one of the few in modern times that has a lot of black representation and can inspire black youth. It is fascinating to watch how they are uniting by making the movie available to some of those who could not afford watching the film. For example, Kendrick Lamar’s record label is sending one thousand kids from different housing projects from the Watts-area to watch the film for free. Being inspired his actions, many artists have accepted the #BlackPantherChallenge and have done the same by buying tickets for communities in need of help. For example, Serena Williams and her husband accepted the challenge by paying theater tickets for a group of black female tech students, called BlackGirlsCODE.
Ending on a positive note, the film culminates with a clip of T’Challa speaking at the United Nations representing the people of Wakanda. He delivers a powerful speech that speaks about the different realities going on in the world. T’Challa insists that we should treat each other as equals and build bridges instead of barriers, which is what the world needs during these hostile times.
The impact that this film has had until now has been extremely positive. With the success of this movie, people are starting to realize that this film has met a demand for more black representation in the media, and hopefully there will be a higher presence of predominantly black films that everyone can enjoy.