Marvel delivers again with “Black Panther”
Taylor Deaton, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com
Marvel is known for creating vivid worlds within their movies, along with gut wrenching action scenes and devastating emotional scenes. While we�ve seen some cinematic masterpieces from Marvel, Black Panther brings an entirely new level of greatness to the big-screen and movie-goers have let the world know that this movie isn�t dying down any time soon.
This film isn�t just another Marvel superhero movie. Black Panther is two hours and 14 minutes of pride and power, and it offers a new kind of perspective that typically isn�t showcased by Marvel. It showcases important subjects, all while bringing clear and important representation to African culture.
The masterpiece, directed by Ryan Coogler, broke box office records on its opening weekend, making $29 million on Friday, Feb. 16. Black Panther also tops the charts during its second week in theaters, breaking records and bringing the total sales to $700 million. On top of this, Black Panther received a score of 97 percent on the notoriously raved critic site, Rotten Tomatoes.
The entire theater was silent throughout the film, waiting in anticipation for what was to come next. There wasn�t a moment in Black Panther that didn�t leave the audience covered in cold chills, and leave us feeling an insane amount of pride for the fictional nation of Wakanda, where T�Challa (Chadwick Boseman) resides as king.
The action scenes are intense and breathtaking as T�Challa faces many challenges while trying to keep Wakanda safe. To add to the individuality of Black Panther from other Marvel movies, the technological advances in Wakanda are fascinating to take note of throughout the film, and T�Challa�s leadership is unmatchable.
The women of Black Panther have serious backbones, and they aren�t afraid to back down. Okoye (Danai Gurira), and Nakia (Lupita Nyong�o) are one of the films unstoppable duos, and their vigor alone is enough to make any individual feel empowered.
Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) is a phenomenal character, feeding to the strength of Wakanda while wishing to reign over the nation. Jordan plays the perfect villain, portraying the key virtues of Black Panther.
Coogler plays big on the dynamic of race in Black Panther, as seen by Killmonger in the movie. He, in many ways, relates the movie to our society. The movie also gives light to the beauty of African culture.
While we were able to see the magic onscreen, behind the scenes of the movie is an entirely different story. On set of what could arguably be one of the best superhero movies of our time, the cast of Black Panther spent their time in a very rare way. The cast shared their testimonies with each other in-between takes.
Sope Aluko (Shawman) is a Christian actress. In an interview with OkayAfrica, Aluko revealed that �during breaks [the cast] shared [their] testimonies�and most of the people were testifying to God�s miracles.� Aluko also shared with OkayAfrica that being on set �was almost like church.�
In April of 2017, Aluko snapped a picture with her Black Panther costar, Angela Bassett to give recognition to Palm Sunday. The picture read:
@sopealuko: �Reflecting on God�s goodness this #PalmSunday and this iconic, kind, genuine, humble, and graceful soul @im.angelabassett who I was blessed to work with recently. #Godisgood #actorslife #blessedandhighlyfavored #WorkingMomActor�
The cast of Black Panther managed to work together perfectly to deliver a beautiful film for all to enjoy, while sharing with each other their own personal stories.
That alone is enough to make us want to yell �Wakanda Forever,� forever.
