A Superhero Movie Like You've Never Seen
The hype is realer than real. This movie is not your typical Marvel superhero movie. No. This is something transcendent and all human beings on planet earth need to see it. Once you see this movie you will not walk away the same. It exceeded expectations and went to the edge of the universe. Kevin Feige , Marvel Studios President, even said it himself. "The movie finished, and I looked over at Ryan, I said, 'that's the best movie we've ever made,".
This is how great and monumental this film was.
Unapologetically Black
First I'll start with the obvious. Black people! Black people made up pretty much all of the cast with the exception of 1 or 2 people. I can't remember a film with this kind of budget having an overwhelmingly black cast. As a matter of fact there hasn't been one of this magnitude. Vibes, vibes, and more vibes. Let's just say Africa represented well. From the music to the accents of the characters to the wardrobe to the feel of the movie. It was soulful. It was black. It was powerful. Here is why this all of this honest and positive representation of black people was significant.
The psychological impact of seeing negative stereotypes of people who look like you will warp your brain. Literally. That is why Black Panther is so relevant. It is a superhero movie with heart plus soul and it shows us in power ruling with the grace, intelligence and swag we possess.
Powerful Story & Acting
You could feel the weight of humanity in this movie. The story is not only one of humanity in general. It is also telling a narrative through the lens of black people and digging deep into the relationship between African-Americans and native born Africans. It would take me pages and pages to dissect all the layers in the story so I will just leave you with that.
The actors were phenomenal. There was so much heart and soul jumping off the screen. To me great acting is acting that grabs you, holds on and never let's go. That's what this movie felt like. I am still rocked by their performances and I am still processing all of this. Once you watch the Jabari tribe enter the scene you will know exactly what I am talking about. It grabbed me unlike anything I have ever experienced when watching a film.
Other Marvel movies have tried to capture this breathtaking humanity and heart in a movie but have failed to do so in my opinion. Black Panther executed this flawlessly. I see potential Oscars everywhere.
Box Office & Reviews
Would it be a surprise if I told you Black Panther had the 5th-biggest opening weekend of all time? Or if I told you it had the 3rd highest gross in history for a four day opening weekend? Yepp. This film is moving mountains at the box office and it has only been out for about 6 days now.
Not only has Black Panther been killing it at the box office but this right here is where I drop the mic.
I have seen many Rotten Tomato movie reviews and the ones I've seen in the past have been pretty harsh or low even for well known movies. To see Black Panther rated #1 of all time is just crazy to think about even though this is a subjective tool of measurement. Yet and still it is #1 as of this moment although it could change over time. To me it just shows how wildly popular this film is combined with how many people actually enjoyed it.
Wrap Up
If you have not seen the movie, GO SEE IT! Saying it's a must see film is an understatement. I mean that. I did my best to give a review of this movie and also I wanted to share what I felt after watching it. I did not want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it. At first I thought of doing a multi post review which I am still thinking of maybe doing. Not sure yet but if I did I would explore some of the layers of the film and go much deeper with it than I've done here. We'll see I guess. At the end of the day this movie will rattle you to the core of who you are as a human. At least that what it did to me. I feel even more empowered not only as a human being but I am even more proud to claim my African heritage. Much love and peace.
Wakanda Forever
Have you see this movie?
If so, what did you think about it?
If not, does this sound like it would be interesting to watch?
