***SPOILER ALERT***
There is sooo much that can be said about this movie, but I will try to keep it short and sweet (famous last words). First off, I have never seen a movie get as much hype this early on as this one. People have been talking about it since LAST SUMMER! Needless to say, I was bursting with excitement once I got to the actual theater. The show started even before I got to my seat: people showed up and showed OUT! It was quite the event and I was glad to take part in a piece of history and culture.
Cinematically, the movie was a masterpiece. It was visually stunning in every way: the landscape of Wakanda; the costumes, hair and makeup; the gorgeous and powerful women; and of course, the men – specifically Michael Bae Jordan – LAWD HELP ME! What a sexy villain. Like seriously, challenge me to a fight any day.
Ok, let’s focus, Alana. Back to the review. The visuals were incredible, the plot was interesting and easy to follow, but the most important and resonant part of the movie was the emphasis on Black excellence. It was portrayed through the splendor of Wakanda’s technologically advanced civilization; the cunning genius of the young sister of our protagonist, who designed and tested all the technology and weapons for Wakanda; the royalty of the rulers of Wakanda; and the prowess of the women warriors of Wakanda. My jaw was permanently on the floor for the entire two hours!
However, they took it a step further, and made it relevant by tying it back into the real-life problems that plague Black Americans in modern day: disenfranchisement, oppression, and lack of resources to achieve at the level that is possible in the fictitious kingdom of Wakanda. The villain, Michael Bae, plays the antagonist who grew up in that reality, away from the glory of Wakanda, and grew up resenting the kingdom for not sharing the wealth and using their resources to empower other Black people around the world. THIS IS IMPORTANT! He brought up a LOT of valid points, and his character voiced the general frustration of Black Americans who feel abandoned and their voices repressed. Although he was portrayed as a “villain”, his message was clear: something needs to change.
The movie ended on a really positive note, with the King of Wakanda deciding to end the era of silence and separation, and finally extend a helping hand to the rest of the world. He specifically aimed to help young black children, such as the ones that live where Michael Bae’s character grew up in Oakland. One of the last lines of the movie was one of the most powerful: “Fools build barriers. The wise build bridges.” YES, T’CHALLA, YES!
Another thing I want to mention is the importance of representation in the media. Issa lot of White folk who are slamming Black Twitter for hyping this movie up so much and for the movie being “so Black” – wasn’t Blade enough for y’all? NOPE – but the negativity is coming from a place of misunderstanding and quite honestly, White fragility. Black Americans being excited over a Black superhero movie is totally normal, considering there are almost NEVER Black people in ANY movies, let alone one as badass as this one! Think of how many Black children grow up watching movie after movie, show after show, and never seeing anyone that looks like them – or maybe one or two if they are lucky. For them to not only see themselves represented in a movie, but in one about a superhero that they can look up to, is not only rare, that shit is important! If you think it is not, then you are probably White and take it for granted. I’m just saying.
Last, but certainly not least, the mother fucking soundtrack. IT IS EPIC! Which should be expected from Kung Fu Kenny at this point, but the other artists that were pulled in for this album are nothing short of amazing. Everyone from SZA to ScHoolboy Q to my forever bae, A.Paak, were featured in various songs throughout the soundtrack. Some of the music was in the movie itself, but the rest was “inspired” by it and certainly helps to fuel the hype even further. I literally had to listen to it on the way home from the movie because I was just beside myself.
[spotifyplaybutton play=”spotify:album:3pLdWdkj83EYfDN6H2N8MR”/]If you have’t seen the movie yet, you need to go see it immediately and probably shouldn’t have read this because there are several spoilers (but hello, I warned you). If you HAVE seen it and want to see it again, when are you free and what theater should we go to?
