Getting It Right (4)

This is my final installment concerning Black Panther (2018 Disney Marvel, Directed by Ryan Coogler), and I thought an appropriate summary would be a listing of the scenes which resonated most with me on an emotional level. Unfortunately, they didn’t involve breathless action, so I couldn’t find many pictures.

Both ancestral scenes got to me. I’m at an age where I’ve had to say goodbye to both of my parents, and that kind of experience opens up a whole new world of understanding. Here is a sequence from the first ancestral scene which really pulled me in.

I probably need to say this for some of my Christian followers. I myself am a Christian, so I don’t subscribe to ancestor worship, transfiguration of humans and animals, or communication with the dead. Neither do I take my fantasy literally. It’s possible to take this scene as a metaphor for what a great many people feel and for what they deal with from their own pasts. Concerning the transition between men and animals, I have used this allegorically in a few of my own stories. It helps in explaining spiritual concepts which are otherwise difficult to visualize. C. S. Lewis did this as well.

I attended Shortridge High School (a. k. a. “The Ridge”), an inner city school with a good academic curriculum in Indianapolis, Indiana. I also did a brief stint as a teacher replacement at an inner city public school, and (as I mentioned previously in this series) I am currently a biology professor at a women’s college. Perhaps all of this is why I almost teared up when I saw the scene in which a team from Wakanda inspires some ghetto children not with  physical prowess, weaponry, or superhero costumes but with scientific achievement. That scene alone was worth the whole movie.

The scene in which the leader of the mountain clan shows compassion on the Black Panther’s family was particularly touching.

This theme of reconciliation was embodied well by the scene in which Black Panther and Killmonger watch the sun setting over Wakanda (a nice methaphorical touch, by the way). Seeing bitter rivals speaking to each other with civility and a certain amount of social warmth appeals to my Christian ethics.

I also liked the peacefulness and redemptive quality of the final outro at the end of the credits, but I can’t really describe it for fear of spoiling the enjoyment of those who have yet to see the movie.  Okay, let’s say goodbye to Wakanda (for now). It’s time to make the real world a better place.

Getting It Right (2)

 

So… how good was Black Panther (2018 Disney Marvel, directed by Ryan Coogler)? It lived up to its hype, which is saying a lot. The cast was typically  impressive for the MCU and included Chadwick Boseman in the title role, Letitia Wright as his delightfully uppity and precocious little sister, Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger,   Lupita Nyongo as the love interest, Danai Gurira, Forest Whitaker as a Wakandan priest/shaman, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Winston Duke as the king of a different Wakandan clan, and Sterling K. Brown as Killmonger’s father. The length of the previous sentence hints at the tedium of reviewing each fine performance, so I will limit myself to the performances which stood out most for me.

 

Obviously, Chadwick Boseman was excellent. I had previously been impressed by his turn in Captain America: The Civil War. I have already mentioned Letitia Wright. Let me explain that I’m a city transplant to a smaller, more rural community. The people sitting nearest me in the theater were white – okay, we were all white – and one said, “She’s my favorite character,” during one of Letitia Wright’s turns on screen. The same goes for me. Lupita Nyongo played a strong counterpart to the Black Panther and complemented his qualities well.  Angela Bassett performed well as a convincingly wise matriarch, and in fact, all of the women were strong. I grew up in a family of strong men and strong women, so it was refreshing for me to see this on the big screen. Neither gender was reduced to being a foil for the other.

 

By the way, the costumes (especially for the women) were beautiful, and I heard a spot on NPR where the designer mentioned her use of African fabrics, patterns, and re-imagined traditional styles.

 

Not that it isn’t obvious, but I want to call attention to Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of Killmonger. Marvel has a history of writing nuanced villains with mitigating back stories, and this was a well-written character. The acting made him very affecting, especially during one scene which I will mention in a later post.

 

Although he wasn’t on for very long, Sterling K. Brown really impressed me with his acting chops and his screen presence, as did Winston Duke. I first became aware of these fine actors while watching Person of Interest on television. Since then, I have seen each of them in varied roles, and these men can flat out act. Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman were also their consistently good selves.

This movie had other redeeming virtues. My wife mentioned the sense of dignity and honor which pervaded the story and the characters (something which we found lacking for much of Thor: Ragnarok, which came across at times as a pangalactic fart joke despite the fact that I liked the overall film). There were also themes of forgiveness, compassion for one’s adversaries, community, and global responsibility.

I don’t want this post to go on for too long, so I’ll save some more for next week.