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sophia_sol) wrote2018-02-22 07:42 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2018-02-22 07:42 pm
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Black Panther
I saw Black Panther last night, and yup, everyone's right, it's amazing. I went to see it with both my mother and my father, and I honestly don't remember the last time there's been a movie where the three of our tastes intersected (me and mom will watch historical movies about women, me and dad will watch action movies, mom and dad will watch biopics and documentaries.) Mom decided to go see this movie despite the action because of the African content which she'd heard great things about, and she ended up enjoying it! She said she likes movies with good characters and good morals and that this one held up on those fronts.
And yeah I agree with her about the good characters and morals! It was greattt. So many fascinating characters who it was really fun to see play off each other. Shuri was my favourite, and I absolutely loved the clear sibling relationship between her and T'Challa. I also unexpectedly adored M'Baku, who I totally wasn't expecting to have as much of a role as he did. And Okoye and Nakia were amazing. I want to know more about all of the women in this movie because they were all GREAT.
And the moral questions the movie was struggling with are real and important ones. I was just watching a youtube video today analyzing a different film about racial politics that kind of crystallized what this film is about too: whether to push for change through social action or through violence, both schools of thought that have had strong proponents within the African American community. Erik/Killmonger/N'Jadaka stands for one, and T'Challa ultimately decides in favour of the other, after having begun the movie not sure that engaging in action of any sort was the right thing to do.
I'm too much of a pacifist to ever come down on Erik's side (violence just begets more violence! it doesn't create ultimate solutions, only for-now solutions that leave hatred brewing under the surface that will only erupt into more violence! and so forth, you don't need a whole lecture about pacifism here) but the reasons Erik believes what he does are made very clear in the movie and it is certainly understandable! He's right about what's wrong with the world, even if I don't personally agree with how he wants to go about fixing it.
Anyway it's too bad that in the serial-storytelling of the MCU movies there can never be any kind of lasting change to the universe, because I really want to see the story where Wakanda coming out of isolation and committing to helping the rest of the world be better actually makes the world better. But of course all future MCU movies need to be able to be set in the "here and now" so there's no true canon divergence further away from our world that will really be allowed. I just want to see the future where the whole world is as peaceful and happy and prosperous as Wakanda!
On a more frivolous note, it was really cool to be watching a movie where Basotho blankets are heavily featured. My family lived in Lesotho for a few years when I was a wee kid so to us these blankets are normal, but they are literally never depicted anywhere in popular media and culture. I actually own one myself: the maize design, in blue, with yellow pinstripes. I don't think I saw anyone in the movie wearing exactly the same design as the one I own, but some came very close!
Also the existence of those blankets within Wakandan fashion makes me VERY CURIOUS about the specifics of Wakandan history, because the blankets only began to be a thing in Basotho culture in the late 19th century, long after Wakanda was founded and settled, so how did this late-developing piece of traditional clothing make its way into Wakanda? I JUST REALLY WANT TO KNOW.
And yeah I agree with her about the good characters and morals! It was greattt. So many fascinating characters who it was really fun to see play off each other. Shuri was my favourite, and I absolutely loved the clear sibling relationship between her and T'Challa. I also unexpectedly adored M'Baku, who I totally wasn't expecting to have as much of a role as he did. And Okoye and Nakia were amazing. I want to know more about all of the women in this movie because they were all GREAT.
And the moral questions the movie was struggling with are real and important ones. I was just watching a youtube video today analyzing a different film about racial politics that kind of crystallized what this film is about too: whether to push for change through social action or through violence, both schools of thought that have had strong proponents within the African American community. Erik/Killmonger/N'Jadaka stands for one, and T'Challa ultimately decides in favour of the other, after having begun the movie not sure that engaging in action of any sort was the right thing to do.
I'm too much of a pacifist to ever come down on Erik's side (violence just begets more violence! it doesn't create ultimate solutions, only for-now solutions that leave hatred brewing under the surface that will only erupt into more violence! and so forth, you don't need a whole lecture about pacifism here) but the reasons Erik believes what he does are made very clear in the movie and it is certainly understandable! He's right about what's wrong with the world, even if I don't personally agree with how he wants to go about fixing it.
Anyway it's too bad that in the serial-storytelling of the MCU movies there can never be any kind of lasting change to the universe, because I really want to see the story where Wakanda coming out of isolation and committing to helping the rest of the world be better actually makes the world better. But of course all future MCU movies need to be able to be set in the "here and now" so there's no true canon divergence further away from our world that will really be allowed. I just want to see the future where the whole world is as peaceful and happy and prosperous as Wakanda!
On a more frivolous note, it was really cool to be watching a movie where Basotho blankets are heavily featured. My family lived in Lesotho for a few years when I was a wee kid so to us these blankets are normal, but they are literally never depicted anywhere in popular media and culture. I actually own one myself: the maize design, in blue, with yellow pinstripes. I don't think I saw anyone in the movie wearing exactly the same design as the one I own, but some came very close!
Also the existence of those blankets within Wakandan fashion makes me VERY CURIOUS about the specifics of Wakandan history, because the blankets only began to be a thing in Basotho culture in the late 19th century, long after Wakanda was founded and settled, so how did this late-developing piece of traditional clothing make its way into Wakanda? I JUST REALLY WANT TO KNOW.
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