- Culture
- 16 Feb 18
Highly anticipated superhero movie superbly combines action, empathy and intelligence.
One of the most eagerly awaited superhero movies of all time is finally here – and it was worth the wait.
The hype wasn’t ordinary fan enthusiasm; it was fuelled by the genuinely groundbreaking nature of this Marvel film. Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is not only the first time a black protagonist has taken centre stage in a superhero blockbuster, it’s also the first mainstream film to imagine a world where black people triumph over the influences of capitalism and colonisation. Think of the amount of films you’ve seen about black suffering. Black Panther is one of the first ever stories about black privilege.
Chadwick Boseman plays T’Challa, the King Of Wakanda, the most advanced nation in the world. To protect the country’s wealth, technology and strong cultural traditions from western imperialism and war-mongering, Wakanda has disguised itself as a poor third-world country – the type of country American presidents are happy to disparage and ignore.