Black Panther Had Ferocity and Spirit

Wakanda Forever

Marvel Studios went with a predominantly African-American cast, invigorating visual effects, and moving musical score and soundtrack in their newest film, Black Panther. Ryan Coogler (Creed) poured his heart out and delivered an exceptional direction in this superhero movie. The ensemble cast arranges from Chadwick Boseman who has a knack for playing historic and iconic figures of African American descent (42, Marshall) to Andy Serkis, who is gifted in roles with motion-capture (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi). Taking place after the events of Captain America: Civil War, T'Challa is given the mantle as king of the African nation, Wakanda. But threats to overthrow the throne and control the nation's supply of vibranium force T'Challa to fight for his people, and eventually, the world, as Black Panther.

The actors' performances should be commended, for in the story, many people had different boundaries to face and different ways to get to liberation. As the film continues, one may notice themes of betrayal, trust, destiny, and obtaining hegemony, the prize for an ideological struggle. While it is an antagonist role, Michael B. Jordan's character, for example, has some similarities to his previous role as Adonis Creed, a young man who's been fighting his whole life to get to the top. It is a huge burden for T'Challa to succeed his father, but he is unbroken as he tries to protect his friends, love, family, and everyone around them.

Another good thing to note is the technology. Many of the munitions shown in Wakanda is technology that the military and regular engineers would only dream of, but haven't made a reality yet. Lexus went all out with product placement by allowing their new LC 500 for one of the actors to drive. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter (Do the Right Thing, Selma) designed the best costumes for Wakandans to wear, referencing ethnic groups such as the Zuri or Missai for royal and/or local garments. When it came to fights for the throne or defeating the opponent ever, Boseman and Jordan were well-trained to get in shape for their characters. And last but not least, composer Ludwig Goransson scored beautifully, using recordings from Senegal and South African musicians and combining stupendous drum beats as he goes along with other kinds of African-related sound. Kendrick Lamar was remarkable on his end when contributing some songs to Black Panther: The Album. I would say my favorite was "Pray for Me" sung by The Weeknd, ft. Lamar.

As a whole, I loved seeing how many people of African background were hungry to succeed and wouldn't stop the fight until they've earned their places. It has its brutal moments, but they showed relentless spirits and kept aiming for opportunities to win. If you want to see a fictional hero who can inspire peacemaking and warrior strength for people everywhere, go see Chadwick Boseman's ferocity and champion presentation of Black Panther.

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