Black Panther is, without doubt, the most anticipated movie of 2018.
Why is this?
Black Panther is a test case for whether the movie industry has room for this kind of diversity. Many people may believe the idea of Wakanda being the world's most technologically advanced country is hard to accept when images of dirty, starving and impoverished Africans seems to be the starter on the menu before the main course of every restaurant selling movie clips and ideas about the continent. Nevertheless, even in this poverty and struggle there is beauty, a chance to see where it all began.
What you should understand is that the world has not as yet felt the full weight, might, force and presence of Africa. At present, the majority of Africans struggle for the most basic of needs. There is very little room to apply effort and time to anything else. However, as the tide turns and the continent finds its feet this effort and time will exert itself fully and unwaveringly on every field of science and technology, infrastructure, entrepreneurship, architecture, medicine, information technology, mining, space travel, sport, athletics, art, literature, dance, entertainment and so on. Africans lack neither intellectual nor physical prowess. Thus far the world has only seen snippets of this potential. You have not seen anything yet. But be prepared for the continent to overwhelm the world in every field of human endeavour, and dominate in ways that may lead to some frustration to those on the receiving end, not because there's anything different than anyone else about Africans but simply because the continent's potential is currently smothered, unseen, understated and far from being realised. Be patient and let the continent get its house in order. Instead of lamenting how Africa is problematic and lagging behind the rest of the world, instead there will come a time when the world will be grateful for and understand why it was given a head start. And don't be upset if, when this potential is inevitably realised, for a very long time, there is absolutely nothing you can beat Africans at. Nothing. The idea of a fictional Wakanda would seem to point to that potential as a kind of reminder that the continent should not be written off as many tend to do today .....rather be patient, supportive and wait for it....because its coming your way like a cool refreshing breeze on a hot summer's day.
DC's Wonder Woman right now has completely changed the game when it comes to female superheroes. My view was that if this happened Marvel would have to up its game in this area. And this is something the Dora Milaje (DM), if carefully handled by Coogler can do for the Franchise, but the clips shown in this regard, of the DM, were not inspiring. Let me elaborate on this. The casting is second to none with the likes of Lupita Nyong'o, Florence Kasumba, Danai Gurira, Nabiyah Be etc. The context, what they portray and how they portray it is what is important. There must be some intrigue associated with the DM. They are not ordinary one dimensional body guards. They have views, feelings, commentary on what they observe (as women) and very importantly a side of them that shows a human side and life when they are off-duty and the potentially unstoppable mercenaries they will become when they are on-duty, also the transition from off-duty to on-duty, from civilian clothes to uniform that might resemble the wiles of a busy dressing room of models before they go on the runway rather than army barracks, sides that are as different as night and day that add to the attraction and intrigue that follows them. When the audience sees a DM on duty it should see her and know there is another human side to her. If director Ryan Coogler gets this, then he definitely has a major hit in his capable hands. Think of the Dora Milaje as the mothers of Africa, in a Black Panther Wakanda showdown what would they be the most concerned about (that the men might overlook) while stylishly, fiercely and fearlessly protecting their leader. Other than this...
the trailer, by the way,....was on point.
The background music was fantastic!
Be careful not to give too much about the coming movie away through the trailers.....
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