Lupita Nyong'o - Blog Posts
Don’t know if I trust the way Christopher Nolan writes women for him to be allowed to tackle anything Greek mythology related
“My T’challa” well fuck me huh omg the way she says this 😭😭😭
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER 2022 | dir. Ryan Coogler
Review: Black Panther (2018)
Rating: 9.0 of 10
At first, I wasn't that impressed with Black Panther. Now, I am happy to tell you that I was wrong.
I think the reason I was initially underwhelmed by Black Panther is because I struggled to grasp both the big picture and all the nuances that Black Panther has to offer. I thought it was a mere origin story*, but in truth it is deeper than that.
While the production is excellent through-and-through, I thought the movie was a bit aimless at the start and only begin to find its direction after Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) is revealed. But in retrospect, it actually all work with the theme. At first, T'Challa (the titular Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman) really is aimless. He just lost his father in a violent and traumatic event, and he struggled to find out the kind of King he wants to be.
One undisputable good thing about this movie is the characters and the actors who play them. Chadwick Boseman is as captivating as T'Challa/Black Panther when he was first introduced to us in Captain America: Civil War. Letitia Wright is the clear breakout star of this movie, as she displays equal level of intelligence and playfulness as T'Challa's little sister, Shuri. Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Angela Bassett all excellently play strong, confident women. And don't forget Michael B. Jordan, Winston Duke, Forest Whitaker, Martin Freeman, and Daniel Kaluuya who each believably play characters of their own convictions and believes.
It all get very interesting once we realize how the characters mirror or parallel each other. Most obviously, Killmonger is the opposite of T'Challa, but perhaps purely by circumstances. T'Challa grows up in the safe haven of Wakanda, while Erik Killmonger grows up in Oakland (one of the most dangerous US cities) knowing that his father's home country abandoned them. T'Challa has supportive family and community that includes strong, intelligent women, while Erik grows up without any role model to speak of. As good as Nakia's (Lupita Nyong'o) character is, she still disagrees with T'Challa and Okoye (Danai Gurira) on some level, and also has similarities with Killmonger's worldview. Shuri's youth scares M'Baku (Winston Duke) whose tribe fear that their technology could destroy them some day. I would not discuss the intricacies of the characters and their relationships at length (because there are already a lot of articles written about them by people more informed on the matter than me), but there are a lot of nuances and subtleties that speak not only of the fictional universe but also of our world, now. Story-wise--like I said before--Black Panther is not that impressive if we break it down beat-by-beat, but becomes infinitely more interesting once we consider the interactions between all of the characters.
The other best thing about Black Panther is its worldbuilding. Ryan Coogler (director) and his team had to create a new culture from the ground up--free of our inherent perception of what an African culture and nation should look like. In Marvel universe, Wakanda is the most technologically advanced nation in the world, hidden and untouched by the outside world including by collonialism. Visibly supported by a lot of research and care, Black Panther movie succeeded in showing us how that world would look like in the visuals that are fresh, believable and empowering.
TL;DR Worth to see Wakanda realized on-screen alone, Black Panther is a movie proud of its black heritage and filled with interesting, well-rounded characters.
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*Yes, the character Black Panther first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, but for all intents and purposes the Black Panther movie is his origin story. In Black Panther, his entire worldview changes and his experiences in it shape who he is as a superhero and as a person for the rest of his life.
#Life imitates art
Euphoria 2.08 / 94th Annual Academy Awards
Bonus:
All the stars are closer, a theme song of the movie 'Black Panther'
[I will be very glad if you reblog it, and follow me. Then I want your favor so much!!!]
https://youtu.be/GfCqMv--ncA
This is a theme song of the MCU movie, black panther. Kendric Lamar and SZA participated in this song. And Alexander William Shuckburgh, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears, and Solana I. Rowe made this. It sometimes reminds me some scenes of black panther. (Refer to some scenes of black panther Be careful if you don't want to get some spoilers. Sometimes I reminds the scene that T`challa talks with Nakia and his father, and get some advices to make him not only a king, but also leader of Wacanda. I recommend you to hear this song, 'All the stars are closer'.
<All the stars are closer> lyric
Love, let's talk about love
Is it anything and everything you hoped for?
I get a feeling on you (on you)
I get a feeling on you (on you)
'Cause maybe the night and my dreams might let me know
All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer
'Cause maybe the night and my dreams might let me know
All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer
Tell me what you gon' do to me
Confrontation ain't nothin' new to me
You can bring a bullet, bring a sword
Bring a morgue, but you can't bring the truth to me
Fuck you and all your expectations
I don't even want your congratulations
I recognize you far as confidence and calculated promises all in your conversation
I hate people that feel entitled
Look at me crazy 'cause I ain't invite you
Oh, you important?
You're the moral to the story, you endorsing?
Motherfucker, I don't even like you
Corrupted man's heart with a gift
That's how you find out who you dealin' with
A small percentage, whom I'm building with
I want the credit if I'm losing or I'm winning
On my momma that's the realest shit
Girl, let's talk about love
Is it anything and everything you hoped for?
I get a feeling on you (on you)
I get a feeling on you (on you)
'Cause maybe the night and my dreams might let me know
All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer
'Cause maybe the night and my dreams might let me know
All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer
Skin covered with ego
Get to talking like a end-forth, like a rebound
No control, no off switch in the way that you bringing me down
It's a turn on, get it away from me
Let me mourn, keep away from me
That is so wrong, get it away from me, yeah
I just cry for no reason, I just pray for no reason
I just thank for the life, for the day, for the hours and another life breathin'
How did it all gonna feel good?
You let it all if you feel bad
Better live your life
We are running out of time
Love, let's talk about love
Is it anything and everything you hoped for?
I get a feeling on you (on you)
I get a feeling on you (on you)
'Cause maybe the night and my dreams might let me know
All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer
'Cause maybe the night and my dreams might let me know
All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer
I can't wait to meet them