Couldn't agree more. It's a complete false equivalency, and I felt that it distilled his character perfectly. He was a character fighting for the right reasons who, when fighting his own demons, became one.

Also I'm biracial so the feeling behind the quote hits home on its face as well.

 

Was tremendously underwhelmed. I found the whole "trial by combat oh noes the bad guy is king" to be totally contrived and stupid. Your country deserves to burn if its a hereditary monarchy which spices up succession by making spear qualifications the most important skill to have.

 

There is something ironic about a society claiming moral /technological superiority while using bloodsports to elect their rulers.

At the same time, you're probably not going to convince me that many advanced/ sophisticated civilizations would automatically abandon tradition given all the contemporary evidence to the contrary...

 

I was considering what the next BP films should be about and if they want to continue with social commentary then they probably should use the beginning of Christopher Priest's run. It has Achebe, a quite crazy and dangerous villain, destabilizing Wakanda using refugees from neighbour countries.

The third one though, I would do as an adaptation of Doomwar. There is a lot of potential in having two supernations of Wakanda and Latveria going to war with each other, especially if it's political aspects are done in more "grounded" way of Winter Soldier/Civil War.

 

There was a point in the film where I would have liked Killmonger to keep control of Wakanda for he rest of the film, just to see what happens in the possible next BP installment. Obviously, with Infinity War looming, that was never going to happen, but it was fun to think about.

One thing I would like to point out is that, due to the destruction of the garden, leadership challenges might be ruled out for the considerable future, considering there is currently no way to restore the powers of the Black Panther? This might actually be a point of contention in the next film, depending on how far they decide to skip ahead in the MCU timeline.

 

Was there any word on where the rest of Team Cap were during this movie? Bucky was apparently chilling out by a lake if he wasn't still in cryo, but you'd think the rest of the dudes who T'Challa had granted sanctuary to would have stepped up to help him out.

 

Black Panther takes place a week after the UN bombing in Civil War. Given that that film took place over at least two days, probably three, I'd assume that Cap was off planning the jail break.

 

It stands to reason that the only reason they'd get asylum in the first place is because the borders are already open, implying after the BP movie.

 

Not really? I don't see any reason why T'Challa wouldn't bring Cap and co. into Wakanda considering he brought Bilbo in.

 

Spoiler

Freeman took a bullet for his sister.

 

While I agree with the reasoning,

Spoiler

wasn’t that his sister?

 

Not to mention this is exactly the sort of thing T'Challa would want to take care of by himself. Bringing in outsiders to help wouldn't have gone over well in such a massively closed off and insular nation. Then there's the fact that bringing in Captain America or whoever to fight Killmonger would've completely killed the legitimacy of the whole trial by combat system.

 

Black Panther was excellent. Great characters and a cool story, but it goes beyond the ordinary superhero movie (even a well-made Marvel one) in the skillfulness it handles explosive political themes.

I thought the best part of the film was that conversation T'Challa had with W'Kabi (the border chief/rhino-rider guy) - the former mentions the possibility of opening up Wakanda to the world, and the latter basically says "The rest of the world suffers, yes, while we are a paradise. But if you open us up, outsiders will come in, bringing their problems - and then Wakanda will be just like the rest of the world. Who wants that?"

In a few short lines, the nativism currently surging in the West is eloquently expressed - and yet also condemned, for the distance and objectivity afforded by examining another (fictional) society makes clear that such sentiments are selfish at best and craven at worst.

Also, another great scene was when Killmonger, sitting atop his throne, said, “The world’s going to change, and this time we'll be on top,” and then adds, with irony so sharp it cuts, “The sun will never set on the Wakandan empire!”

Basically, my reasons for liking the film are a good deal based in politics and how the film handles them. Some people don't like the idea of politics in art and entertainment, but (1) Black Panther cannot be anything but political, born as it was in the age of the civil rights movement, and (2) superhero stories have always been steeped in politics. X-Men isn't exactly subtle with the whole oppressed minority thing, Justice League stories see accountability disputes and who-watches-the-watchers conflict with the government ; and of course, Captain America punches Nazis.

 

Spoiler

It was his ex, I thought. And Cap had just aided him in getting Zeemo, kinda, plus he would've felt bad about trying to gank Bucky.

I'm not talking about having Cap fight Killmonger even, just stepping up and helping the family of the man who helped him when T'Challa was thought to be dead, and then joining the counter attack to prevent casualties later.

 

I saw this and thought it was both amusing and appropriate, given how the social justice crowd is approaching this movie.

 

Still makes T'Challa "the guy who couldn't hold onto his throne without bringing in a bunch white outsiders to help him." That's not a good image to project to the incredibly isolationist, traditionalist, and xenophobic Wakandans.

 

Do you reckon they draw straws for who has to live in the small huts in the grasslands and pretends to be farmers, whilst everyone else lives in a bustling metropolis?

I liked the film. It certainly had some issues, and there's bits that don't stand up well to scrutiny, but a good film anyway.

 

BP wearing that hat made me burst out into laughter at my desk.

By the end of the movie though, most of these generalizations no longer apply to T’Challa and Wakanda.

 

This unfortunately reminds me of one Alt-right take on the movie I've seen making the rounds: That central the message of Black Panther is actually "Black Americans need to stop complaining about injustice, oppression, and racism." After all, that's what Killmonger does, and he's the bad guy. As someone who spent a few years in the rural South, I have passing experience with racist reasoning, and Killmonger can be twisted to fall right in line with some of what I've heard about how "The problem with black people today is that they'd rather complain about how they deserve something because of their ancestors 200 years ago, while they're trashing their ghettos and shooting each other." Then they see Killmonger, a Black American who constantly complains of historical wrongs, and can only tear down what better men have built.

Granted, the movie's actual message on that front is more about how anger and hate are toxic even if some of your grievances are legitimate, but the Alt-Right doesn't mind skimping on a few details to fit their agenda.

 

To play the devil's advocate (though I'm skeptical if this is actually a devilish position), it could be argued that both are legitimate interpretations. Yes, hate can turn toxic, and yes, using past wrongs as justification for present ones can be toxic too. I don't think that the second one must mean that you're racist for thinking it.