With “Black Panther” drawing worldwide raves from critics and audiences while setting box office records left and right, let’s not overlook the movie’s first and one of its most impressive achievements.
Living up to the hype.
The buildup for this film was among the most intense and multi-faceted I’ve seen in my 20-plus years covering the movies.
In addition to the “Star Wars” level, geek-fan anticipation, there was so much talk about the cultural implications of a big-time Marvel Universe movie with an almost all-black main cast.
As much as I believe in the power of film to enlighten us, move us, enrich us, provoke us and, yes, even serve as a launching point for change, I always caution the hyperventilating-type fans who scream “Woooo!” and applaud wildly as the opening credits roll.
Keep it in perspective. Don’t expect TOO much. Even the best movie is not a perfect movie.
But then I saw “Black Panther,” and it’s quite possible YOU’VE seen “Black Panther,” and how about that!
Led by Chadwick Boseman and featuring some of our best veteran actors (Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett) and some of our most talented next-generation performers (Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright), the cast was as good as any ensemble in any genre film in many a year. The direction and the script and the editing were superb, giving us just the right mix of action and suspense, humor and drama, big-picture philosophy and rousing entertainment. The cinematography, special effects and score were glorious.
“Black Panther” has created what I believe will be a lasting footprint on the culture. Like “The Cosby Show” and “Thriller,” it is a game-changer. (What we later came to know or believe about Bill Cosby and Michael Jackson doesn’t change the impact of those works.)
Of course young movie fans of all ethnicities can enjoy “Black Panther” and look up to the titular character as a hero and role model — just as little girls weren’t alone in their admiration for “Wonder Woman.” But as a while male who has seen countless superheroes (and human heroes and role models of all kinds) in the movies my entire life, I can’t fully understand or appreciate how much it must mean to black moviegoers of my generation to see “Black Panther,” and to see their children experiencing something almost never experienced at the movies when they were growing up:
A superhuman good guy who looks like them.
• • •
With a movie this huge, there are always lots of questions, both serious and silly. Here’s a sampling of some of the questions I’ve received, and some I’ve asked myself.
Q. What are some of the most impressive box office achievements for “Black Panther” to date?
A. Highest February opening ($202 million) of all-time. Fifth-highest opening weekend ever. (Totals not adjusted for inflation, because if I start doing that, we’ll never get to a second question.)
Second biggest non-opening weekend of all time, behind only “The Force Awakens.”
Second biggest 10-day total ($404 million), behind, yes, “The Force Awakens” ($540 million).
How about this one: It’s going to take “Black Panther” less than two weeks to surpass the TOTAL domestic take for “Wonder Woman.” At the end of its domestic run, “WW” had raked in $412,563,408. After just 10 days, “Black Panther” was just a few million behind that.
So far this year, some 90 movies have been released domestically. Granted, that includes a number of small titles with limited release, but still, consider this: “Black Panther” has accounted for 21 percent of all movie tickets sold in the USA this year to date.
Q. A commenter on the Richard Roeper YouTube page said of the rave review, “Yep and if he said anything different he’d be called a racist.” Another commenter said, “Is everyone just afraid of being called a racist if they give this movie a negative review? It was not a good movie. … These glowing reviews are baffling. Do we not even respect black culture enough to be honest? I’m so disappointed in our society right now.”
A. It’s ridiculous, insulting and did I mention ridiculous to imply I would slant a review out of some misguided “duty” to political correctness.
I’ve reviewed more than 5,000 films. While I’m not oblivious to the hype surrounding some movies, or the fact some films represent a step forward for gender equality or diversity, it would be condescending and unethical for me to add points for trying.
Case in point: the all-female reboot of “Ghostbusters.”
I’m a big fan of the writers, the director and the cast (Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon). Bring it on!
Then they brought it on, and it was a stilted, unfunny mess, and I gave it one star.
And yes, some folks told me I was sexist, and that’s just as ludicrous as someone claiming I’d favor “Black Panther” out of fear of being called a racist.
I review the movie. I don’t have a cultural weather vane atop my computer.
Q. Is “Black Panther” your favorite superhero movie of all time? Is T’Challa/Black Panther your favorite superhero of all time?
A. Not quite, although I would place both film and character in my Top 10 if not my Top 5. Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” is my favorite film in the genre. And Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man is still my go-to alter ego/superhero.
Q. Heard any good “Black Panther” jokes?
A. After some fans noted Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis from the “Lord of the Rings” movies are both in “Black Panther,” a quipster on Reddit noted, “They’re the Tolkien white guys.”
Q. Can you name some other fictional African cities from the movies?
A. Sure! I’m glad I asked me that one.
In “Tarzan” lore, Opar is a lost city, a colony of Atlantis, hidden deep in the jungles of Africa.
The 2006 James Bond film “Casino Royale” includes scenes at the fictional Nambutu Embassy in Madagascar.
And Eddie Murphy’s Crown Prince Akeem from “Coming to America” hails from the nation of Zamunda.
Q. What are some “Easter Eggs” and pop culture references to look for in “Black Panther”?
A. Here are just a few:
• When Letitia Wright’s Shuri introduces her big brother T’Challa to a cool pair of auto-closing boots, she references an old American movie their father loved. No doubt she’s talking about “Back to the Future II” (remember Marty McFly’s insta-lacing boots?) and, yes, a movie from 1989 would seem really, really old to someone Shuri’s age.
• Shuri calls the gravely injured Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) “another broken white boy.” This is a reminder the “Winter Soldier,” one Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stans), has been kept in a cryogenic chamber in Wakanda after the events of “Captain America: Civil War.”
Stay through the credits of “Black Panther” and you’ll see another reference to that particular story line.
• When Ross awakens and asks Shuri, “Is this Wakanda?” she smirks and says, “No, it’s Kansas,” a clear reference to one of the most oft-quoted (and often slightly misquoted) lines in movie history, i.e., Judy Garland’s Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” saying, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more.”
• The framing scenes in “Black Panther” are set in Oakland, home of the Black Panther Party, founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966. (The Black Panther comic book series also debuted in 1966 — a few months before the creation of Black Panther Party.)
Oakland is also director Ryan Coogler’s home town, and the setting for his first film, “Fruitvale Station” (which starred Michael B. Jordan).
Q. Have you seen the stories about “Black Panther” fans calling the village hall of Wauconda, Illinois, and asking if they have any spare vibranium?
A. Yes. Funny. I wish I could report the Wauconda High School’s team mascot is the Panthers, but they’re the Bulldogs.
