In honor of Black History Month, I took my first vacation of
2018 to Wakanda! The Wakandan planes are really nice. The food is actually free,
there are no middle seats, and they have this technology that stops babies from
crying. Can someone actually invent this airline? Or is this already available
for people who fly first class?
In all seriousness I’ve been excited to see the Black Panther film since T’Challa
(Chadwick Boseman) appeared in Captain
America: Civil War.
In the week leading up to me seeing the Black Panther
movie, everyone and their mother was praising this film. I even saw an article
that claimed that the movie deserved to win several Oscars, which is something
that you don’t often hear about superhero films. I did my best not to let the
hype get to me because I didn’t want my over inflated expectations to ruin the
movie for me. With that in mind, I finally saw it during opening weekend along
with my roommates and it exceeded my expectations. Here is a list of three
things I appreciated about the movie (no spoilers!):
1. The women were
amazing.
I almost wish I was 10-years-old again just so I can
experience watching this movie as a little black girl. All of the women in Black Panther serve a purpose. I’ll say
it louder for the people in the back- ALL OF THE WOMEN WERE NECESSARY. They
each had their own distinct personalities and skills and, without going into
too much detail, they defied what many societies expect from black women.
T’Challa was cool and all but you definitely walk away from the movie with the
sense that who the king surrounds himself with is more important than how
capable he is when he’s alone.
2. The nostalgia.
As someone who grew up with a West African parent there were
so many moments where I was like “all my uncles do that.” In one scene Nakia
(Lupita Nyong’o) was annoyed with something Okoye (Danai Gurira) was doing and
she made this noise in her throat that all irritated African aunties make. I’m
not even capable of recreating that sound- just know that when you hear it
thrown in your direction as a child you know you’re in trouble.
3. It wasn’t just
fighting.
There were some of your typical superhero film scenes that
we’ve come to expect from Marvel…BUT those were well balanced with more
character-driven scenes. As a result, these characters have helped spark some important
real-life conversations.
In conclusion, WAKANDAAAA FOREVERRRR!
Check out my vlog below to see how I prepared to watch Black Panther (yes, I needed to
prepare):
