T'Challa, Nakia and Okoye. Black Panther.

Black Panther – After the death of his father, T’Challa prepares himself to lead Wakanda as they have always been led, by hiding their amazing technology (created thanks to a huge mine of the alien substance ‘vibranium’) away from the outside world. But when the theft of some forgotten about vibranium from the British Museum draws T’Challa out, he will learn that not all Wakandans think the same way, and that perhaps his father was not always the calm, measured leader he is remembered for…

Black Panther (2018) – Director: Ryan Coogler

Is Black Panther appropriate for kids?

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54261761

Rating: 12

Running Length: 134 mins

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan

Genre: Action, Comic Book

REVIEW: ‘BLACK PANTHER’

After lighting up the screen during Captain America: Civil War, it was clear that Marvel had big plans for Black Panther. But even so, there had been talks about bringing the proud and powerful African character to the big screen since as far back as 1992 (with Wesley Snipes driving the way) and it’s not until after 16 other Marvel movies have passed that we finally get a movie focused on a non-white superhero (only a few more to go until we get one that isn’t male-led as well). The signs were good, with director Ryan Cooglar (‘Creed’, ‘Fruitvale Station’) at the helm, vowing to bring in new blood to the Marvel filming / editing machine. And delivered here is a standout movie in the Marvel cannon, both part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, whilst totally having its own identity.

You could argue that a lot of the plotting and action sequences are fairly standard Marvel. But what ‘Black Panther’ does so well through the acting, dialogue, score, and cinematography is create an experience that both celebrates the African culture it is based on, whilst also calling attention to the failings (both historical and present) that have marred the lives of black people worldwide. Not only that, but it also explores an overall subtext of how culpable the rich and powerful nations are in the misery of those without. And at its core, ‘Black Panther’ has a strong generational tale which imbues its villain with the most relatable qualities to date. Marvel has always had a problem with compelling antagonists, but in Killmonger (powerfully and vulnerably played by Michael B. Jordan) we have the most memorable villain on screen for a long time. He is woefully absent for most of the first half, but more than makes up for it in screen presence for the second.

The Black Panther himself (Boseman as T’Challa) is a fantastic lead. Unsure of himself, and uneasy with taking on his father’s legacy, Boseman’s performance makes for a very human prince despite the super powerful technology he uses. Surrounding Boseman, the supporting performances are all strongly delivered. Okoye (Gurira) and Shuri (Wright) drive the prouder moments as fearsome African women at the top of their game as warriors or inventors respectively. In fact, there are more strong female characters here than most other Marvel movies combined, all without a hint of patronisation or condescension. All this combined with a tribal score underpinning both sweeping savanna shots and the futuristic Wakanda itself, every single element of ‘Black Panther’ is on point. Marvel may have their formula down pat, but ‘Black Panther’ shows what can be achieved when a director with a vision is given licence to shine.

CONTENT: IS ‘BLACK PANTHER’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The movie opens with an explanation about the origins of Wakanda and its people. As part of this, men are seen being taken aboard a ship in chains, slumped and defeated, as a clear implication of Africa’s history of slavery.

A woman who speaks to a seemingly nice man suddenly realises that she has been poisoned. After coughing and struggling to breathe, she collapses to the floor. There is then a surprise attack by others working with the man who poisoned her; they shoot several innocent people in the vicinity.

The Wakandans and their neighbouring tribes wear often traditionally tribal garb and, during ritual combat, one character wears a mask which looks like the skull of a gorilla which bares its teeth aggressively. This could be a little frightening for children who have fears of masks/covered faces.

T’Challa is stabbed in the shoulder with a spear during a fight, he groans and grimaces in pain but is stoic and does not appear to suffer too much. The injury is mostly not seen but occasionally some blood and the wound are shown although this is not particularly gory.

In order to gain the ‘Black Panther’ powers, T’Challa must drink a potion made from a special flower and be buried entirely beneath sand. This then causes him to have a vision of his ancestral plain. We mention this as it could prove imitable for some children.

During a high-speed car chase, an incidental henchman is pulled out of a car, landing on the road. The camera then cuts to inside the vehicle behind which is part of the chase and the characters bump with the impact of running over the man.

A character is shot and there is a close-up of the wound. Blood pools inside of the hole but is not otherwise gory. A special ‘ball’ is pushed inside of the wound in order to save the man until he can be treated properly.

Erik Killmonger exposes a part of his forearm which is covered in dozens of small ritual-like scars saying ‘each one for a kill’. Later in the movie, he removes his top and his entire upper body is covered in the same scars indicating that he has killed hundreds of people.

A young boy who lives in what appears to be a dangerous, criminal part of America tells another character ‘everybody dies, it’s just life around here’.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘BLACK PANTHER’ FOR KIDS?

What could have been another pandering exercise in tokenism and stereotyping has been pushed aside for a dignified, unashamed portrayal of African culture with a hefty sprinkling of superhero fantasy. Equality has proven to be a difficult theme to be portrayed on film, especially in Hollywood but ‘Black Panther’ is a masterpiece of making it look easy. Although there is some violence and bad language, ‘Black Panther’ is accessible for younger members of the audience and we feel it is appropriate for most kids aged seven and over.

  • Violence: 2/5 (after several innocent people are killed, a character tells a survivor that he will live if he doesn’t tell anyone about what has happened. As the man runs away, he is cruelly shot in the back)
  • Emotional Distress: 1/5 (a character feels forced to kill a beloved family member. During his vision on the ancestral plain, characters see their dead family members which sometime becomes a little sad. An established character who is beloved by many is killed, his loved ones cry out in anguish and are visibly devastated by the death)
  • Fear Factor: 1/5 (a character who has previously been seen to be killed is dragged along the ground, wrapped in a bag. The bag is then opened a small amount and the character’s dead face, with eyes slightly open is seen)
  • Sexual Content: 1/5 (a character reaches into the crotch of his trousers a pulls out a large parcel)
  • Bad Language: 3/5 (some mild to moderate cursing and blasphemy which is relatively infrequent for a Marvel film)
  • Dialogue: 1/5 (a character calls the black characters ‘savages’)
  • Other Notes: There is a shoot-out in the dark and as there are close-ups of the guns, there is around a minute of what is essentially strobe lighting.
  • Deals with themes of equality, African culture, ritual, loyalty, the rule of law, remaining neutral to the detriment of others, family, unity and the dangers of keeping advanced technology secret.

Words by Laura and Michael Record

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