Amph Black Panther (Wakanda Forever)

How about this article. Criticism from an African American perspective. Just the author's opinion of course, but some telling points I thought.
By: Chris Lebron, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University & author of The Making Of Black Lives.

 

The Chris Lebron article was cited in a post by @Lord Vivec on page 11 of this thread, which I've quoted below for everyone's ease.

I found Chris Lebron's article laughable in some parts and I strongly disagree with some of his opinions and interpretations, which I'll go into in a bit. However, I understand the reasonings behind his thoughts, which are not without merit nor easily dismissed. I'll cover that too.

Right now, I'm going to take some excerpts from the author, Jason Johnson,/article Lord Vivec posted that addressed some of the views expressed by Chris Lebron so I don't fully have to "reinvent the wheel" in thoughts about Lebron's opinion:

By Jason Johnson:

So, Jason Johnson "claps back" at the interpretation of Killmonger above and covers some of the elements that I agree with as to why the character isn't the revolutionist Chris Lebron's describe him to be. And I believe that's where Chris Lebron's opinions are deeply rooted.


Since Black Panther has been out in the theaters for more than two weeks, it is not required I use spoiler tags. Therefore, I won't.

So, SPOILERS AHEAD.




As I mentioned above, I totally understand where and how Chris Lebron formed his opinion on Black Panther and it's rooted in the ideal that, even in a film made by a Black director, starring a mostly Black cast, that only Black American character is featured as "the black thug from Oakland hell bent on killing for killing’s sake" as his "only skill is killing." Moreover, Lebron sees T'Challa and Wakandans as "African nobles" who "safeguard virtue and goodness against the threat not of white Americans or Europeans, but a black American man, the most dangerous person in the world." In short, Chris Lebron is tired of seeing the American Black Man portrayed as a gangster/thug.

Here are some quotes from the Chris Lebron article that highlights the root of his opinions:

To me, Chris Lebron can't see past the superficial elements of Killmonger, rather than the symbolism the character represents. I mean, let's take this quote from Chris Lebron:

This is the quote that I found laughable, in that Black Panther is racist and that Klaue was given a better turn than Killmonger.

So, now that I provided the reasonings behind Chris Lebron's "clouded" view of the film, I'll go over the parts of his article that I believe he incorrectly assessed and my disagreements of his interpretations.

Chris Lebron:

I don't think the film ever expressed that Killmonger "believed he is the rightful king" of Wakanda. The reason I point this out, is because it give the impression that Killmonger wanted to be some kind of long term ruler and liberator. As I posted previously in this thread, I didn't see that to be the case. I found Killmonger to be a hurt child that was orphaned and left to fend for himself, and he just wanted the world to feel his pain and suffering; much like Magneto in X-Men: First Class.

Chris Lebron:

I totally didn't get this vibe from the film at all. First of all, I never really felt that Killmonger was bent on "making good" on his father's ideals of "liberation." Secondly, Killmonger becoming a soldier does have some social overtones, as noted in this video, "Black Panther Is Blacker Than You Thought," that I previously posted where it notes that Black people often has to enlist in the military to escape a situation of poverty and scarce opportunities for jobs.


Chris Lebron:

This whole statement really expresses how Chris Lebron sees Killmonger. While Lebron gets the superficial characteristic elements of Killmonger, he fails to see the deeper meaning as to why Killmonger is that way and in the context of the film what it represents. There's a really sad and poignant scene in the film where Erik is on the astral(?) plain after taking the heart shaped herb and sees his father again as a kid in their Oakland apartment, and his father, N'jobu, asks, "No tears for me?" and Erik responds (now as an adult), "Everyone dies." That's some heartbreaking **** right there, as it represents the lost innocence, hope and humanity that Erik once had. I mean, how could you not cry seeing your father (who meant so much to you) again, much like T'Challa did when he saw his father. See, this scene was mirroring the experiences and lives lived between T'Challa and Erik, whom are both of noble and royal blood. So, Erik is not just some typical trope of inner-city gangsterism; Erik doesn't become part of a gang to fill of a void of not having a family, nor to feel empowered; it's a commentary on the social issues of facing the Black community and what the director, Ryan Coogler, witnessed growing up in Oakland. That's growing in such conditions can dehumanize a person to the point of not shredding a tear in revisiting a long dead father.

Chris Lebron:

Wow! This is another laughable commentary by Chris Lebron and where I strongly disagree with his comments and wonder what movie was he watching or even if he watched the film. Killmonger's death meant everything as it was the most impactful death in the film. T'Challa did understand that Killmonger was the product of American racism, thus the Wakandan tech reachout facility in Oakland that T'Challa wanted Shuri to manage at the end of the film; T'Challa did understand the cruelty of T'Chaka and said as much to him when he saw his father for the second time on the astral(?) plain; T'Challa did realize that Wakanda has been hoarding technology and resources and thus addressed the United Nations and announced to the world that Wakanda will share this knowledge and advance technology. There is no reconciliation because Killmonger doesn't want it, as pointed out in that "no tears for your dead dad" scene, Erik is irredeemable. Killmonger wanted to see the world burn, much like the garden where the heart shaped herbs grow (this also illustrated that Killmonger has no long term goals as ruler of Wakanda). Additionally, it's Killmonger's dying words that make the deepest cut in the film and that's why his death make such an impact on the audience and where alot of people find him agreeable.


Chris Lebron:

I get Chris LeBron and Leslie Lee III having the feeling "Black Panther" is just another "Black-on-Black" crime of a movie and that features "racist tropes" of the Black community, but I feel their missing why those things are important in the film and how they effect the story and the audience. I think Coogler better served the character of Black Panther in not having the movie boil down to a showdown between Klaue and T'Challa; a White character vs. a Black character as I think it was terribly undermine the character and themes of the film. Klaue being killed by Erik was the correct decision by Coogler to avoid the White vs Black overtones that could have plague the film if T'Challa had killed Klaue or simply arrest him. There's really not value or valor in that. T'Challa represents hope, integrity, compassion, wisdom and possibilities as he uses all those characteristics at the end of the film to uplift the inner city of Oakland and the rest of the world. Killmonger driving the narrative, allows T'Challa to demonstrate these qualities; Klaue does not. Klaue is just another one dimensional villain; not worthy enough to tarnish T'Challa.

Again, Erik's life was to mirror T'Challa's and shine a light the systemic problems of the Black community that was not just another "racist trope," but very poignant and very empathetic. My wife and I feel alot of sadness for Erik as he's a character of royal blood and if he wasn't dehumanized by his situation, he probably could have reconciled with his family, "Hey Auntie." Erik could only feel pain and suffering and wanted the rest of the world to do the same. And Erik's death is more memorable and has more impact on the audience than any MCU character; hero or villain. Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan did the character of Killmonger justice by not making him some one dimensional villain or a gangster thug, but rather a Shakespearean tragic figure with the death scene to match.

 

Just a thought, expanding on the positive reception of the women's portrayal in Black Panther...

Dare I say that Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman might have laid the groundwork for a change of perception of women warriors on screen? The fierceness of the Amazons and the layered characterization of Diana, praised at large by movie critics, seem to have paved the way for the kick-ass awesomeness of the Dora Milaje and the complex rendering of Nakia, Shuri and Ramonda. Which isn't to say that the Black Panther cast wouldn't have been able to sell the film on their own, mind you, but I'm simply saying that no artistic creation operates in a vacuum, and that the Wakandan women surely benefited from the shift of perception initiated by Wonder Woman (regardless of any DC/Marvel divide) and, in a wider framework, from the #metoo empowering movement.

 

We pretty much knew this already, but there will be a Black Panther sequel (I am sure someone already posted Feige's interview in the Infinity War thread)

Kevin Feige from EW.com "We have ideas and a pretty solid direction on where we want to head with the second one."
@Sith_Sensei__Prime - more solid discussions on Erik and BP overall.

 

@Sith_Sensei__Prime -- the white man who trades in secrets the dude was talking about was Everett Ross, I thought...

 

Nah, Wonder Woman wasn’t the first woman warrior. Hopefully it does show that tent pole blockbusters don’t have to be dominated by male directors or male stars, though. I’m still waiting for a woman to be given the reigns of a SW film, I thought it would have happened by now under KK’s watch.

 

It was good, Chad as Black Panther is golden, not many I could see other than Chad as Black Panther tbh. Look forward to seeing him more in Infinity war

 

Actually it was just used so sparingly. Difference between good CGI and lots of CGI.

 

I think Boseman is incredibly boring in the role; he adds nothing. The role itself is nondescript. I think everyone else in the movie outshines him. The title should be changed to The Women In Black Panther's Life And Also His Cousin. Even the setting by itself outshines Boseman/Black Panther.

 

The FX in Black Panther is so uniformly good that the moment when it kinda goes sideways is the Killmonger / Black Panther final confrontation in the train tunnel that it's kind of jarring that they look like human heads on CGI boddies. Like in the 3rd act of GotG, Rocket and Groot suddenly don't look worse. And the fight happening outside look great but something looked off for the big climatic one-on-one battle, which is a weird time to start noticing VFX. Maybe it was too much camera flying around, which isn't a problem in the casino fight cuz that looks like a real place.

Nice mask touch I noticed is one time you can see Black Panther's actual eyes is when he has the car wreck in the street confrontation with Klaue and the white eyes go away so you can see T'Challa's actual eyes, which look pretty angry. That was a nice touch although it's odd you don't see that again in the film, did he just happen to turn it off at that moment when he finally confronted Klaue

Anyway, this is the most important think piece of Black Panther published: Does Black Panther say Vibranium as much as Avatar says Unobtainum.

 

Really? I thought he did a superb job and I loved his character arc. He's not a loner, he's not guilt ridden, nor is he required to learn some lesson in order to fix some character flaw.

 

You just described what he's not, with nothing about what he is. My point exactly. Nondescript.

Literally everyone in the movie outshines him. Forest Whitaker in his small role, T'challa's uncle, M'Baku, W'Kabi, even Bilbo Baggins. And of course literally every woman in the movie. Even Jordan's girlfriend that got shot by Klaue. All more memorable than Black Panther, because they had personalities and Boseman didn't.

Black Panther is, by far, the most boring, least interesting leading character in the MCU. It just so happens that the movie succeeds entirely without him.

 

^ "Not available in your country." This is so racist.

 

Best Marvel soundtrack? Best Marvel soundtrack.

 

You're right. The article does specifically mention Everett Ross in the sentence before. But there's a purpose to Ross' character, which (to give credit where credit is due) John Campea notes in his YouTube spoilers review of the film. Campea says that Ross is the physical embodiment/symbolism of T'Challa's/Wakanda's dilemma of remaining hidden or revealing itself to the world, as it's noted between T'Challa and Okoye that bringing a CIA agent to Wakanda would inevitably reveal the truth as Ross would have to report his discovery to his superiors.

Yeah, there was a backlash to the announcement of Jon Favreau to direct and create some Star Wars material.

As for Women Warriors, lets not forget Xena. Also, Thor had Lady Sif, who has became a fan favorite. And of course, Black Panther references:

While I agree that some of the supporting characters upstage T'Challa (which was also pointed out by Marc Bernandin from YouTube's "Fatman on Batman"), he does has stage presence and a very important role in the film. Now, I love Shuri in the film and the chemistry between her and T'Challa. Their sibling "rivalry" allows both characters to be more identifiable and common (i.e. siblings busting each others' chops). The role of T'Challa does call for grace and dignity, so it would be the wrong creative choice to Will Smith or Robert Downey, Jr., the character. T'Challa is a king and must carry himself accordingly. Thus, I love the private moments with Shuri as it allows him to be more dynamic and free.



But when T'Challa is in public (which he is in most of the film, IIRC), he must present himself with decorum and proper etiquette.

There's a very poignant and touching scene where T'Challa visits the astral(?) plane and meets his father again. T'Challa bows before his father, but his father tells him to stand up proudly because he is now a king. This scene notes how T'Challa saw himself and what he has become. T'Chaka tells T'Challa that it's hard for a good man to be king, and this is something that T'Challa struggles with during the film; what's best for Wakanda (i.e. keep Wakanda great or "build bridges instead of walls) as Nakia requests Wakanda to be more involved with the world.

There's also a point in the film when T'Challa see his father for the second time on the astral plane to confront him about his sins of killing N'Jobu and leaving Erik behind. It was devastating for T'Challa to see his father in that light and then have to turn away from him; which was a very stark comparison from their previous encounter.

It is T'Challa that must amend his father's sins. It's T'Challa that decides to reveal the truth about Wakanda to the world. It is T'Challa that starts an urban revolution, but not with guns and violence, but with education/technology and compassion. That is what is unique and descript about T'Challa. We don't see Stark or Thor sharing his technology with inner city kids; nor do we see Diana/Wonder Woman sharing her cultural advancements, in fact, she remain hidden as noted by Bruce Wayne in Justice League.

T'Challa is a smooth cat and is befitting of Black Panther.



To paraphrase Billy Dee Williams, "Don't let the smooth taste fool you."

The brutha gotz swag when he walks into a room.

 

This is also what clearly shows why T'Challa is a hero and what makes Killmonger a villain in the films.

 

Ok. I have to admit this article from 3 years ago applies to Black Panther.

Step one: vibranium, herb
Step two: Versus Klaue
Step three: finding out what happened between his father and uncle

Step four: versus Killmonger at the falls

Step five: final battle

Step six: Stan Lee, Bucky waking up

 

Okay, as a long time Grace Jones fan, she must be in the Black Panther sequel.

And goodness willing I will finally see BP soon.

@Sith_Sensei__Prime another great post.

@Sarge Adorable.

 

... considering the Dora Milaje seem to take their look/weapons almost specifically from this:



And they specifically referenced her? I think you're good...

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottm...come-hollywoods-worst-nightmare/#1d0d000c566a

Everyone who wants to know, yes -- this is a white guy.

The Root follow-up: https://www.theroot.com/white-writer-calls-black-panther-hollywood-s-worst-nig-1823941677

 

Tomb Raider didn't need any help flopping.