Black Panther

T'challa (left) and Killmonger (right)

The Marvel movie Black Panther has made 704 million dollars at the box office since being released on February 16. The movie is said to be a defining moment for Black America. This is in large part due to the mostly African American cast and those actors playing lead roles. There's also the fact that there are strong female leads in the film. T'challa or the Black Panther becomes the King of Wakanda, a mythical African city. This allows us to see a different narrative of Africa rather than just viewing it as a third world country. One of the most powerful lines in the film comes from Killmonger: "Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships because they knew that death was better than bondage." I saw this movie twice in the theatre and both times, this line received applause.

Michael B. Jordan who plays Killmonger was quoted in an interview with Glamour magazine saying, "I think representation is extremely important. I keep looking back at my ten-year-old self and what I didn't have to look at in films, in television and what I didn't really see, you know." Because this is a Marvel movie, there will undoubtedly be many other children who will watch this film so the fact that they are able to identify with the characters in the film is long overdue.

The women of Black Panther from left to right:
Shuri, Nakia, Okoye (General), Ramonda (Queen Mother)

However, while my response was mostly overwhelmingly positive to the film the first time around, the second time I viewed it, I realized that there were still some faults in the film. While there are lead women roles, the female characters are only two-dimensional. What we know about Shuri, T'challa's sister is that she is a female in STEM and she is mostly used as comic relief. Nakia is T'challa's love interest and we know she has a big heart for social outreach. Okoye or the General who serves as the leader for the female protection force for the Black Panther is just portrayed as the badass soldier. Finally, Ramonda or T'challa's mother is just that: a mother. She has minimal impact in the film other than standing by her son. 

The only black American woman portrayed in the film is Killmonger's girlfriend who he shoots dead in order to get ahead. Stereotypes are heavily present in the film in the way that they present Killmonger as a Black American.

There's also a scene from Nigeria in which the only portrayal we see is a rebel army who are trying to sell young women off into sex trafficking. Korea is portrayed as it is in any stereotypical Hollywood film -- showy cars, bright lights, and minimal visibility for the people who inhabit it. The one Asian woman shown is persuaded to allow the characters to go into her nightclub by being told that they have "deep pockets" which perpetuates the stereotype of greediness. Shuri doesn't get away with being a female in STEM without a comment from one of the male characters about being a "little girl". 

While this film is very important, there are still some things that could have been improved. Nonetheless, I would recommend the movie to everyone.