For the first time, a super hero movie is nominated for Best Picture. This might be the first time too so many people under the age of 15 have seen a Best Picture film. This makes me happy. So too did watching Black Panther.
I should start with a couple of confessions: First, I am that woman (even when in my early 40s, so it’s not just a new curmudgeon thing (and I adore kids playing on my lawn)) who has been known to shush people in a theater. I’ve stood up to do it in a modern recliner-seating theater where you cannot even see the people in front of you (But I could still hear them. Seriously?) and in our local SunRay (before it was SunRay) when I got up, walked across the aisle and two rows back to tell other movie-goers to hush (I mean, come on. If I can hear you that far away — shush!) I have strong opinions that if you’re going to the theater and you cannot hear the dialogue, sit in the back away from anyone else or wait until it’s streaming; please don’t repeatedly ask your seat mate what is happening. (I loved my mother more than I could ever express enough in words (I write; that’s saying a lot), but Lordy watching a movie with that dear woman tested all patience and any back-up thereof (but what I wouldn’t give to pause and explain a movie to her just one more time).) If you’re going to the theater and have to ask your companion what is happening, again, watch that at home. And if you’re going to the theater to sing along with the lyrics or recite all the lines, do that when the sing-along or midnight version comes out. (To my friend who sang next to me in that one movie we went to, yes, this include you. 😉 ) So, yes, please don’t think that your $10 means you get to spoil my $10 viewing experience.
Now — that said, I absolutely adored watching Black Panther with a trio of movie companions who’ve seen the movie and who talked through a lot of it. Not only did they keep me (a bit of a comic/super-hero novice (a bit? Okay, a near-complete novice)) well-informed and educated throughout the film, I knew when to steady myself for what was coming as the newly-ten-year-old movie companion knew exactly when to get up and go up to the deck to not watch the particularly scary fight scenes. Of course, we watched this from the comfort of a back-yard movie setup. That’s a setup for which talking during a movie is made. And watching a movie with super hero fans—so much so that they know the background, the layers, the characters, and the universe—is made even better when they can share their excitement verbally throughout.
I said a couple of confessions, right? The other is that lack of superhero knowledge. (I briefly dated an expert. But brief, it was. (He once subscribed to my blog. I don’t know if he still reads these thoughts, though. If he does, I’ll say, “Hi there! Hope the west coast is fabulous!”)) Anywho—had I watched this alone, I would have watched it as a stand-alone story. I wouldn’t have known the evil dude’s background (sure, the film tries to fill in the gaps, and I’m a smart cookie, but oral commentary (and reminders when I had questions) made this make a lot more sense). So again, I adored watching this film with this trio of fans as my movie companions.
As for the film itself, yes, it was a great movie. I laughed, I gasped, I cheered, I celebrated. The scenery was sweeping. The cast as a whole, phenomenal. The costumes better than any superhero movie I’ve seen. The cultural issues, real. And the music—although I’ve seen only three of the five Best Score films, this is my choice to win. (If you’ve ever heard me talk about The Lion King, though, you know I’ve a soft spot for African music.) But I don’t see this as Best Picture. (And costumes, for me, go to The Favourite.) (We never did figure out which was the song for Best Song, which gives me pause for that song’s (whichever song it was) likelihood of the statue.)
The problem with a superhero movie is formula. This isn’t to say they’re as formulaic as they used to be, but the blockbuster superhero films do meet an expectation. (Ha! Okay, so Suicide Squad didn’t meet any expectation. I learned a hard lesson spending two hours watching that movie (and hearing that movie companion’s later dance about it (he saw it twice? three times? what?). Sheesh.) (Oh — but as for meeting expectations, well, I say this not having watched Infinity Wars (oh, dear, is that the name of what I’m thinking?), which apparently did a hard shift from formulaic expectations, catching most of the audience completely off guard.) But too often, yes, I saw the writing on the wall in Black Panther. This detracts from the movie as a true stellar film.
Formula aside though, the rest of everything that makes up Black Panther is why I completely understand its place on the podium of Best Picture nominees and why it earned a solid (no rounding involved) four stars from me. It’s fabulously entertaining. It finally brings forth an epic superhero movie with a black superhero. And this isn’t just a superhero who happens to be black. This is a black superhero who addresses racial issues head on. Those issues are involved in the story, in the stereotypes, in the telling of the tale. And they work as the vehicle for this superhero tale.
Aside from those issues, the film itself as a film is good. It’s a good story. This isn’t because of the formula of superheroes. The strength in this story is more. It’s the fifth tribe and its relation and (yay!) unpredictable-at-first stance. It’s the sibling banter (this is probably my favorite part of the film). (No, it IS my favorite part of the film.) It’s the quiet love story that never takes center stage but lingers in the back. (Thank you again to my movie companions who helped me understand from the outset this relationship, for the back story was a bit rushed during an otherwise action-filled scene.) It’s the deeper character development than too many superhero movies of my knowledge have had. (Sorry, Deadpool. Yes, I loved you, but let’s be realistic.)
One of my movie companions, the new teenager, picked on continuity issues a lot. (Remember, she’s seen this film a lot and watched the continuity-related videos.) And I get it. But to watch a superhero movie, we must suspend some aspect of reality. We must allow some things that don’t make sense to happen. And I’m good with that. But I’m with her too that beyond that world, our regular world of physics needs to have a place. Ask me to suspend my knowledge to accept your universe. Don’t ask me to suspend all knowledge.
Still, even with that, Black Panther is one of the best (the best? Yes, probably so, even though I really did like Wonder Woman) superhero movies I’ve seen. It’s an excellent film. I so appreciate my adult movie companion watching it with me and letting me see it too through his kids’ eyes. I’m tickled it has the Best Picture nomination. But if I were handing out those golden statues, it wouldn’t get that one from me. It’s grand. But it doesn’t get that statue from me.