‘Black Panther’ shares powerful message about injustice

Chris Torres Staff Writer

Few movies have recently made an impact in Hollywood as quickly or as explosively as Marvel’s “Black Panther.” The hype is well deserved, as the movie is great on many levels. The film was released on Feb. 16.

The acting was top-notch thanks to an all-star cast. They truly make the audience feel like a part of the world of Wakanda – the fictional African country where “Black Panther” takes place.

The film has a different feel from other Marvel movies. Its action scenes do not feel forced, something that was an issue with movies such as “Captain America: Winter Soldier” or “The Avengers.”

Each action scene had a certain purpose, like when T’Challa — played by Chadwick Boseman — fights Erik Killmonger for the Wakandian throne. Additionally, Bozeman really embodied his role as Black Panther.

The message behind “Black Panther” is the best part. It shows that using violence and force to solve injustice is not the answer. We see this in Killmonger, a villain who wants to use the resources of Wakanda to help the black people of the world rise above the oppression they face.

By understanding Killmonger’s motives, he is not seen as the “typical Marvel villain.” Instead, he is shown as a relatable antagonist. In contrast to this, T’Challa, or Black Panther, is trying to show that not only is violence not the way to solve your problems, but it will probably cause even more problems as well. It would be hard to find another Marvel movie with such a deep message, and the studio would probably do even better if it keeps going down this direction with future films.

This movie has left its mark in Hollywood, by achieving several milestones. “Black Panther” is the highest-grossing debut film with a black filmmaker in North America, according to a Forbes.com article. It has also surpassed “Deadpool” as the highest-grossing film of a February opening weekend. It has lived up to all the hype that it had gathered over the past few months.

It also has some of the best marketing and advertising for a movie, by making the movie come out during Black History Month and promoting its all-star cast everywhere. This movie has a phenomenal black empowerment message and it is great to see African Americans both feel empowered by this movie as well as support black actors and directors.

People should go and watch this movie regardless of their race or whether or not they’re a Marvel fan, because it is a great action movie that does not hit you with overly-done action scenes. “Black Panther” has left his mark on Hollywood and black culture in general, and it is refreshing to see a movie with a predominantly black cast flourish.