Movie Review: Black Panther

**PLEASE NOTE** This review will talk about some of the elements in the movie and may contain spoilers. If you have not seen the movie, and intend on seeing the movie, and don’t want to know anything about the movie, please do not read. Please also note that this review is coming from my own experiences of the movie and do not reflect, in any way, shape, or form, the collective viewpoint of all black people, all women, all black women, all HSPs, all ESFJs, all Christians, or any other collective viewpoint not mentioned above.

^ I say all of that, first and foremost, because I mean it. But I also say it to give people time to run away if they don’t like spoilers. 🙂 But moving on.

Let me start off by saying I LOVE THIS MOVIE. So please know that this is not an objective review. Also know that I’m not trying to write a thinkpiece on it because it’s already been done. (Also see this one. And this one.) But I digress – again. Let’s get to it.

Visuals: 5 out of 5
Every scene, from start to finish, was a feast for the eyes. I’m not a cinematographer, but if I could meet the one for this movie? High fives all around. From the colors of the characters’ outfits, to the angles at which different scenes are shot, it all gives me life.

Sounds / sound effects: 5 out of 5
I don’t know if movie theaters are more aware of the harmful effects of loud movies or what, but lately, I’ve been feeling significantly less overwhelmed by the different sounds in movies. (However, when watching a 3D movie, it becomes a whole different story, which I’ll get into later.) Overall, though, I loved the music, and I never got the feeling that I could have worn my earplugs to block out sound and been better off.

Storyline: 5 out of 5
I spoke to someone before I saw the movie and they didn’t necessarily like the way the storyline flowed. The person said that she was expecting more backstory toward the middle, instead of right at the beginning. Honestly, I liked that that backstory was in the beginning. As an HSP, I don’t like getting hit with the action right in the beginning. It’s like dipping my hand in ice water. Or putting my hands right into a fire with no protection. So it worked for me.

Those things aside, there were some other amazing aspects of this movie, all of which are summaries on my feelings about it. I’ll leave the in-depth look to the thinkpiece experts.

What I loved about this movie:

– Women’s role throughout: Again, not fleshing this out entirely, because it’s already been done. But what a life-changing thing, to see women in places of power that they didn’t have to beg, borrow, and steal to get. How amazing is it that little black girls all over this globe will be able to see what a healthy black woman in power looks like – and that there are a variety of roles to fulfill!

– The fullness of the black experience: I’m so, so tired of the slave narrative. Not to say that films that focus on the slave narrative aren’t well done. However, there’s only so many times you can see your people in chains before you say “enough is enough.” And Black Panther does not depict black people and Africans in the goofy, stereotypical way that black people are usually depicted in films, either. These were black people who were celebrating a new king. They were celebrating their heritage, their blackness, their – excuse my language – badassery. (Because that’s what it was, truly.) But they also mourned. They were also, at times, conflicted. And they were intelligent, whole, 3D, relatable human beings.

– The laughs: Yes, it’s a superhero movie and black excellence and all that, I get it. I’m by no means downplaying that. But I’m talking about things like the relationship between T’Challa and his sister, Shuri. They may be fighting crime but there’s never too much happening that you can’t joke on big bro’s dusty sandals. Or can’t laugh at him because he still freezes when his ex enters the room (or, you know, the jungle). Or can’t give a side eye to big bro taking aforementioned ex on a mission.

– The dialogue: At first, I was going to say it’s about the one-liners. But it’s the dialogue in general. The depth, for me, surpassed that of all other Marvel movies. It was, in one word, incredible.

DON’T KILL ME Y’ALL but there were some things that weren’t so great for me, as an HSP. They are:

– Watching it in 3D: I actually did this by mistake. I was so excited to watch this film that I just bought the ticket without looking at whether the movie was in 3D or not. Luckily, it was a ticket for my second go-round, so I wasn’t too put off by it. But HSPs, beware: watching it in 3D, for me at least, was not good.
Also, I think watching most movies in 3D is unnecessary. The only exception I can think of is Up, which was freakin amazing in 3D.

– It’s an action-packed movie: I wish I had thought to use my Apple Watch the first go-round, to monitor my heart rate. Some scenes, however, are pretty graphic. Coupled with the emotionality of this movie – first movie of its genre to employ a mostly-black cast, the history behind it, the historical significance of the time period it was set for, etc – my heart rate skyrocketed. I also don’t like surprises, to put it mildly. Ironically, though, I do like action-packed movies. idk idk idk

Anyway, if you haven’t seen the movie, GO SEE IT. For the HSPs – trust me, it’s worth the spike in your heart rate, and though you may need to sit in a quiet room with all the lights out to process, you will return to your normal life unscathed.

What did you all think of the movie? Let me know in the comments below.