Day 47 of the challenge! Wakanda Forever!! I was so excited to get to my first MCU movie in this challenge, and Black Panther delivers on so many fronts! While it follows a lot of the usual Marvel formula (more on that below), Ryan Coogler directed a truly unique superhero movie that will no doubt be talked about for ages. Like I said yesterday, the world needs more Ryan Cooglers.
As mentioned, Black Panther follows the usual MCU formula for their superheroes' first outings: Our hero rises to the occasion and is forced to prove themselves after a mistake from their father's or mentor's past comes back to haunt them in the form of an "evil" version of themselves. Pretty basic as far as that goes, but it's never been as rich as it is here.
Black Panther celebrates African culture without making it an overt focus; It just normalizes it. Ryan Coogler made a "black experience" film that swaps out the usual gangs and inner city setting for an African technological utopia full of some of the smartest people on the planet, including a slew of incredibly strong female characters that are defined by their personalities and skills, not their relationship to a man. In short, Black Panther is a landmark film that comes at a crucial time in American history. Once more, we need more Ryan Cooglers, and we need more Black Panthers.
Day 47 out, 321 to go....