By Parker Dorsey

Staff Writer

March 3, 2018

 

The film Black Panther is a superhero movie that was released in North American theaters on Feb. 16, 2018. It has been receiving critical acclaim and has broken new ground for African American representation in mass media.

 

Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther is the first Marvel film with a predominately black cast.

 

"It is a triumph of a movie not only from the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also in terms of a cultural shift 2018 desperately needed. A lot of kids weren't able to grow up with these heroes as much as others were. They grew up watching Iron Man, Superman, Batman.

 

"Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Peter Parker, [are all] white males. So now we have an African American. What's it's doing in this country is giving little kids everywhere somebody to look up to on all genders," said Nicholas Filipek, the assistant opinion editor on The Beacon and host of Hollywood Hearsay on WCLH 90.7 FM.

 

Michael B. Jordan, who plays the villain Killmonger, is particularly well-liked by movie-goers.

 

"My favorite part of the movie was the villain. I thought he was incredibly acted. He was very compelling and very real. Most Marvel films have really blah villains sometimes, and I love this villain. You almost wanted to be on his side, and that's when you know you have a good villain," said Andreas Boosalis, an accounting major.

 

According to IMDb, Black Panther has grossed over $400 million in the United States alone and over $700 million worldwide, making it currently the highest-grossing film of 2018.

 

Andre Spruell, the opinion editor on The Beacon, said, "It lived up to the hype and even passed it. From the actors to the costumes, the storyline, even the use of comedy in it caught me off-guard. I really liked the fact the jokes that were used were modern so people could relate to it, and I thought it added a really nice touch to it."

 

Even those who have not seen the movie feel that Black Panther has a social impact.

 

"I'm really happy it came out as a movie. I see it getting involved in very political thoughts," said Neil Murphy, a neuoscience major.

 

Of course, not everyone has the same opinion. Although a minority, there is a group of people that feel Black Panther did not match the expectations that Marvel had set forth.

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Cody Colarusso, an environmental engineering major, said, "I'd say Doctor Strange was underrated as opposed to Black Panther being overrated. I'd switch those two in regards to hype and quality ... Doctor Strange, I mean he didn't just get his powers from drinking some fruit juice, he actually trained for it."

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Currently Black Panther is still being shown in theaters worldwide.

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