When Marvel Comics Said Something About The Condition Of The World Today-About The Desperate Search For Some Rough Justice In This Wicked Old World-Marvel Studio’s “Black Panther” (2018)-A Film Review

Link to a NPR Christopher Lydon Open Source show on the on the social significance of the massive blockbuster Marvel Comics Studio creation Black Panther:

http://radioopensource.org/the-world-of-wakanda/

DVD Review

By Leslie Dumont    

Black Panther, starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and a host of black actors who have made their respective marks in Hollywood, directed by Ryan Coogler, 2018

Hey, I wasn’t trying to rain on anybody’s parade when I mentioned at a staff meeting that I did not think that the latest creation out of Marvel Comics Studio the financial blockbuster Black Panther was that interesting a story line given the hype created around the production and the astronomical box office numbers. I wasn’t even attempting to deal with the significance the film might have as the work of an almost totally black cast, black director and set in the virginal non-colonial land of Wakanda which had the added bonus of producing AND keeping its own vital raw resources, or resource is probably a better way to put it. All I knew was that for an over two hour film, seemingly all these Marvel productions need to be over two hours or are not worth the effort despite the hard fact, which is true here as well, that except for the advanced cinematic action technology on display they all could have used a bit more cutting in the editorial offices.    

Maybe it is because I was never, ever a devotee of comic books or of films based on them, not even Superman if you can believe that, that I was somewhat cavalier with my comments. Nevertheless, for my blasphemy I was made to walk the plank. Bart Webber who revels in all things comic book and who has over the years done a stellar job of reviewing these Marvel cinematic productions was originally assigned by site manager Greg Green to do this review. But between my frankly merely off-hand comments and Greg’s having listened to a Christopher Lydon NPR Open Source hour on The World Of Wakanda where the old man had every academic he could squeeze in give their views of the world-historic significance of the first serious black comic superhero my number came up.

Since I have already alluded to the story-line weakness, which I do not think overcomes whatever black self-identity and self-worth it may impart on the audiences that watched the film, I will just run with that and let you check out the over-arching social and academic views by checking out the Open Source link above. Meaning I will take my own counsel on letting those factors get decided by time and history about who was right or wrong on the world-historic nature of a certain comic book character. You already know this is about a mystical African land named Wakanda which European imperialism was not able to exploit over the centuries it was in the killing fields of Africa trying to satiate its overweening greed.  No mean task to have done, no question, but which by keeping quiet and keeping it valuable resource hidden from global view was able to prosper.

The minute you say that though you know the dramatic tension is going to be between those who want to get at the “gold” and those who want to keep the damn thing for their own internal use. That drama gets played out big time after the current Wakanda head of state got blown away and caused what amounted to a succession crisis between the legitimate son who wanted to keep to the old ways and the adopted son who wanted to use the Wakanda resources to bring down the neo-imperialism which was retarding post-colonial societal development. And by the way enrich and empower his own ambitions.

Naturally, real or fiction such tensions get a serious workout with first the legitimate son T’Challa (aka Black Panther) gaining the throne through the traditional rites of passage and then the pretender, the “bad guy” N’Jakada, (aka Killmonger) stepping up and asserting his rights also through combat and a preliminary victory. Sounds familiar even if two black guys are running the game this time. Just as naturally after a little time under N’ Jakada and his Pan-African dreams the Wakandans back T’Challa after the requisite number of mock battles and mortal combat between the pair. If I seem to have condensed the storyline too much well I have just done so to show that this is really something that guys could go crazy about, black or white. World-historic it is not and Greg Green and Christopher Lydon’s gushings are not going to change my mind on this one. The only virtue here is if Greg publishes this review he will think twice about not letting Bart Webber go through his paces and drag the story line out like he was being paid by the word.