I went into the theater trying to tamp down my expectations. This movies couldn’t possibly live up to the hype. In three minutes I was electrified. Because, while The Black Panther more than lives up to the hype (this is a fantastic movie) what I wasn’t prepared for was the continuous celebration of strong women.
Black Panther is a hundred times more feminist than Wonder Woman. The movie takes us to a land where women are generals, spies, queens and masters of technology. Where women have a voice in government. And the movie reflects these values in spades.
I could watch the moment General Okoye throws her wig a hundred times more. It’s fun, funny, and visually interesting. But it’s also a show of power and a rejection of western standards of beauty, and through that rejection a celebration of real beauty and power.
General Okoye, Nakia, Ramonda, Shuri, these women are so beautiful they are almost hard to look at, but they are not defined by their beauty. Shuri is not a beautiful princess, she is a genius, an innovator, a jokester, thrill seeker. She is also a full participant in the story.
Where other superhero movies discard their few female characters as the show goes on The Black Panther celebrates them.
Can we learn from the overwhelming popularity of this film? I hope so. Wakanda forever.