owlmoose | Black Panther!

I was on vacation last weekend, but that didn't stop me from seeing Black Panther -- there was a movie theater mere steps from our hotel, so we went on Saturday morning -- only from squeeing about it here. And there is much squeeing to be done! So much. But I feel like the world doesn't need my own personal thoughts on it just yet. Instead, I'll share the thoughts of others, primarily black writers because those are the voices we need to amplify in these times. Always, really, but especially when the topic is black representation, specifically African and African-American representation.

Here be spoilers!

This review from Black Nerd Problems is entitled Black Women are the Backbone of Wakanda, and I cannot agree more. The review covers a lot more ground than the film's feminism, though, and if you're looking for a one-stop shop for the major themes of the film, it's an excellent choice.

Black Panther and the Invention of "Africa": Jelani Cobb's article is less a review and more a deeply personal meditation on Wakanda, African-ness, and Ryan Coogler's take on African-American history. My one-sentence description is not doing it justice. This was recommended an awful lot on my Twitter feed, and everyone was right.

Over at Buzzfeed, Kovie Biakolo takes it a step further to talk about the African diaspora in general.

On The Root, Briana Lawrence discusses the lack of queer representation in the movie, a issue of disappointment for some people when word got out that an early edit of the film included some overt flirtation between Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje, and one of her lieutenants, Aya. Lawrence talks about why she was personally okay with the decision to cut the scene -- largely because it was an ambiguous throwaway, especially in comparison to the full-on romance between T'Challa and Nakia -- but acknowledges the breadth of opinions on the topic.

Here's a really great Twitter thread from sclawr on Killmonger and why his treatment of women shows why he is only flipping the script on white imperialism to take its power for himself, rather than subverting the paradigm entirely. I've been seeing a lot of "Killmonger was right" commentary, and I certainly understand where it comes from, but I like this take even better.

Kendra James at Shondaland spends some time on the technical aspects of the film -- the sets, costumes, lighting, and soundtrack, as well as the stellar acting all around. Correct on all counts. One legacy of racism is the difficulty of shooting and lighting dark skin, and Coogler's team pulls it off perfectly.

For a good, emotional take on the importance of heroic representation for black kids, read this spoiler-free review from GQ. The author focuses on one particular character: Shuri, and how awesome it is that Wakanda's technical expert is a young black women. For more on Shuri as best new Disney princess, see this piece on Very Smart Brothas.

Here's a thorough thread on the different African cultures that inspired the costumes, makeup, hairstyles, and music of the movie.

This is a fantastic interview with Winston Duke, who plays M'Baku.

Finally (for now; I'm sure I'll find more things to share later), I got a number of these links from this Twitter thread by loudlysilent -- head over there if you need more!