Tweet

With the movie “Black Panther” coming out, there is a debate going on about whether it is the best Marvel movie or even the best movie ever made. It is the third highest grossing film in the United States and the 10th highest grossing film worldwide, making it the most financially successful Marvel movie of all time. It has also received critical acclaim, currently sitting at a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, higher than any other Marvel movie.

Some people were asked what their thoughts were on the movie. Is it really the greatest Marvel movie or the greatest film ever made?

Billy Quinn, a college graduate and superhero fan, thought it was the best of the Marvel movies.

“Objectively, it’s the best. It’s different, and that’s an advantage. We haven’t seen something like this before. I’m glad they went for something a little different this time around,” Quinn said.

He said he liked that the movie didn’t go for just the conventional superhero movie formula and instead focused more on story and characters. He had gotten bored with them doing the same thing over and over again but was glad to see something a little more fresh.

“I don’t know about it being the greatest movie of all time. That’s highly debatable,” Quinn said.

Gabriel Tejeda-Benitez, an Iowa filmmaker, gave his thoughts on the Marvel movies and “Black Panther.”

“Marvel movies are never great by definition, so it’s really a juvenile effort to explain oneself that it’s a great Marvel movie,” Tejeda-Benitez said.

He talked about how the villain was more relatable in the movie and more human, and the audience understands why he’s motivated to do the things he does.

“The movie brings about a political and moral message about using one’s resources to help the world and not to keep it hidden away in fear that others will abuse the help,” Tejeda-Benitez said.

He does not think it’s the best movie ever, but possibly one of the best superhero movies.

“With that being said, it’s absolutely not, ever in a million years, going to be close to being described as the greatest movie ever,” he said. “Maybe, maybe as one of the best superhero movies, but honestly it’s just one of the better superhero movies.”

Both had differing opinions on how modern events affected the movie. Quinn seemed to think there were some politics behind it.

“With the rise of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and stuff, and the white supremacy rise, I would say that movies like this might be kind of a reaction to stuff like that,” Quinn said.

Quinn said movies tend to reflect the time periods that they are made in and what people were interested in at the time of the movie.

“What people want to see has changed over the years,” Quinn said. “People are talking about it, and it’s kind of a big deal. Maybe the movie reflects that. You look at a lot of songs in the ’60s that were about the Vietnam War. It just happens. Entertainment ends up being sort of a societal mirror.”

Tejeda-Benitez said he did not think that modern politics affected it. Pointing out that the film was in pre-production before Donald Trump’s 2017 presidency.

Killmonger, the main villain of the film, has goals of stopping the oppression of African people all over the world by violently overthrowing the leader of Wakanda.

“The reason for Killmonger’s actions, there are lines of dialogue seemingly directed at the president — like a quote about building bridges instead of barriers is particularly relevant,” Tejeda-Benitez said. “But the movie wasn’t supposed to be a political movie either. The movie was about T’Challa/Black Panther growing up and becoming more than a warrior and king, using his resources and wealth for the good of the world, not just Wakanda.”

He also talked about the representation of black people in movies. More specifically examples of black superheroes. As he mentions, Black Panther was not the first to do this. “Does anybody really not remember ‘Blade?’ I understand he kills vampires, but he’s a good guy and he’s badass” Benitez said.

Tejeda-Benitez said “Up, Up and Away” is a Disney movie that came out in 2000, and the majority of the cast was black. He said the family was represented very well along with being respectful, smart and part of a well-off community.

One of the questions about “Black Panther” was if it was the African culture that made the movie the best Marvel film. Some said that this made it better than some of the other Marvel movies. Tejeda-Benitez offered a different point of view.

“African culture accuracy isn’t the reason that the movie ‘Black Panther’ is a good movie,” said Tejeda-Benitez, adding that being a Mexican-American immigrant made him appreciate the movie more. “African culture awareness and not being appropriated is among the reasons that makes the movie ‘Black Panther’ a good movie. I didn’t know how beautiful and wonderful African culture is. I was delighted to see and hear how African culture was portrayed in this movie. I mention being Mexican-American because I felt proud. Proud to see African Culture on the big screen in this manner.”

Looking on social media, specifically Twitter, when “Black Panther” was first coming out, many people considered it to be the best Marvel movie. There were some tweet reactions such as, “’Black Panther’ is the best Marvel Cinematic Universe movie ever. I was blown away from start to finish and I’m not even being biased. This was by far the best marvel movie to date. Thank you, Ryan Coogler.”

This was a tweet by @geeksofcolor, a community of geeks that strive to be a leading voice in the fight for diversity and inclusion in all aspects of entertainment. Tweets like this, along with reactions among the black community, show that the African culture within “Black Panther” was accurate and something that people enjoyed. What did black people around Des Moines think?

Wayne Black said that while the “Black Panther” movie was amazing and a wonderful addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he does not believe that it is the greatest Marvel film. Black said he loved the story because of its faithfulness to the original “Black Panther” comics, with a tragic and relatable villain. However, it was not his favorite Marvel film.

“I’m not really sure I can answer this question because of my lack of knowledge of African culture, plus the fact that Wakanda is a fictional country. African traditions and culture can vary through tribes and settlements though, so it makes it harder to answer this question. But does that hinder it from being a great film? No, of course not,” Black said. 

Hunter Hansen said he does not consider “Black Panther” the greatest Marvel movie but definitely places it in the top three. He does think that the cultural accuracy helped a lot in how the movie was received, especially since it gave a look at how an African nation would look if it wasn’t colonized.

“Plus the outfits stayed very true to how they are in real life, with all the vibrant colors and loose-fitting due to the climate,” Hansen said. “I think the events going on now, such as the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and the fact that more people of color are being recognized for their accomplishments contribute to the popularity of the movie. I wouldn’t say it’s the best of all time, but I also don’t know what the best would be just because there’s so many out there, and I’ve only seen a small fraction of them.

Among average viewers, filmmakers and the black community, it seems that the hype that “Black Panther” generated at the beginning has died down and that most do not consider the film to be the best. Nevertheless, there are still people who believe that it’s the best movie ever, and with “Black Panther” recently beating “Titanic” records in American box offices, it certainly has left an impact on the film world.