Black Panther has been a consistent leader at the box office for weeks now and is one of the highest grossing films of all time; however, the chatter about the film has not only been about the quality of the film or its astounding success at the box office.
While it is exciting that this film has been gaining so much positive recognition from viewers and critics, some have left the theatre disappointed that the film did not live up to their expectations or the hype that accompanied viewer reviews.
To preface, I have seen this film, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am no Marvel expert, so maybe this was a contributing factor to my overall approval.
I liked the film. I don't get upset that others didn't like the film—that's totally normal. Many people were upset with the film, and that's totally fine too.
When I get upset is when people blame their disappointment on the idea that the film was overhyped due to the unique characteristic that the film's cast is composed primarily of black people.
Do you realize how silly and ridiculous that argument sounds? Plenty of films are over-hyped and received poorly by audiences, but those films aren't disappointing due to the fact that the cast was primarily white; that's not even a factor that is even considered.
What if the Black Panther was white? A White Panther. The film would be the same film, and if you are truly disappointed in the film due to the excessive hype, you would still experience the same type of disappointment after seeing Black Panther with a white star/cast, but would we react the same way?
I'm not trying to argue the ever-evolving societal norms but instead, address the actual issue as I see it. My point isn't to draw attention to or accuse the white race of being a 'superior' or 'entitled' group of humans; I'm just simply trying to express that the idea that the race of the cast is poor justification for experiencing disappointment in the film.
So let's all agree to stop using the film's primarily black cast as a reason for the film not being good. If you were not a fan of the film, that's totally fine, but don't be salty that other people liked it and shared their excitement for it.
