A Perspective on ‘Black Panther’ and James Brown Star Chadwick Boseman (RIP)

“Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history.” — Chadwick Boseman (Nov. 29, 1976 – Aug. 28, 2020)

I know it’s been asked countless times already, but hasn’t the year 2020 been something else? I’m putting it very modestly. The passing of Los Angeles Lakers great, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the other seven passengers who died in the helicopter crash. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Tony McDade. I definitely can’t fail to mention the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that continues to wreak havoc on the world. Now it’s Chadwick Boseman, who starred as King T’Challa in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther,” died at the age of 43 following a four-year battle with colon cancer.

In Case You Missed It, Marvel Has Blessed Us With A New ‘Black Panther’ Trailer

I can’t say this enough.  It’s a wonderful time to be either a comic book creative, a fan or a little of both.  Technology has caught up and continues to advance at a rapid pace.  The things you can do with cinematography and filmmaking nowadays is incredible.  You can literally create stunning, virtual worlds on the movie screen, where it’s only limits is the extent of the creator’s imagination.  That concept alone, brings us to the world of Wakanda, which is an Afrofuturist fantasy land.  By the looks of the trailer, Black Panther is shaping up to be Marvel’s most ambitious, breathtaking film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Watching it for the 100th time now, I’m still blown away by the action sequences, the costume designs and the music choices.  Have you noticed the cast?!  This could be the most talented (and beautiful) group of people pulled together for a Marvel film!  Besides acting standouts Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o, there’s The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira (fellow fighter Okoye), Angela Bassett (T’Challa’s mother, Ramonda), Michael B. Jordan (T’Challa’s Wakandan rival Erik Killmonger), Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya (T’Challa’s second-in-command, W’Kabi), recent Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown (the mysterious N’Jobu), Forest Whitaker (warrior Zuri), and Marvel returnees Martin Freeman (Everett K. Ross) and Andy Serkis (Ulysses Klaue/Klaw).

Marvel’s Final Trailer To ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Featuring Spider-Man!

So Marvel gave us the second trailer to ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and a first look at the newest variant of Spider-Man, the version that will connect to a solo Spider-Man film co-produced by Sony’s Amy Pascal and Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige. With Civil War being the biggest Marvel movie to date, the brand new trailer looks absolutely fantastic!  Black Panther in action is amazing and long overdue, the tension between Cap and Tony is intensely, self-evident and last but not least, we got Spider-Man swinging into the MCU!  But of course–as if with all superhero movies, you’re going to get a broad range of reactions from ordinary movie-goers, sacrificial geeks and die-hard fanboys.  To some, the suit looks like someone in the design department had a bit too much funny with the CGI effects.  While others instantly recognized and welcomed the Silver Age-inspired design.  As far as Spidey’s suit is concerned, I’m just hoping that it’s not the finished product.  I mean he does look a little weird… but hopefully, the suit will be a bit more polished by the time the movie rolls around this coming May.