The Contenders: BLACK PANTHER

One year ago this past weekend, BLACK PANTHER debuted in theatres. It seems like a lifetime ago, considering how deeply ingrained the film has become into the pop culture landscape.

About six months after that, I didn’t believe in this film’s chances. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it or believe in it, I just wasn’t sure about what was to come and how the film would ultimately fit into the mosaic of works that would mark the time. I also wasn’t entirely certain its story did enough to transcend – and that was my biggest mistake.

BLACK PANTHER is about more than its story; BLACK PANTHER is about setting itself apart from the rest of the genre.

One thing that sets BLACK PANTHER apart from the rest of its genre is the way it is singular. It does not require a viewer to have seen another movie (or four, or five, or more) to “get it”. It plays within a larger landscape, yes, but trusts itself enough to keep focus on its own piece of that landscape. What’s more, the film eschews the usual genre trope by not being an origin story. It saw how many others of its ilk feel the need to “go all the way back to the beginning”, and decided that audiences don’t always need to go back to page one for a compelling tale.

With that, BLACK PANTHER sets itself apart.

Many have turned their back on this film because of disgust with the genre. They spit the words “comic book movie” from their lips with a level of disgust I usually apply to brussel sprouts. I’d wager that much of the disdain isn’t levelled at the works themselves, but instead at the hype – which is admittedly high.

Still, if a serious filmgoer or an Academy voter doesn’t want to give films like BLACK PANTHER the time of day because of its genre, I have no time for their short-sightedness. I paraphrase a conversation in THE CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA and say that if the tragic and morally compromised family legacy this film lays out were woven into a historical epic by Merchant-Ivory, it would be hailed as genius. However, because it happens in a world where capes and costumes are a part of the plot, it is somehow “lesser”.

If this genre were not raking in the mad cash that it is, another genre would hold its place. Disaster movies, monster movies, musicals, cop dramas, sci-fi epics, and many others were all once the “comic book movies” of their day. Many selections in many of those categories are now hailed as modern classics – not classic monsters, musicals, sci-fi’s and what-have-you, but classics, full stop.

Already, the film’s Best Picture nomination marks something incredible. Last year’s Oscars were handed out on March 4th; BLACK PANTHER opened on February 16th. The list of films nominated for Best Picture that premiered before the prior year’s Oscar ceremony is short, and distinguished. The tale of Prince T’Challa is in a league with titles as notable as IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS as films to stay in the minds of Oscar voters for more than twelve months. If you’re unsure of how much studios trust The Academy’s memory, remind yourself that projects believed to be true contenders are usually held back until at least October.

With that, BLACK PANTHER sets itself apart.

Not only did the film stay in the consciousness of the voting body for more than a calendar year, but it did so as the product of a company notoriously bad at woo-ing said voting body. That same company wasn’t entirely sold on their own product – hence the February release date. Just as studios hold back contenders until at least October, they likewise hold back blockbusters until at least late April. January and February? No man’s land; a place to hedge the bet on a project they believed would be a tough sell.

As it turned out, BLACK PANTHER would be the furthest thing from a tough sell – instead it became a pop culture phenomenon, and the third-highest grossing film of all time.

Quite simply, it became far too big to ignore…and with that, BLACK PANTHER sets itself apart.