It has been two long years since the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, and our hearts haven’t been the same since. After the loss, the directors did not decide to just leave us hanging. They curated an emotional, culture rich, and nostalgic movie that many are impressed with. The Blue and White had a chance to interview students here at Apopka High School and see how they feel about the movie and discuss some of its interesting elements.

One of the biggest parts of the movie included Shuri becoming the new Black Panther. We asked Luis Mane, a senior at Apopka, how he felt about it. He replied,“I think Shuri as the Black Panther was a good idea for Marvel, because it shows woman empowerment and that she is able to do other things than make the technology for Wakanda.” It definitely showed her other side and skill on another level. However, Clarissa Harris, another senior here at Apopka said, “I think Shuri as the Black Panther was a little rushed, because we didn’t get the full experience of her actually thinking about becoming it. It was more of an “oh I want to be Black Panther,” and then when she saw Killmonger in the ancestral Plane and you see that she kind of can relate to him.” For those who don’t know, Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan, made an appearance in this movie. He told Shuri that he and she actually had a lot in common, and that shook her up a little.
Shuri suited up to fight the newly introduced villain, Namor, the ruler of the Kingdom of Talokan. Now, Namor had a complicated upbringing. He was first born after his mother and her tribe had drank the vibranium-infused herb, giving him a special gene of being half-human and half-Atlantean. This gives him the power to leave the water as he pleases. Maveen Smith, a junior here at Apopka, says, “I like him, he has great character development. Though he is also kind of dramatic and a huge trouble-maker.” This is true.

We asked if Namor should have involved Wakanda in his issues with the rest of the world. See, Namor wanted to protect his tribe from the rest of the world, and also get back at the world for taking his mother away, even though it was in the past. He felt he needed to avenge his ancestors. Clarissa says, “No, he was only worried that the people would get to the vibranium in the water, so he wanted an alliance to take over the world. I think he could’ve taken on the people by himself; he doesn’t need Wakanda.”  This is true as well, for when the big fight broke out, his army almost took out all of Wakandas defenses. 

Wakanda had a reason to oppose Namour and his tribe, since Namor ended up killing Shuri’s mother by drowning her with a water bomb. Shuri was enraged, and that influenced her decision to become the Black Panther. Clarissa stated, “Shuri became Black Panther for the right reason and for the wrong reason. She was trying to get revenge on Namor for killing her mom because that was the only family she had left, after her brother, T’challa, had died. But, she also became Black Panther because she was trying to protect her country and do right by her family.” 

The Blue and White asked if the students believed that this movie did Chadwick Boseman justice. Luis said, “I think they did. There were beautiful moments, especially the one flashback they had at the end as Shuri was burning her funeral clothes.” Additionally, Clarissa and Maveen said that the funeral they conducted at the beginning of the movie was beautiful and respectful to him and his family. Finally, we asked what they would rate the movie. Maveen said he would rate it a 9 because he “loved the movie, but I feel like the fight scene could have been way longer and I feel like it was a little rushed.” Clarissa rated it a 10 due to her loving, “the story and how the intertwined Killmonger in it. Also how they added it at the end of the movie, showing that T’challa has a son with Nakia and it‘s a beautiful moment.” Lastly, Luis rated it an 8 because he wished he included a little more backstory. I personally would rate the movie a 9, as well; it was amazing and it had the emotion but also the action. 

The Blue and White would definitely recommend going to see this movie.