MovieChat Forums > Black Panther (2018) Discussion > Weighing in on the Oscar nom...

Weighing in on the Oscar nom...

posted 5 years ago by [deleted]
13 replies | jump to latest

When this came out, the entertainment industry had an orgasm raving about this movie. A black superhero! Strong female characters!

I went to see it... thought, "Meh." I didn't think it was among the best comic book movie from either studio... middle of the pack at best. Except for Michael B Jordan's performance, most of the movie was pretty bland. In fact, I thought it was vaguely racist in a backhanded way.

For example, Wakanda is this advanced society, but they wage war with armoured rhinos(!), and the women are running around with spears. High-tech, sure, but, c'mon... THEY ARE STILL SPEARS. The neighbouring tribes are still running around in animal skins in the early 21st century.

So now it has been nominated for Best Pic and I'm curious what the reaction is from the black community. I'm white (mostly) but, I think if I were black I'd be rolling my eyes. This move by the Academy strikes me as pretty patronizing. It's another example of Hollywood demonstrating how 'forward-looking' they are by voting for the lowest-hanging fruit.

In my mind I picture some white people patting themselves on the back for their woke attitude by voting for a movie that is equal parts cliche and wish fulfillment. Instead of a movie where the main characters are pimps/drug dealers, they are instead portrayed as noble savages. Ugh.

I think small screen Luke Cage is a better story/hero than Black Panther, not least because the producers/writers didn't make a big deal of his race. He was just this GUY who happened to be super-powered and wanted to do right by it. And the performances by Alfre Woodward and Theo Rossi blow anything I saw in Black Panther out of the water.

[–] DracTarashV2 (4475) 5 years ago

Well, certainly no one is giving each other pats on the back right now like all of Black Panther’s critics (ain’t that right, my dudes? Those ranting posts just won’t stop). You said what every other strong detractor of this movie has been saying since the beginning, and there’s absolutely no use any more defending this movie against those that believe Black Panther received all these accolades for superficial and political reasons.

But that said, if Hollywood is “trying” to appear forward thinking (“PC!” screams the proud backwards-thinking crowd) by recognizing a widely acclaimed genre film that people like you feel is not only unworthy but not even good - and yet the majority of audiences don’t share your views - then it’s a good start. All the naysayers can do, particularly those that couldn’t care less about Hollywood and their award shows and pretend they suddenly care now that BP was nominated, is continue to rant and be their hypocritical selves.

Also pointless comparisons aside, apart from Alfre Woodward and Mahershala Ali (look at me praising another Marvel property with a predominantly black cast so it all seems fair), no one in Luke Cage shined like the cast of Black Panther. LOL at Theo! Luke’s Mike Colter himself didn’t own the role like he should have, whereas Chadwick Boseman perfectly nailed the role of T’Challa. He delivered a far more charming and yet understated performance in Black Panther.

All this outrage... zzzz.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Gah... totally forgot Mahershala Ali's great performance in S1! He was the reason that I sought out Moonlight and will seek out Green Book. As for Theo Rossi, he really came into his own during the 2nd season thanks to some great writing.

Okay, before I reply, give me some context... are you African-American? If you are and you didn't find the nomination condescending, then I guess you've answered my original question and I'm good with it. But, if you're white, then I would consider your reply with a big measure of salt.

I'm hardly outraged... it was an okay movie, about on a par with Iron Man 3, or the Incredible Hulk in my mind. I was more impressed with Killmonger who I found had more nuance and benefited from the charisma of Michael B. Jordan. I'm with Honest Trailers when it comes to Boseman's T-Challa. He's just there, and his character, as written, is pretty weak at justifying his initial attitudes re: helping his fellow oppressed black brethren. The writers, Boseman or both to blame? I leave that to someone else.

The cinematic MCU has War Machine and Falcon. Nobody made a fuss one way or the other when they appeared, probably because their skin colour was irrelevant. But, suddenly this movie gets made where race is a central issue and people are tripping to get in line to praise it. And it is based on stereotypes, disguised under a whole lot of sugar. If you're black and it didn't seem so to you, then I withdraw my case.

I would have been impressed had they made a Luke Cage movie and made his race an issue. (Leaving aside which actor would play him...) His background and scenario would have been more relevant to the current situation in America... instead Black Panther takes a pass in favour of some fantasy on the far side of the Atlantic.

My pair of pennies..

[–] tph890 (484) 5 years ago

I think Black Panther is a fun, well made superhero flick. Definitely overhyped, but not terrible.
Best Picture quality? Nope.
The Oscars are and have always been a political farce.

[–] gsmith9072 (454) 5 years ago

I think it's important to stand up to this ridiculously toxic racism. Black people should NOT want to be pandered to.

[–] FilmBuff (6691) 5 years ago

It feels a little fake or forced to me. Black Panther is a good superhero movie, but not Marvel's best effort, and it doesn't deserve to be nominated for best picture simply on merit. The nomination certainly seems to be in large part due to issues of race, and that, to me anyway, isn't the right reason to nominate a film.

I think a very strong case can be made for Michael B. Jordan as a candidate for best supporting actor, and perhaps even the award, and he was not nominated. That strikes me as an oversight, as does a lack of a nomination for Josh Brolin's performance in Infinity War.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Jordan's character was the one that stood out most in my mind too.

As for Thanos... that's worthy of its own discussion so I just started a thread on the Avengers: IW board if you're interested.

[–] maul (1533) 5 years ago

Great post.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I can't think of any superhero movie that I would consider Oscar-worthy, although I've enjoyed a lot of them.

In my particular list of superhero movies, off the top of my head, my personal top three would be The Dark Knight, Winter Soldier and Spider-Man 2 (the Toby McGuire one, though he's not my favourite Spider-Man). Of those, only The Dark Knight comes closest to being Oscar worthy to my mind.

Some journalists have suggested Into the Spider-Verse should have been nominated for Best Pic, not just Best Animated Pic.

[–] horrorfan000 (2071) 5 years ago

Awards show affirmative action.Not trying to demean the movie.it was very enjoyable.But it was not any better than most other MCU movies.Hell i liked Netfix's Daredevil more than this.It deserves some accolades but an Oscar nom for best picture seems ridiculous.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

What's amusing to me is how some folks -- mostly white folks AFAIK -- jump all over anyone who suggests that just maybe this film wasn't THAT good that it deserves an Oscar nod. We're labelled as haters, and directly, or indirectly, they suggest that we're racist for taking our position.

The irony is that these people feel entitled to speak for the black community which is itself a patronizing and racist attitude. History is full of examples of white people assuming they know what's best for people of colour.

This is why I'm hoping to hear more the black community itself... do they feel this nod is condescending bread crumb being thrown their way so that white Hollywood can feel good about itself? Or do they feel it's a well-deserved and 'about time' moment?

I'm genuinely curious to know.

[–] gsmith9072 (454) 5 years ago

I'd like to know too. I'm black but I'm weird and don't think like most of them. I think this pandering is a joke and an embarrassment, but they might not. I've noticed lately they are enjoying being victims because it makes all their successes (and failures) seem even better. You get to blame white people for everything. You get to make them afraid to offend you in any way.

[–] exatera (3942) 5 years ago

I think if I were black I'd be rolling my eyes.

I agree with you. If I were black, I'd be offended by the obvious condescension. This is a handout.

[–] spurtle467 (1498) 5 years ago

Definitely a political nomination.

You can even take the quality factor out of the equation, and say regardless of how good it is, the superhero genre never lands BP nominations, the same with horror movies. It's generally accepted that the Oscars ignore them. But suddenly this one, which I agree with you is hardly top of the pile for superhero movies anyway, and well reflected by the IMDB score of 7.4 IMO, gets one.

I imagine that there would be some among the black community happy about its inclusion since this is what some of their public figures wanted with the #OscarsSoWhite thing; to be given more recognition. The Academy, not wishing to cause a repeat of that, have duly obliged, and sadly may continue for the foreseeable future.