March 19, 2019
By Angelena Barcia
Staff Writer
The popular superhero movie “Black Panther” earned three Academy Awards in the categories of best production design, costume design and original score at the 2019 Oscars on Feb. 24. While the movie, which was nominated for Best Picture, did not receive that top award, it made history as the first Marvel superhero movie nominated in that category.
Back in 2018, “Black Panther”—which tells the story of a son who returns home to take his place as king—generated over $1.3 billion globally and earned $700 million at the domestic box office, making it the third-highest grossing film of all time in the United States.
The last time a superhero movie was nominated for an Academy Award was DC Comics’ “The Dark Knight” in 2009, which lost to the drama “Slumdog Millionaire.”
In 2015, controversy erupted when all of the nominees in the acting categories at the Oscars were white performers, and no female writers or directors were included, according to Variety. This is when #OscarSoWhite was born. In 2016, for a second year in a row, only white actors were nominated. In contrast, this year, three out of the four top acting awards were won by non-white actors, and three out of the eight nominees for best picture—”BlacKkKlansman,”“Black Panther” and “Green Book”—included black actors in starring roles. In the end, “Green Book,” which is about a world-class African American pianist who goes on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962, took home the Best Picture Award.
Fans say “Black Panther” has highlighted African American talent and raised awareness about the importance of diversity in American film.
Junior Luis Harris, who has watched the movie five times, said one of the main reasons “Black Panther” is such a success is because it has an entirely black cast. He said audiences want to see diversity in popular films because this helps them stand out.
“Times are changing, and we are seeing more equality, and it’s about the work and talent, not race,” Harris said. “It doesn’t matter what skin tone you are, the world is becoming more equal and noticing other cultures.”
Harris described “Black Panther” as unique, uniting and worthy of praise.
“The movie has an amazing storyline, a great plot twist and [is] hilarious,” Harris said. “I didn’t watch the movie five times for no reason.”
Junior Gabriella Bruno, who is a fan of most Marvel films, said she likes “Black Panther” because of its amazing plot, well-developed characters and good special effects. She said her favorite character is Shuri, who is the Black Panther’s sister. She said it is cool to see a female in such a position of power, and she enjoyed Shuri’s humor.
Bruno said superhero films like “Black Panther” have a hard time at the Oscars because many people consider them to be childish.
“People usually view superhero movies as something [for] little kids to enjoy,” Bruno said. “They don’t realize some of these movies actually have a great story.”
Junior Gianna Cervino said “Black Panther” is different from other Marvel superhero movies because African Americans are the centerpiece of the film. She said the topics of family and culture made the movie unlike any other superhero film. Also, she said the casting for “Black Panther” couldn’t have been more perfect.
“They broke the barrier of Marvel superhero movies not winning or [getting] nominated,” Cervino said. “This movie has changed the lives of many including the cast, the viewers, African Americans, families and children.”
Cervino said “Black Panther” deserved its Oscar nominations.
“It is no shock to me that ‘Black Panther’ has changed Marvel superhero movies,” said Cervino.
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