R.I.P. Chadwick Boseman

I may be late on this, but I needed some time to process this. For some reason, the death of Chadwick Boseman has hit me hard. Only Michael Jackson’s passing has left me with such an empty feeling, knowing that such a tremendous talent was taking so soon. I think the closeness of our ages is what has really hit me.

I first came across Chadwick Boseman in the movie “42”, where he played the legendary Jackie Robinson. It’s actually a pretty good movie. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. I think I read they were re-releasing it or showing it on one of the major networks soon.This would be the start of Boseman’s career portraying African-American legends, as he would go on and portray James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and Floyd Little, as well as the Egyptian god of knowledge, Thoth, in Gods of Egypt (the less said about that film, the better). However, for all the roles and acclaim Boseman achieved, he will perhaps be best known as the Marvel superhero T’Challa, the Black Panther

When Boseman took on the role of Black Panther, I’m sure he knew it was going to mean alot to people, but to become the cultural phenomenon that it became no one could have seen. He embraced all the characteristics of a kind, grace, poise, nobility, etc. As it turns out, he was doing this while fighting colon cancer.

It has been reported that Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer back in 2016. Only a select few knew about his diagnosis. He never wanted to make it about him. There was a video that went around about the time Black Panther was released where he is talking to or about cancer patients and he suddenly breaks down. At the time, people thought he was just wearing his heart on his sleeve but, in retrospect, we know that he was going through the same thing as those kids. Earlier this week, it was revealed that up until a couple of weeks ago, he thought he had the disease beat and could start bulking back up for Black Panther 2, which was/is set to start filming sometime between October and March (COVID-19 delay). Head of Marvel studios, Kevin Feige and director Ryan Coogler weren’t aware of his condition until Feige received an urgent e-mail a few hours before Boseman’s passing.

Yes, Boseman portrayed heroes and a superhero on the big screen, but to some he was one in real life. For those in the African-American community, he was groundbreaking in leading a major franchise (no offense to Blade). Little black boys could see themselves up on the big screen. Not to mention Boseman was a role model in real life, as well.

For me, there are 2 men that are superheroes on and off the big screen Boseman and Chris Evans. I say this because of the way they give and give of themselves, speaking up against injustice, giving back to the community, and not fitting into the typical Hollywood….bubble, I guess? I’m sure there is another word that fits what I am trying to say better. 

In conclusion, Boseman was a great talent who was taken too soon. Aside from his continued participation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were surely tons of other stories left for this man to tell. The outpouring of emotions and support for Chadwick show how much of an impact he made in a short amount of time. He will be sorely missed.

“In my culture, death is not the end. it’s more of a stepping off point. You reach out with both hands and Bast and Sekhmet, they lead you into a green veld where, you can run forever.” – Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War

Movie Review: Avengers: Endgame

PLOT: 

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’s actions and undo the chaos to the universe, no matter what consequences may be in store, and no matter who they face…

REVIEW:

What did I like?

Big payoff. 11 years. 22 movies. It has all been leading up to this epic confrontation between the Avengers and the Mad Titan, Thanos. Was it worth the wait? Some will say yes and some will say no. I am a member of team yes. While I would have liked a more direct confrontation with a Thanos that was more in line with the source material, I can’t complain with what we got. The stakes couldn’t have been any higher for this epic conclusion. Honestly, the MCU could end with this film and I don’t think anyone would complain.

Lighten up. With such high stakes, you would think this would be a very dark and serious film with little to no levity. In true Marvel fashion, there are plenty of moments that will make you chuckle and lighten the mood. Everything can’t be all gloom and doom, even in the face of utter destruction.

Tug on the heartstrings. I know that I am a little late with this review and the spoiler embargo and been lifted, but I still won’t put any in here, out of respect for those that have yet to watch this film, or may be reading this months or years from now and have forgotten what happened. With that said, if you are an emotional person, you might want to bring a box of tissues with you. The emotional arcs in this film regarding certain characters will surely move you. I have been referred to as a robot, due to my lack of emotion/compassion, but even I felt something for one of these characters’ storylines and how appropriately it was handled.

What didn’t I like?

Rules of time travel. There are numerous time travel myths out there. For me, I prefer the Back to the Future rules but, of course, this film took those rules and threw them out the window…Tony Stark even jokes about it with Ant-Man. It isn’t so much that this film uses different time travel rules, but more that it is a bit of a douche when mentioning the other universes that use time travel and making all the work that was put into developing said rules seem fruitless.

Girls, Girls, Girls. In the climactic battle, there is a scene where a character, who shall not be named, gather to protect them. This came out of nowhere, many of these women have had little to no interactions with each other. I know, I know…this was meant to be a reference to the A-Force from the comics, but it seemed more like a fan service moment and/or a cheap girl power attempt. No, I’m not being sexist. I just feel that if they were going to do this, at least give it some build up. There was no hint at this happening and all these women came from all over the battlefield to do this. It just felt forced.

Rescue me. In the comics, Pepper Potts is likable. In the MCU, she started out that way, but over the films, she became more of a nagging shrew. In Iron Man 3, she is given some temporary powers and outfitted in an exosuit to save the world. It was believed that was a one time thing, but lo and behold, here we see her in a suit that doesn’t even resemble her comic counterpart. On top of that, non-comic fans would be totally lost as to why she was wearing armor.

Final verdict:

Avengers: Endgame didn’t disappoint. Yes, there are some issues, like the hour or so that weighs down the middle half of the film, but overall this is a satisfying conclusion to this saga and I am looking forward to where the MCU goes in the future. I mentioned earlier that this would be a fitting end for the MCU. Not that I want it to, but how poetic would it be, with most of these characters having been created by Stan Lee to end with his death (this is his final cameo). That isn’t happening, though. Spider-Man: Far from Home is coming out this summer and following its release, we should know more about what the future holds. As far as this film goes, well, there is no reason to not see it multiple times. I also suggest watching Avengers: Infinity War beforehand to refresh your mind, though.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars