Can my child see BLACK PANTHER?

Sally and her husband Chris live in Rogers, MN and have been married for 18 years. They have 2 daughters, ages 14 and 11, both going on 30. They both work day jobs, but in their free time, run an e-commerce store on Amazon (www.mariermercantile.com if you want to check it out). They also enjoy movies and anything Disney! Sally is also starting a blog, coming soon!

My husband and I are avid Marvel fans so when we had the opportunity to screen the film for Bert, we jumped at the chance. We think this is going to be a kid-by-kid decision. Certainly most kids over the age of 9 or 10 will be able to handle the movie’s action scenes and understand the plot, however, there may be kids who are troubled by some of the blood and more “personal” fighting in the movie. There is more realistic fighting and violence than your typical Marvel movie, but it isn’t extraneous to the plot. Overall, parents should ask themselves what movies their kids have already seen and had no issues with before deciding for sure. We plan to bring our 11 year old daughter without any qualms.

Language

Minimal; one rude gesture, and a couple uses of the SH** word.

Violence and Gore

This is an action movie. There are many scenes that showed fighting, and there was some slashing and stabbing with knives that showed blood for a very brief moment. There are many types of weapons and some hand to hand fighting. There are prolonged sequences of action violence which is kind of par for the course for Marvel and largely why the film was bumped to PG-13.

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER..L to R: T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2018

Monsters and Aliens

There are only humans, and some large animals used in combat. Some of the humans may be a bit scary with their costumes to a younger audience. Overall, this is a non-issue category for this movie.

Adult Themes

There is the existence of a romance in the movie, but the movie was way too serious to be bothered with any details and I didn’t miss it at all. There are only one or two kisses in the film; no love story. The audience is aware of it in the background of the story but only to the extent that it supports the plot.

Another adult theme that is not related to romance, but may be worth mentioning, is the role that tribal religion plays in the movie. They do pray to the panther god Bast and their ancestors and there is a scene with Astral Projection, it supports the “powers” that the Black Panther possesses.

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER..Black Panther/T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2018

Overall Thoughts:

WE LOVED THIS MOVIE! GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Bottom line: if you like superhero movies, hire a sitter and go see it soon! As superhero movies go, this one may well be a new high water mark. My husband, who is extremely well educated in comics, ‘nerd-splained’ to me: Marvel Studios stayed pretty true to T’Challa’s (Black Panther) character in the comic book series. He is serious; not a jokester like Spiderman or Deadpool. While the movie offered moments of humor, it was not directly from his character.

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER; T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). Photo: Matt Kennedy, ©Marvel Studios 2018

Overall, the movie is very well made. The battle scenes and plot are well balanced, which allowed the characters to be well-developed and complex. The ideas in the movie are fresh and innovative, especially the technology and I found myself wishing they were reality in many cases! Some really cool techy stuff! And the casting was well done — a lot of great talent in this movie.

Also, the villain’s motivation and back story were really well done. My husband and I both agree that even if you disagreed with his actions, it’s pretty hard to disagree with his motives.

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER..L to R: Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2018

This is an extremely important film for this time. Putting a serious, and seriously triumphant African superhero on the big screen provides a connection for so many kids and young adults across the country. To be honest, the women in the film, both the characters and the women who play them, steal the show. Hands down, they could have held the film all on their own. They are resilient, intelligent, and incredible leaders. I think the phrase that came to mind with this movie is: “It’s about dang time!”

Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER..L to R: Ayo (Florence Kasumba) and Okoye (Danai Gurira)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2018

We will be going again, and taking our 14 yo and 11 yo daughters, and we look forward to the discussion I know we’ll have afterwards.

For special interviews and insight on the film use the hashtag #BlackPantherEvent to access articles written by Disney’s top bloggers who were invited to the press junket and red (purple) carpet premiere.

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BLACK PANTHER is now playing in theatres everywhere!

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Can my child see BLACK PANTHER?