BLACK PANTHER
Do the right thing in a thrilling but spiritually mixed superhero adventure.
Should You Watch It?
BLACK PANTHER delivers exciting superhero action, tremendous special effects, fabulous production designs, and well-done performances. Chadwick Boseman makes a compelling Black Panther, and the movie’s moral commitments are often worthwhile: doing the right thing, helping people in need, rejecting revenge, and pursuing repentance and reconciliation.
The cost is a mixed worldview. The heroes worship an Egyptian panther goddess, and the story includes ancestor consultation, witchcraft-like magical elements, and politically correct and revisionist historical claims. The violence is also strong and sometimes intense, even though the film has no sex or explicit nudity and less foul language than recent Marvel offerings.
Adults who can weigh those concerns may find real value here. For children and young teens, choose something else. The practical answer: see it only if you are a discerning adult prepared to discuss its content and beliefs.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISEST’Challa, also known as the Black Panther, must take his dead father’s place as king of Wakanda, a mysterious and technologically advanced African country hidden from the greedy outside world.
But the new king soon faces a threat from within his own royal family. A cousin he never knew he had has joined forces with Wakanda’s archenemy, a South African arms dealer. T’Challa must defend his throne and decide what his nation owes to the suffering world beyond its borders.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means BLACK PANTHER is a good but imperfect superhero film. Once the story gets moving, it offers compelling, exciting, crowd-pleasing action, including a nifty car chase. The special effects, production design, and costuming are tremendous, and the performances are well done. Chadwick Boseman makes the perfect Black Panther, supported by a talented cast.
The movie’s main weakness is its structure. The opening sequences slow the basic plot, and the story becomes complicated, unfocused, and talky, with too many characters. Even so, the film remains exciting and sometimes redemptive.
The Worldview
BLACK PANTHER presents a mixed worldview. On the positive side, it argues that Wakanda should not remain isolated but should share its technology with the world, especially to help those in need. It speaks against revenge, supports repentance and reconciliation, and includes allegorical references to death, baptism, and resurrection. Its moral center is the call to do the right thing.
The film’s spiritual framework is troubling. Wakandan heroes worship the Egyptian panther goddess, Bast. The story also includes ancestor worship and consultation, along with light magical occult elements. Although the ancestors are eventually shown to be wrong-headed and fallible, the film still presents their consultation as part of the spiritual life of Wakanda.
The film also includes feminist aspects, Romantic and politically correct elements, Afrocentric revisionist history that blames mostly European whites for colonialism and many of the world’s ills, and light Anti-American and Pro-American elements. These themes contribute to the film’s ideological mixture.
The film’s longing to do what is right and help the vulnerable points toward Scripture’s call: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Worldview promotes strong false religion in worship of and references to the Egyptian panther goddess, Bast (villain asks the title hero at one point, “Where is your god now?”), and includes some feminist aspects, overt ancestor worship/consultation (though ancestors are eventually shown to be wrong-headed and fallible), and some Romantic, politically correct, liberal elements and Afrocentric revisionist history blaming mostly European whites for colonialism, mistreatment and many of the world’s ills, and light magical occult elements but the magical elements are given a vague scientific explanation, mitigated by some Christian allegorical references and strong moral elements that include a savior who suffers a symbolic death, baptism and resurrection, there are calls to do the right thing, and revenge is overtly rebuked, plus light Anti-American and Pro-American elements
Foul Language
Nine obscenities (several “s” words and three “h” words, one of which is said by a boy when he sees a cool flying machine), no profanities and an obscene gesture
Violence
Lots of strong, sometimes intense action violence includes villain murders guards of an artifact he wants, two fights with spears and knives and fists to submission or to the death, people are stunned with electric shocks from weapons that act like a taser, gun battles, battles with special weapons shooting blue energy beams, aircraft are shot down, car chase with several cars being wrecked, one car is wrecked to the point that driver is left sitting on just a seat, man falls from a great height, people are stabbed, man’s prosthetic arm is torn off, female warriors join battle, two men fight on speeding monorail tracks, man is forced to kill his brother after brother tries to kill another man, etc.
Sex
No sex, but romantic couple finally kisses
Nudity
Upper male nudity and female warrior wears a female breastplate
Alcohol Use
Brief alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking, but man drinks elixir from a special flower grown in soil enriched by a large strange meteorite that has a metal compound with almost magical properties, including great tensile strength, so elixir can turn people into a superhero with super powers but elixir also has hallucinatory properties when first ingested by the characters;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Museum theft, revenge, resentment.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Wakanda eventually decides it must help people beyond its borders. What responsibilities do we have toward people in need?
Galatians 6:10 · James 2:14–17The film presents revenge as destructive and points toward repentance and reconciliation. What is the difference between getting even and seeking restoration?
Romans 12:19–21 · 2 Corinthians 5:18–19T’Challa’s nation has great power and technology. How should power be used, and what dangers come with using it for personal ambition?
Mark 10:42–45 · Philippians 2:3–4The film includes ancestor worship and a panther goddess. How does Scripture distinguish honoring those who came before us from worshiping anyone other than God?
Exodus 20:3–6 · Isaiah 44:6The Final Word
BLACK PANTHER is exciting, beautifully designed, well acted, and morally serious in several important ways. Its strong violence and spiritually mixed worldview make it unsuitable for children and young teens. Discerning adults may find worthwhile themes beneath the concerns. WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a cleaner family choice, see.
