Welcome to “Is It Worth the High?”, where our writers see newly released movies, listen to the latest album drops, and try other experiences while high to determine whether they’re worth your time, money, and most importantly, your cannabis buzz. This week, Dante Jordan sparked one up for the people of Wakanda and assessed whether Black Panther, the latest entry to Marvel’s seemingly endless cinematic superhero universe, lives up to its hype.
Products Enjoyed: A 1-gram blunt of Platinum GSC
High Experienced (1-10): Started at 10, ended on Wakanda
Black Panther may be the most anticipated movie of all time. It’s at the point where it’s more than a movie, it’s a cultural moment. So of course I had to hit the theater for the earliest possible showing to answer life’s most burning question: is Black Panther worth the high?
This movie was everything it was hyped up to be and more. It was so great that I left the theater feeling honored that director Ryan Coogler would create such a perfect film for my high-ass enjoyment. I was legitimately fighting back tears afterwards, and I couldn’t tell if it was because I was so happy and proud of the finished product or if it was because I was so high that I could no longer feel my arms.
Watching Black Panther will make you feel all kinds of emotions. It’s like being in a boxing match with an opponent that will not let up—the first 10 minutes punch you in the face to wake you up, and from then on it’s just rib shot-gut check-right hook-left hook-super knockout punch. This is a great movie to get high and go watch, because out of the 2 hours and 15 minutes of run time, there was not a single second, scene, word, or action wasted, so it keeps your eyes and mind active from start to finish (which is great for when you’re super stoned in a dark room, else you might catch a surprise nap).
Coogler had a clear vision of making the Blackest movie ever, and he 100% pulled it off in such a globally-appealing way that will undoubtedly shake up how Hollywood is doing things. The way he honored Black women as some of the most powerful warriors on the planet? How he made African culture a centerpiece of everything this film is, creating a space for more films just like it? The way he used Black struggle as a vessel towards Black excellence? *chef’s kiss*
In drifting from the conventional methods of Hollywood, Coogler ensured that Black Panther was more than a movie, it’s a lesson; a blueprint even. It’s the first superhero movie to place more emphasis on the message than the entertainment. Though it’s action-packed, the thing that lingers on your mind long after it’s over is how messed up the world is: the poverty; the wealth distribution; the lack of resources for downtrodden communities; the changes that we should all want to see in the world moving forward.
Furthermore, the acting so phenomenal that it makes you excited to see any-and-everything the talented cast may star in down the line. Lupita Nyong’o was amazing, Chadwick Boseman killed it per usual, and Daniel Kaluuya showed that he’ll be in this business for a long time.
But the real story? The real story is Michael B. Jordan. Son. He absolutely stole the movie with one of the greatest supervillain performances of all time. Jordan displayed an amount of emotional depth that we’ve never seen from him before, which is quite the statement considering how great he was in Fruitvale Station and Creed. His character Killmonger was different, though—such a powerful figure with equally powerful messaging. You looked at Killmonger and saw the pain of thousands of black people over thousands of years. He may have been a fictitious character, but everything Killmonger stood for was very real, and he helped provide an image of the real lives and the real problems that real people face every single day.
Black Panther is a part of the Marvel Universe that you definitely know nothing about unless you were just a comic bookworm, so the constant feeling of “Dog, I have no clue who these characters are, but I know that I want 27 movies with them” adds an element to your superhero fanhood that you didn’t even know was there. Does T’Challa end up with Nakia? Where does Storm (who apparently becomes Black Panther’s wife at some point) come into play? What kind of king does T’Challa become? We need answers to all of these questions and more.
Is It Worth the High? 159% yes, absolutely. Whatever you’re doing right now, if it’s not taking bong rips to the face before you head to your nearest movie theater to go on a Wakandan adventure, then you’re wrong.
