In case you do not own any type of social media, Black Panther, the Marvel superhero movie with an almost all African American cast, has arrived. It has easily been the most anticipated movie of the early New Year.
Black Panther is the 18th installment in the Marvel cinematic and only the second movie that Black Panther has appeared in. The hype for this movie not only stems from it being a Marvel movie and all-black cast, but also the soundtrack is headlined by one of the biggest hip-hop artists in the world in Kendrick Lamar.
Ryan Coogler, director, as well as his team do an amazing job sucking the audience into this world of Wakanda with the incredible effects as well as the difference in culture from America. Not only is the setting beautiful, but the plot as well consists of a huge action-packed fighting scene showcasing each character’s unique powers and abilities.
The cast lead by Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) and Michael B. Jordan (Killmonger) are charismatic, each giving the audience reasons to love their character. Jordan seems to steal the show creating a feeling of sympathy for his character as well as an understanding for his motives of wanting to be the king of Wakanda.
Not only is there thrill and excitement from Black Panther, but there is also an encouraging message of unity, forgiveness and compassion.
The movie also does a great job of displaying women as strong, fierce figures with Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Okoye (Danai Gurira). They weren’t just the typical “damsel in distress.”
This movie being only Coogler’s third movie as a director takes a slightly different direction than other Marvel movies. While it follows the superhero format, there are aspects of political ideologies leading to conflict between Killmonger and Black Panther. It is a refreshing as well as needed change in direction for Marvel as they cruise towards the new generation of superheroes.
Coogler saw this as not just a superhero movie but a movie to create a sense of empowerment for African Americans during Black History Month. This is seen by including many cultural influences pertaining to the setting, as well as the colorful patterned Dashiki’s, African jewelry and hairstyles.
A goal Coogler had set seemed to be achieved with one of the highest grossing movies ever on opening weekend. In accordance with that, there have been almost no bad reviews, and this one is no exception. We give Black Panther 5 out of 5 stars. Wakanda Forever!