I would like to start off by apologizing for the time it took me to finally go see Black Panther. As a self-proclaimed movie critic I’m almost ashamed that I did not see this movie the day it came out.  Oh well, I bet not everyone has seen it yet…

If you’re a Marvel and/or Disney fan, you may have seen the hashtag #wakandaforever. This is one of those movies where you get that sense of community. You get it. Kinda like Star Wars and how naturally it creates a fan club. Wakanda is the country in which the story takes place. Wakanda is a country in Africa, well hidden from foreign threats. The opening scene truly reminded me of the Disney’s classic “Atlantis”.

Before the movie came out, it was definitely a real marketing stunt. When there was a huge boycott a couple of years ago at the Oscars concerning the nominees of African-American actors, it somehow feels like this movie revolves around this topic. Obviously, it’s a story in Africa, but then again, all the actors are African-American and they speak with an “African” accent. It’s just like actors playing the dwarfs in Snow White, whilst they’re not real dwarfs. You get what I mean. But that’s Marvel I guess, it’s all about the colorful story and the famous actors. We all love our favorites, right? I mean Lupita is just gorgeous and Michal B. Jordan, well, he can take me on a date anytime.

So, whatever you expect of this movie and story, it’s just like trailer hints. We already met T’Challa in the last “Avengers” movie, where his father, King T’Chaka gets killed. T’Challa is a small part of this movie and absolutely deserved his own story and fanbase. He’s just so freaking cool. The Black Panther is a sexy superhero. He is surrounded by women (breaking all the gender and race rules in this movie) and leads several tribes in the kingdom of Wakanda. These tribes are ruled by one leader since they share the commonwealth of “Vibranium”. In Wakanda thousand of years ago an asteroid stroke the Earth and created a new source of energy. With Vibranium the technology is extremely advanced. It takes science fiction to the next level.

This movie tells the story of T’Challa who has just become king and meets a rival, who wants to take his place. This rival, unfortunately, is allying with Wakanda’s enemy number one, who has stolen Vibranium to make extreme weapons which can destroy the world. So, T’Challa has to prove himself to his family and the world.

T’Challa is played by Chadwick Boseman. He has played some legendary roles, like James Brown (Get On Up) or Jackie Robinson (42). As opposed to some of the resumés of other Marvel actors (f.e. Forest Withacker) Chadwick doesn’t have the longest page on IMDB. Popular or not, he has proven himself very worthy of Marvel material. Also, his cover of Rolling Stone may be an even more discussed topic than the Oscars of 2018. Can’t wait to see him back in April 2018, for “Avengers: Infinity War”. (By the way can we briefly discuss the ending of trailer one, where we see the crossover to “Guardians of the Galaxy”? WTF!)

Besides the principal role of T’Challa, there are definitely other actors we can’t leave out. I personally thought it was hilarious that Gollem and Bilbo Baggings meet again, so Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman. This time they portray a very different relationship as a thief and an international officer. They proved to the audience that duos can keep their talent and interaction, throughout different stories.

We also meet “Erik”, played by Michael B. Jordan. He looks like the fresh prince of 2018. Funny enough he started his career in the famous soap opera “All My Children” (kind of like Margot Robbie who became famous in “Neighbours”). Michael is eye candy but has proven himself to be one badass actor.

Danai Gurira plays Okoye, the number one protector of T’Challa. You may recognize her as “Michonne” from The Walking Dead, though I must say, it took me more than an hour to realize (and I’m a big TWD fan). Well, she obviously used her samurai skills in this movie.

And Forest Withaker, the Oscar Award winner (Last King of Scotland) also has an important part in the story. Though I wonder why his role was quite small. Maybe he just really wanted to be part of the Marvel universe?

Visually this movie is – as we are used to by Marvel – extreme. I honestly want to architect who has created Wakanda and its interiors, to come decorate my home. The elegance of design and use of materials is so beautiful. The outfits the cast wear are clearly big part of the movie budget. I mean, this movie has been well thought of from beginning to end. The CGI is perfect and doesn’t irritate where reality is obviously fake. Wakanda is fake, it doesn’t exist, but if it does, take me there.

I might be a bit prejudiced by the fact that I’m a huge Marvel fan, but I’m rating this movie at 8/10.

8/10

Ah, there are two (!) after credits!