The buzz has been building around Marvel’s Black Panther for the past few years. Now just a week before it’s release, the buzz has turned into a roar. Black Panther is being hailed as “groundbreaking”, “a jolt of a movie”, and “revolutionary.”
Well I’m here to tell you that the rumors are true. I’ve been telling people it doesn’t feel like any other Marvel movie to-date. Even if you took the superhero element away, this would still be a beautifully told story about a man trying to live up to his father’s legacy, and protect/lead his people. I saw Chadwick Boseman for the first time at the EW Comic Con party last year. The film had wrapped and the cast was there to keep the hype train moving. That was my first encounter with the magic that would be Black Panther.
Boseman plays T’Challa, who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.
Michael B. Jordan plays Erik Killmonger and is said to be one of the best MCU villains since Loki. As you know, Thor and the Thor films have always been my favorite but I have to agree that Killmonger brings a new bad guy element that we haven’t seen before – he could be real. There’s no metal on metal, robot-filled fight scenes in this film. It’s man to man, battling it out in an almost Rocky-esque way. That was a big reason why this film felt so real to me.
Most MCU movies also have some out of this world storyline about an evil alien, robot, or creature trying to destroy the world, which of course we love. But this film features a villain with a very real, relatable reason for vengeance. You almost feel bad for him, and want him to succeed in a twisted way. You certainly will feel for him by the end.
I could also go on about the vibrant costumes, the afrofuturistic music overseen by Kendrick Lamar, and the visually stunning effects of this film. But all you really need to know about why everyone is buzzing, is that it’s a great story. It has heart, realism, and a sense of hope that most of the other MCU movies are lacking. There’s also humor, which you know I love.
Black Panther opens nationwide on Feb. 16th. Watch details from the cast and director Ryan Coogler on the video below. Let me know what you think! Is Black Panther the best MCU movie so far?
