Movie Monday: Black Panther

When I walked into the movie theater to watch Black Panther on its opening weekend, the energy in the room was something I had never felt before. After the movie trailers were done and the lights dimmed, the whole room roared with applause as the movie began. I knew then that it was going to be an awesome experience.

Although Black Panther is the 18th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe storyline, it was incredibly refreshing. The movie flowed well from scene to scene, and I never once felt bored or confused.

The movie takes place in Wakanda, a fictional African country of great wealth and prosperity. Being set in an African country, the cast was almost entirely black actors. There were some familiar faces, like Michael B. Jordan from Creed and The Fantastic Four, Danai Gurira from The Walking Dead, and Daniel Kaluuya from Get Out.

One of the aspects that I really liked about this movie was how they crafted their villain. Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan, believes that Wakanda should share their wealth with the rest of the world, while T’Challa, king of Wakanda, played by Chadwick Boseman, thinks they should stay hidden and not interfere with the affairs of the outside world. It’s easy for the viewer to see both sides of this quarrel, and I almost found myself rooting for Killmonger at times.

Black Panther has blown all other 2018 film releases out of the water so far, taking the box office lead by nearly $500,000 and earning a whopping $1.2 million worldwide gross.

If you haven’t seen Black Panther yet, do it. Yes, it does tie in with previous Marvel films as well as those to come, but even if you’ve never seen a Marvel Studios movie before, it’s worth the watch. I’d give Black Panther a solid 9.5/10.