‘Black Panther’ Exceeds Expectations

With the amazing characters, costumes, music, and diversity, ‘Black Panther’ is a must-see.

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Public Domain – Black Panther

Ashley Bedore, Editor-in-Chief

Marvel’s newest movie, Black Panther, sets apart itself from other Marvel stories with the story of the king of Wakanda, known as T’Challa, or the Black Panther. Exhibiting Black Power and equally strong female leads, this is the kind of story that the Marvel movies have been lacking for so long.

 

Picking up where Captain America: Civil War left off, the movie begins with prince T’Challa returning to his home of Wakanda to be crowned king in the wake of his father’s death. Wakanda is a fictional nation in Africa that is isolated from the rest of the world and is kept a secret due to their technological advances and their abundance of vibranium. (Vibranium is a strong and rare metal of some sorts that is used for both Black Panther’s suit and Captain America’s shield.)

 

As an attempt to hide their nation of incredible technology and excessive vibranium, Wakanda has pretended to be an underdeveloped country to the rest of the world. However, Erik Killmonger, who knows quite a lot about Wakanda, teams up with arms dealer, Ulysses Klaue, to begin selling some vibranium that they have collected. As T’Challa starts investigating what the two are up to, the king winds up in a fight for his throne.

 

Killmonger, a villain with layers of humanity, is greatly developed throughout the film. Starting as a bit of a heartthrob, Killmonger soon exhibits levels of rage and despair and becomes a deeply complex character. The director, Ryan Coogler, designed this character to have more layers than the typical villain.

 

Partnering the Black Panther are some of the strongest female leads that Marvel has seen yet.  Okoye, who is the head of Wakanda’s defense, stands out as a strong warrior. Wakanda’s spy and Black Panther’s future love interest, Nakia, is a force to be reckoned with, as she is an excellent fighter. Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister and the character that stands out the most, steals the show with her wit and amazing technology skills.

 

Another key aspect of what makes Black Panther such a success is the fantastic costumes of both Wakanda’s people and Black Panther’s suit. With the authenticity of the outfits, they often steal the show, along with the amazing cinematography. The film’s portrayal of Wakanda creates a beautiful nation full of traditions and culture.


It is a wonder why Marvel waited so long to bring such a diverse story to film, but nonetheless, Black Panther delivers in every aspect from fight scenes to character backgrounds. You can watch the trailer below.