Three words. We. Needed. This. By “we”, I don’t mean the kids. By “we”, I also don’t mean the parents. By “we”, I meant the world.  

Black Panther is amazingly executed and has the potential to be argued as the best first stand-alone movie for a Marvel superhero since Iron Man. This movie earned its five stars from me with EASE.  

They did it for the cultureーpun intended. Spearheaded by Creed director Ryan Coogler, the movie followed its cultural roots in order to pay homage to the Marvel comics written by Stan Lee. With help from modern day comics such as Black Panther writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, the movie was innovative in a political sense while still being able to maintain its historical ethnicity.

The movie follows newly crowned King T’Challa, who has now taken the throne after the passing of his father King T’Chaka. In the midst of a changing Wakanda, T’Challa must adapt to the world around him, despite wanting to maintain societal stability. With the rise of multiple challengers to the throne, the new king must prove to his native country why he is truly the Black Panther.

Now enough with the backstory. Time for the real deal.

This movie is as exciting as it is revolutionary. The movie has non-comic book fans falling in love with Black Panther, who have been patiently awaiting his appearance since he made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the Captain America: Civil War.

Long story short: it did not disappoint.

Chadwick Boseman reprises his role as Black Panther, along with a star-studded cast that includes the likes of Lupita Nyong’o, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, and Michael B. Jordan.

The technology that Wakanda contains within the confines of their nation was awesomely displayed in an accurate manner. The innovation and inspiration behind the portrayal of the technology in the movie only excites the real world for what the future holds for us in the next 25 years.

As for the plot, it was extraordinary. The cultural sense of a black superhero was finally brought to the silver screen ever since the Blade trilogy. The exceptional script-writing led to me almost shedding a tear for the villainーYES. THE VILLAIN. The all-female royal army, the Dora Milaje, once again showcased to the American public how strong women must have a place in this world.

In addition, the production of the film and tremendous emotion by its actors left me with multiple instances of goosebumps and revealed that being a king is not what it always cracks up to be. The prominent use of flashback within the movie helped tie everything together and made it heartfelt and inspirational for the young black boys and girls who will look up to this movie for generations to come. To go along with the amazing plotline, the score and musical soundtrack for the film promptly fit the dynamic mood throughout the movie, leaving me in awe the entire time.

The film will be shown throughout all mainstream theatre locations and has a running time of 135 minutes. Trust me; it is worth every second. Also, if you are a fan of not only Black Panther, but the MCU as well, make sure you pay attention to the scenes during and after the credits as they provide teasers for the rest of Marvel’s future installments.

This film is a movie everyone needs to see, and I am beyond happy for this film to be the spark that lights the fire for more minority representation in the superhero world.