I am not the most up-to-date Marvel fan. I’m more of a newbie when it comes to these movies, so I definitely do not claim to be an expert. I do know that I enjoy them – and I am slowly catching up on movies I have not seen yet. I was excited to be invited to attend a screening of ‘Black Panther,’ as it is the first movie about Wakanda, and I knew I really didn’t have to worry about missing something! This is a great movie to jump in and watch if you have not seen a Marvel movie yet.
Because I do not like spoilers, this review will be spoiler-free. I won’t even talk about anything specific. This movie is so important to so many people. But in case you haven’t heard about this movie, here is the official synopsis from Marvel:
Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” follows 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’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—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.
What you need to know
‘Black Panther’ may be a long movie, with a run time of 140 minutes, but is for certain an entertaining one. Be sure to have your snacks before it starts. You will not want to miss a moment of this movie. The beginning is especially important, although you may not realize it until later on. I will say that we laughed (a lot!) in this movie. Right when you feel that this movie is so serious, a humorous piece is interjected. You also will want to stay to through all of the end credits. And no Marvel movie is complete without a Stan Lee cameo – although this one is a bit more obvious than I would have liked.
The Cast
Connecting with the characters of ‘Black Panther’ was easy due to a very passionate cast. The stars of this film: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis all work together to really make you feel that they are the characters they portray. One stand-out is Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri, the sister of Black Panther. Not only is she a convincing younger sister, she is a strong woman who holds a lot together.
Girl Power
Do not let this movie fool you. It’s not just superhero strength that makes Black Panther the hero that he is. The strong women behind him play an important role as well. ‘Black Panther’ highlights team work, with an almost all-female team, featuring these women as intelligent, loyal, creative and passionate.
For Parents with Small Children (or the squeamish like me)
Ok, parents, this is a Marvel movie. It is very intense in quite a few scenes – I am totally guilty of looking away in quite a few scenes. But overall, this is a PG-13 movie. Not a lot of inappropriateness, but violence and graphic scenes are prevalent.
Overall thoughts
I did like ‘Black Panther.’ Like, I really liked ‘Black Panther.’ The movie conveys the message of doing what is right, fixing what is wrong, and being able to stand up and admit all of that. A message like that is so important right now. It is one everyone should hear. We need more movies like ‘Black Panther’ that stand out and face the issues that need to be faced. And hopefully, messages will be heard.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Panther’ is in theaters now. Are you seeing this movie? What did you think?
Disclosure: I was invited to a screening of the movie in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was received.
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin’ wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life – A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects – create~inspire~share.
