Exhilarating

Rating: 9/10 (2 June 2018)

'Black Panther' is not only an achievement for its mainly-black cast and positive representations of women, but it is also an exhilarating and meaningful superhero film. Before even this film had hit cinemas, it was already getting acclaim for the fact that this is a blockbuster superhero film and nearly everyone in the film is a person of color. This accomplishment only gets better once you actually see the film, and see a broad range of black characters that are not stereotyped, one-dimensional or a product of tokenism. To make things even better, the representation of women in this film is on point - they are not sexualized or dependent on their male counterparts. Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira lead out the strong female characters fiercely, equally giving strong performances that affirmed that they are both tremendous actresses. Every cast member in this film does a great job in their role, with Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Andy Serkis being the male standouts. As for the storyline, it's as good as a superhero film plot can get. There are enough plot twists to save the film from its ultimately predictable ending that is in pretty much every superhero film. It was refreshing to have a break from the whole "save-the-world" trope and have a change of focus to identity, culture, and humanity - and still, have badass action sequences in the process. The soundtrack to this film is nothing short of awesome, with its strong African-influence combined with an epic orchestral score making it one of the best superhero scores I have heard. Overall, 'Black Panther' is a triumph due to being a brilliant film in its own right, and also for its positive representations of minority groups. We need more films like this one.