A beautifully crafted work of African excellence.

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2018)

I have seen a lot of negative reviews on here about this movie being "over-hyped". I would like to try and explain, to what I assume is majority white male reviewers, why this movie was so successful.
To start with the negatives: Yes, there were a few cringey, stereotypical, MCU moments but these are found in all superhero movies and are part of the reason we (well, I) love them.
Now... as to why this movie is an absolutely brilliant piece of film.
Ryan Coogler directed this movie brilliantly. From simple things like the choice of camera angles to the comedic timing to the final scene with T'Challa and Kilmonger, the breathtaking scenes, stunning landscapes and well shot scenes created an easy-to-watch, fluid, well-conducted movie.
I have seen many comments about the acting being "boring". Personally, I wasn't bored at all during the movie and I will explain more later but for now, the acting. Chadwick Boseman portrays a serious, somewhat brooding king who carries the weight of a nation on his shoulders. I found his portrayal a nod to many great African leaders who have shown power through outward tranquility, despite inner turmoil. He is patient, thoughtful and an intellectual yet he can still beat the crap out of anyone.
Danai Gurira represents female, African power and is an amazing supporting actress. I don't think that many people understand the importance of the scene where her husband bows down to her. It's so empowering to see that, especially since Okoye is a true African Warrior.
Letitia Wright's performance as Shuri was shockingly wonderful. Her comedic relief - a key trait of the MCU - was readily welcome. Seeing a super genius, who is a woman, and possibly smarter than Tony Stark is amazing.
I cannot get started on Killmonger without feeling a million feelings and wanted to scream and burst into tears at the same time. I think that many people missed the point of the 3D nature of this villain. Superhero movies are generally not made to make you philosophise or think deeply about life. However, thanks to Killmonger, a whole new vision and way of thinking is introduced into the Wakandan world.
Killmonger, in the movie, represents the idea of empowering other black people around the world using Wakandan technology. Although, T'Challa's father used to insist on protecting Wakanda from outsiders and keeping it a secret. Even though Killmonger is the "bad guy", he influences T'Challa's final decision to share Wakandan technology with the world. If you miss the significance of this then it is probably because you don't live in Africa or anywhere that has been oppressed by colonial powers.
Killmonger represents the feelings, the emotions, the hate, the turmoil that Africans feel towards colonial rule, white supremacy and the oppression that they are subjected to every single day.
At the end, we can't hate Killmonger because what he is saying is true. T'Challa even says that he doesn't need to die.
This scene... between T'Challa and Killmonger is something that incites such strong feelings of power and insight that I can't believe people have completely ignored it. Killmonger says "Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships because they knew death was better than bondage..."
Killmonger refuses to be enslaved in a world where he is constantly oppressed because of the colour of his skin, where he comes from and his violent ideas due to this oppression. It is something that I am sure many African Americans can relate to and something that I, as an African relate to deeply.
Besides the plot line, many other things made this film significant for me. It wasn't just a "let's throw a couple of black people together and call it diversity!" type of movie. The entire cast and crew put in SO much effort to create an inclusive movie.
Most people won't notice how deeepppp they went to create this movie because they aren't African. Now, I'm from South Africa and there was A LOT of focus on South African culture. I also noticed some Ghananian and Nigerian culture creeping in but, of course, I couldn't pick up on all of it because I don't come from these countries.
Firstly, the fact that they spoke Xhosa many times throughout the movie was astounding. Xhosa is not a very easy language for non-home language speakers. Although it was not 100%... only South Africans would have picked up on that.
But also, there were many, many, many jokes which only South Africans would have understood/laughed at. I think that this is great because the cinema is lively and bubbling whilst watching the film, due to excitement at great jokes and the adorable nods to SA culture.
The music was great. I could hear Ngobisiqolo playing in the background of one of the scenes... also Babes Wodumo and I was jamming in the cinema. It is great how they included actual African cultures and traditions to create a true African Wakanda rather than a fully Afro-American version.
I throughly enjoyed the movie due to its strong themes of overcoming racial issues, fighting the powers that be and its dutiful nods to African culture.
Many white men will not understand its significance but I thought that, surely, they will understand the plot line and the amazing creation of Killmonger who is probably one of my favourite villains in the MCU. A true villain is a human inside. They make you love them and hate them. They make you sad when they die. Killmonger did all these things.
It really was, in many ways, a story of empowering black people - African or American -, empowering women and exposing people to the philosophy of the anger and hate that exists within Africans against colonisers and in favour of the brotherhood.
I urge you to watch the movie again and look for plot lines that move you because there were so many symbols, themes and ideas that I left out in this review that I found in Black Panther. A brilliant movie, perfectly crafted for the African.