A groudbreaking classic

Rating: 10/10 (6 March 2018)

The last time a movie surprised and impressed me this much was The Matrix. The opening scene of Trinity's escape was everything! I've probably seen 350+ movies since then, including the latest Star Wars, just about everything the Wachowskis have done and some brilliant martial arts movies out of Hong Kong. Many of those movies have been great and I'd rate a few of them a 10 (Inception and Get Out come to mind), but, Black Panther was a real surprise.
With a mostly black cast, and with all the historical significance of that, and with it being a Marvel outing, I was excited and hoped it would be good; but I wasn't expecting great. Black Panther is stylish and witty. The action scenes aren't gratuitous, pointless and just testosterone-fueled. Women kick ass and help to drive the story/action. It wasn't just T'Challa's story. The villain, women of Wakanda and others got their moments to shine. Probably the brightest star of the movie though is Ryan Coogler. He's now in the league of directors like Christopher Nolan who I'll always pay money to see their work. Coogler clearly has a unique voice and vision and he's impressed the heck out of me.
There were one or two things I didn't love (Andy Serkis didn't have enough scenes, for example) but those things don't distract too much from the movie. I've seen it twice and already and I'm sure, like The Matrix, I'm going to see it a few more times before it even comes out on blu-ray/dvd.