After the juggernaut success of 2018’s Black Panther, director Ryan Coogler and the Marvel team had the insane task of recreating the magic, power, and culture of the Oscar-winning original.  

Then beloved star Chadwick Boseman died. It thrust Marvel and Coogler in an even more impossible position of either having to callously recast the role quickly after his death or honor Boseman's legacy while making a movie that appeals to the masses looking for escapism and thrills. 

Last Saturday, Coogler and the Black Panther cast took to Hall H at SDCC 2022 to unveil the first teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and, while they opted for the latter, it's the best movie trailer in MCU history.

A powerful and heartrending cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” by Tems mixed with Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” contributes to the ethereal ambiance as Wakanda and the watery nation of Atlantis engage in a catastrophic battle.  Wakandans mourn in all white.  Babies are born underwater.  Namor (Tenoch Huerta) descends into an aquatic throne. 

Someone dons the dynamic Black Panther suit.

As usual, the women of Wakanda are front and center. Michaela Coel offers a striking presence as Aneka. In the Marvel comics, she trains the king’s guard known as the Dora Milaje, and is also Ayo’s girlfriend.  Riri Williams AKA Ironheart makes an iconic debut as she hammers metal, a throwback to Tony Stark’s famous creation of the Iron Man suit.

Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda delivers the only dialogue in the two-minute clip, announcing, “I am the queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone.  Have I not given everything?” 

The teaser trailer does just that.  We know that King T’Chaka and now T’Challa are gone, but what happened Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright)?  What is on that ship?  Is M’Baku still a gruff, scene-stealing smartass?  

The trailer accomplishes two key things: it honors Chadwick's indelible contribution to the MCU as King T’Challa, but also offers hope for what is to come.  He’s gone, but not forgotten (and with the exploration of the multiverse, is anyone ever gone?).

Beyond that, it establishes that BP: WF just might be an exhilarating and badass follow-up to its billion-dollar predecessor. 

The clip, which has garnered over 20 million views in 48 hours, broke the hearts and minds of Marvel fans, who took reacted on Twitter: 

As a lover of entertainment, I'm not ashamed to admit that instead of lolling myself to sleep by counting sheep or Catwomen, as Sheldon Cooper famously does, I do so by casting movies.  Recently, I sent myself to land of dreams by imagining Supernatural star Jensen Ackles playing Batman in the newly written Batman film, replacing the ho-hum Ben Affleck.  

It was only in morning light that I realized that Ackles is actually a provocative choice that could actually revitalize the Batman franchise.  Here's why...

Kick-Ass Resume
If you're unfamiliar with Jensen Ackles, you need to get your life right.  Ackles has been working steadily as an actor since 1996 on television, movies and theater.  He paid his dues in daytime television, playing matriarch Marlena's son Eric Brady on Days Of Our Lives from 1998 to 2000.  His work as the far-too pretty and too-good offspring of the supercouple John and Marlena earned him his first Emmy nomination.  He began the new millennium doing smaller movies until eventually landing in primetime with stints on Dollhouse, Dawson's Creek, and Smallville.  He also took his horror chops to the big screen in the My Bloody Valentine remake (2009). In 2005, he was cast as dynamic anti-hero Dean Winchester in The CW's Superntural.  

In the 14 years since, he and co-star Jared Padalecki, turned a small paranormal drama that barely skirted cancellation on television's newest and smallest network into a cult classic with an rabid stanbase, and one of of the longest running genre shows in television history.  Supernatural will air its 300th episode this year.  

Fanboy Love 
Jensen Ackles has never stopped declaring his love of superheroes.  It's rumored that he was on the short list to play Marvel's Captain America, but had to bow out due to the time commitment. His personal love of Batman has crossed over in his professional life.  In 2010, Ackles lended his glorious baritone to voice Jason Todd in the animated movie Batman: Under The Red Hood.  As recently as last Halloween, he reminded everyone, include DC Entertainment casting directors, of his fanboy love for the Red Hood by doing a badass costumed photo shoot for Instagram.

(Why So) Serious Chops 
As Dean Winchester, Jensen plays a demon hunter which has given him the ability to not only show his emotional range in gut-wrenchingly dramatic scenes with his little brother (AKA his reason for existing); his comedic chops and an impressive amount of fight scenes with a variety of weapons.  And he does it all with an effortless talent and finesse few actors possess.  

Ackles is an extremely gifted actor, and in my totes unbiased opinion, he's one of the best on television.  He just happened to fall into the The CW realm that is apparently invisible to the Television Academy...and every other awards nomination board.  Ackles should have been nominated for an Emmy for his work on Supernatural at least twice.  If you're looking for an example of his extraordinary talent, just watch season 4's "The End" where Ackles' doppleganger shared most of the scenes with...himself. 

Bruce "Swagger" Wayne
Ackles, who currently plays an anti-hero driven by the murder of his parents with a cool car, a love of weapons and issues with authority figures, might be able to bring a unique twist to yet another iteration of Bruce Wayne.  Beyond looking like an gourmet snack in Bruce Wayne's bespoke suits and the cape and cowl, Ackles has the personality to bring a modern, addictive swagger and a sex appeal to Bruce Wayne that was missing from Affleck's Batman without skimping on the feels and dark angst that fuels him. 

DC Entertainment has struggled to build out a fun, action-packed superhero universe in the way that Marvel has (Wonder Woman and Aquaman excluded), but no matter what quality of script the new Batman movie has received Jensen Ackles would elevate it to heights higher than the Dark Knight's mascot can fly.

Thoughts?  Who do you think should be the next Batman?  Sound off below!

During a pivotal scene in Bradley Cooper's directorial debut A Star Is Born, there is particular striking bit of dialogue: "Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave.  Twelve notes and the octave repeats...All the artist can offer the world is how they see those twelve notes."

The same can be said for a love story: there are only two options--person wins love or person loses love--and the power and variety comes from how its interpreted.  Through Cooper's directorial gaze, the fourth A Star Is Born remake is a textured, haunting, albeit dragging film that examines a relationship with a sprawling luxury.  Jackson Maine, bourbon-and-leather voiced rock star, uses the dying the light of his star to ignite that of an up-and-coming musician.

What stuck with me even a day after seeing the film is Jackson's emotional brittleness.  Despite his rumbling voice, stratospheric alcohol tolerance, guitar-shredding expertise, he is a man not long for his world.  He is so traumatized by a sad, isolated childhood and a body that can no longer sustain his musical talent that when he's not on stage or drinking, he's all concealed features, hunched posture and a childlike wonderment that only a few get to see.  Maine is an shadowed labyrinth of pain, one that despite a drug abuse problem, is easy to love, root for and one you'll want to want to protect with the ferosity of mother grizzly bear.  

And like most of the viewers, Ally falls prey to his armored innocence even as she's triggered by his drinking.  It's why I can excuse the fan fiction-esque introduction of our two leads.  They find a common ground and an intense love in music.  

From then, it's nearly two hours of agony and slight boredom.  Because we all know it's going to end messy and tragic, it's just a matter of how and when.  

On winter mornings, when the sun is bright in the sky, sometimes, you can still see the a phantom-esque shadow of the moon on the opposite end of the sky.  In A Star Is Born, Ally is the sun and Jackson is the moon.  They never quite fit together, even their voices are mismatched.  Gaga's Ally is creation of the digital age.  Her voice has power and finesse.  She can write music, dance, and sing.  Jackson's is roughshod and cool in a mostly antiquated way.  He's not quite a relic, but its a near thing.  He's losing his hearing, and the industry is putting him out to pasture even though he's not even 50. 

A Star Is Born has its breathtakingly romantic moments, even if the film is about 20 minutes too long.  Cooper's direction is deft and intimate, packed with enriching details to the point where it becomes a bit self-indulgent.  Gaga and Cooper have an effortless chemistry and it's on display is almost every scene.  

​Lady Gaga is as fearless of an actress as she is a performer; however being a former Monster, it's hard to divorce the Lady Gaga from Ally, the trajectories of their careers are even very similar.  Even stripped of her make-up and meat dresses, Gaga still looks like a star.  The audience never questions if she can make it as one because she already has.  And I do wonder what the movie would look like if Cooper (who co-wrote, directed, starred in and produced) would've cast a lesser known actress, not a Beyonce or a Gaga, but a Broadway star who most of the world didn't immediately connect with discosticks and Grammys?  Would her impressive journey from YouTube sensation to rock star to pop icon have felt like more of a gamble?  

From the second Gaga's debut album came out, I just wanted her to sit at a piano and sing, and she does that and more.  The bitch can SANG, and that's the most extraordinary part of her performance.  Like Jennifer Hudson in Dream Girls, the majority of the majesty and goosebumps stem Gaga's performance comes from her exquisite musical talents.

Gaga's Ally incredibly uneven.  She's got a wild, impulsive side, punching out a rude patron at a club, and yet she's timid about everything else, including Maine's alcoholism and even her own career.  She happily lets herself be led down the Britney Spears alley of pop stardom, even though she has so much more to stay and the pipes in which to say it.  Once again, I'm reminded of heroines from fan fiction who were written by 16-year-olds who haven't quite learned what true strength is.  It's not random moments of chaotic defiance, but a quiet and sure resolve about what you will withstand and stand for.

A star is definitely born in this film, and ironically, it's Cooper, not Gaga.  He gives an effected, nuanced, delicate performance as Maine.  He doesn't say much but you can palpably feel his pain and his thoughts.  There are brazen close-ups of his hands as he doesn't just play but SHREDS at the guitar.  A studio musician plays on the polished soundtrack, but Bradley Cooper put in a grueling 18 months in learning how to talk and sing with a voice lowered a full octave and play the guitar.  If anyone deserves an Oscar nomination for their performance, it ain't the Mother Monster.

The coverage of Maine's addiction is too shallow.  They tend to skirt around the ugliness of it and gloss over how celebrities can be enabled.  Despite the issues I had with the film, I would wholeheartedly recommend it.  A Star is Born is an old school love story and hopefully it's merely removing the velvet rope for a flurry of others to stampede into the theater.   

What do you think of the movie?  Hit up the comments below.

One of the most traumatizing moments for this movie lover was the last 10 minutes of Avengers: Infinity War when--SPOILER ALERT!--Thanos snapped his fingers and half of the world's popular vanished into dust. Our intrepid heroes had lost, and the universe had perished. It was an emotional uppercut that I hadn't been prepared for. But now that horror of that moment pales in comparison to what happened yesterday on Twitter instead of the silver screen.

As if Americans weren't struggling with enough in this political climate, Chris Evans, AKA Marvel's Captain America, took to Twitter Thursday night to commemorate completion of filming of the fourth Avengers movie, which has long been rumored to be his last yielding his indestructible shield.

Evans writes, "Officially wrapped on Avengers 4. It was an emotional day to say the least. Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor. To everyone front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful."

Ever since Evans and his extraordinary bod debuted as Steve Rogers, the formerly puny soldier with a heart of gold, in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, fans have fallen in love with Rogers' nobility, badassery, aloofness and glow up. In the last few years, Evans has become a crusader in his own right, speaking out against injustice, sexism and racism What's more? Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been hailed as one of the greatest superhero movies in history. All of this makes it hard to accept the reality that one of Marvel's youngest and biggest stars would tap out so soon.

After the devastating Avengers: Infinity War was released, it's been long believed that Cap will die in Avengers 4 and Evans tweet only caused those rumors to snowball. There are five stages and grief--SSG is still stuck in denial--and fans took to the interwebs to mourn.

The vibranium lining on this stormcloud is that Chris Evans will be available to do other movies, even action movies where he can swear.  He has already signed on to star in crime series for Apple called Defending Jacob based on the novel by William Landay.  According to TVGuide.com, he will play an assistant district attorney investigating the death of a teenager only to discover that his child might be the killer.  

So hearts might be broken that Evans is walking away from one of the BAMF-iest superheroes committed to film, but he's not retiring from acting.  And the only people who love making comebacks more than divas and crappy '90s TV shows are superheroes. 

Lord and my Twitter followers know I've been contemplating shaving my head ever since star Sanaa Lathan took the debuted her sleek look during production.  And after seeing the surprisingly emotional trailer for the movie, it's even more tempting.  

In the preview below, type A workaholic Violet struggles with an obsession to be perfect, and that includes dropping a fortune to perm, press and weave her hair.  Thanks to respectability politics instilled in her by her mother, she is a slave to the salon.  After her boyfriend (played by the dashing Ricky Whittle) fails to propose, she ditches her hair and begins to care for her spirit instead.

While Nappily Ever After has all the makings of a classic romantic comedy, there's a bigger message about self-acceptance for a black women, that includes breaking out of the complicated and often painful relationship with our hair.  Whatever happens beyond that is just a bonus.  

Protect your edges when Nappily Ever After premieres on September 21.

Like the 2001 film (which was a remake of the 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.), Ocean's 8 follows the freshly paroled Debbie Ocean as she assembles a crew to both rob the famous Met Gala and seek revenge on the man who landed her in prison five years ago. It begins with promise in the form a cheeky montage that shows just how good of a criminal Debbie is. Within hours from being released from prison, she's stolen, grifted and scammed her way into designer clothes and luxury suite at posh hotel. Unfortunately, the all of the potential brimming in this montage is never realized in the 100 somewhat boring minutes that follow.

Mostly because this is a spin-off of a remake of an original film from 60 years ago.

Despite the fact that director Gary Ross put together an impressive roster of stars, Ocean's 8 is forced to hit all of the same tired plot points as its predecessor and never has the chance to create its own magic and never fully recaptures that of the Ocean's 11. Like Debbie Ocean was for five years, eight months and 12 days, the film is imprisoned by its previous source material. Thus, if you've seen Ocean's 11 (or if you're like me and watch it every time it comes on TNT), it steals any suspense the movie would have otherwise cultivated.

Furthermore, the movie has placid baseline it rarely strays from. There's a watchable texture, thanks to Cate Blanchett's Lou, who's never met a prop or an accessory she didn't like, though part of me wonders if it's to keep her occupied and awake during filming. Rising star Awkwafina also masterfully outweirds the Lady of Strange, Carter.

It's not rocket science that women are different than men, and it's a cute (and a little too obvious) twist that Ocean's switched the score from casinos and cash to the Met Gala and gemstones. And there's definitely a "woman get stuff done" joke in there about Debbie and Crew taking a bigger haul with one-third less of the staff her big brother needed in 11. However, another fundamental flaw in reboots is that they shouldn't be interchangeable. Women approach situations differently because of their experiences and sex. They process emotion far differently than men, too. However, none of these accomplished Oscar-winning, Emmy-winning or up-and-coming actresses were given much meat to gnaw on, except for Carter and Hathaway, and even those moments are few and far between. It's a sad waste of a treasure that the talents of this insanely awesome cast are never fully mined.

The easiest way to solve the conundrum of Ocean's 8 is the painfully simple: Stop. Making. Reboots. At its core, 8 is a movie about women robbing an event. Without being forced to pay homage or reference Ocean's 11, the writers, cast and directors would be free to tell an original story, create new characters, and unpredictable stakes.

8 brought in an impressive $41.5 million this weekend, so it's not a big gamble to predict that there will be a sequel. Remember, that's a sequel of spin-off of a remake of an original movie. The further down the reboot rabbithole you get, the less options you have unless Gary Ross and Co. decide to break the mold completely throw out the book entirely.

Widows is about four Chicago wives who are left to pay debts to nefarious figures after their thieving husbands are killed.  The just released trailer boasts action, highly refined drama at the hands of star Viola Davis, and probable scene-chewing from the hands of Robert Duvall.  

Hollywood Casting Directors, take note: I will pay to see every movie Viola Davis is in but a film in which she become a badass, hockey-mask-wearing, gun-toting-thief simply because she knows men doesn't think she has "the balls to pull it off"?  I'll see it twice.  

Beyond Ms. Davis if you're nasty, the cast for this movie is stellar, and includes, Broadway breakout and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Elizabeth Debecki, Brian Tyree Henry and more!

Widows feels like a movie Hollywood hasn't made in long time--a thriller with as many emotional explosions as there are actual ones (and with a cast talented enough to pull off both).  And, the poetic irony of Viola Davis assembling a crew of lady thieves to avenge Taken's Liam Neeson and The Punisher's Jon Bernthal is not lost on me.  

The November 16 release date proves that the studio believes it has award potential.  As much as I love superhero movies, I can't ignore how white and male they are.  And while, I'm intrigued by the push for a Lady Bond and other gender and race-bent superheroes, I can't help for yearn for women to bask in their own power and badassery that's grounded in reality with original characters tailor-made for these times.  I will happily trade capes and fantasy battle sequences for very real and monstrous villains like grief, organized crime and woman fighting t damned patriarchy.

After seeing Avengers: Infinity War, this fangirl is shaken, stirred, emotional and a little angry that I have to wait a year for the next installment.  In the Anthony and Joe Russo's hands, this movie is a budget-less spectacle that not only exploits the talents and chemistry of its sprawling cast, but seamlessly integrates characters from more than a half-dozen franchises and nearly 20 films.  Marvel Studios celebrated their 10th anniversary with an intense, emotional, universal adventure that dazzles as much as it demolishes.

I'd love to review this film, but I'm so terrified of spoiling the fun and the horror, so I will can say that this movie will go down in cinematic history as one of the best of its genre.  I do have some spoiler-free takeaways that I HAVE to share. 

Captain, done right.  
One of the irksome aspects of the Avengers franchise (coming in second to Tony Stark freakin' creating the villain in Ultron), is the unevenness of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) character.  The first glimpses of Steve in his own franchise is him breaking the law as he poses as someone else to try to enlist in the army.  He nobly wants to serve his country, yes, but he isn't above breaking the law to do it.  Thus, the whole Golly Gee- Star Spangled Cap we got in the previous Avengers movies is harder to swallow than the 1930s cuisine Steve was raised on, especially when you consider that he spent the best part of his post-serum existence slaughtering Nazi and Hydra agents by any means necessary.  

So Infinity War's grisly, darker, fugitive version of Steve that looks like he's spent the past year training with the Dora Milaje and eating Wakandan sweet potato pie is the right version of the character.  There's the same sickening nobility and bravery, but wrapped in a rougher, sexier, badass exterior that's even reflected by his new, darker costume. I would follow that Captain anywhere (preferably to a final Cap movie to close out the series since Civil War was basically Avengers 2.5).

Chivalry is dead and it's awesome!
Since the beginning of superherodom, women have been mostly relegated to being the damsels in distress, so helpless the heroes are constantly saving them from goons, evil villains and scary spiders.  Even Ultron had some eye-rollingly damsel-ish moments with Black Widow, who is a freakin' assassin.  But in Infinity War, sisters are saving themselves and then some. With the universe at stake, the women--from Okoye to Gamora to Scarlet Witch--are getting shit done, and it's fantastic to see.  Now if only Marvel would get rolling on that Valkyrie and Okoye movie.

American Cumber-what?
Real talk: I have no interest in Dr. Strange and his bizarre Fantasia cape, so I was mostly unfamiliar with star Benedict Cumberbatch's character was American. To say it was jarring to see that uniquely handsome man in that bizarre wizarding wear speaking with an American accent was an understatement.  It freaked me out more than Thanos' ashy lavender complexion and chin wrinkles.

Chris Hemsworth is a movie star!
One of the more nuanced performances in War belongs to that of Chris Hemsworth.  Thor is given some pretty wild swings and has a more complete arc than most of the characters, and Hemsworth plays it brilliantly and deftly.  I raved about his movie stardom after Thor: Rangnarok, and I want to holler about it now, because it seems as if Hollywood doesn't know what to do with him if he's not in period pieces or superhero movies (I do have some hope for the MIB reboot though).  To paraphrase King T'Challa: Get this man a(nother) franchise!  

Tony Stark's fondness for Peter softens his character.
I have a confession to make: I kind of loathe Tony Stark.  I have never forgotten that he and Bruce created the big bad in Ultron, who then went on to level an entire country and still came out unscathed.  Then, he spent the better part of Civil War trying to get other Avengers to sign some shady accords that he never bothered to read and somehow skirted the consequences of.  If he were real, he'd be one of the Teflon-coat crooks with shadowy but damning connections to the current administration. 

However, there's something about seeing him nurture the man and the superhero in young Peter Parker that is infectiously an aggravatingly endearing.  It's softened some of the slimier edges of his personality and calmed my fiery hate a bit.

Feels, Sweet Feels
I went in the movie feeling prepared for the sheer beating my feels would take.  Despite my mental prep (I'm a Supernatural and Grey's Anatomy fan, y'all.  I've been training for this for my entire life!), I was utterly traumatized.  Why did I want to climb into a pillow fort with mac and cheese, ice cream and a bucket of margaritas?  I realized it was because I have been watching these movies for a decade.  I have grown to love these actors, and grown with the characters they've played.  Fandom is a peculiar thing that never ceases to amaze me.  The Avengers are sprawling group of characters tied together by struggles and valor and love.  It's a dysfunctional family with a bit of radiation, supersuits and magic hammers thrown in, and it's one I'm grateful to be a part of.

Finally, there is a sweeping romantic comedy to break up the monotony of all of the superhero and heavily-CGI'd action flicks filling the multiplexes every summer. Finally, there is nary an Emma Stone or an Amy Schumer or a Kristen Stewart in sight. Finally, there's a movie that delves into Asian culture that has nothing to do with martial arts (though it's awesome) but instead focuses on the familial drama and cultural and class differences.

Based on the best-selling novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians follows the romance of American Rachel (Constance Wu) as she meets her boyfriend's (Henry Golding) family on a Singaporean vacation only to discover that he's the country's most eligible bachelor and jaw-droppingly rich. Hijinks, power-plays and drama ensue around some of the most dazzling locations, fashions and bodies in rom-com history.

Star Trek Discovery's Michelle Yeoh puts down her phasers for a stunning turn as a matriarch of one of Asia's most powerful families.

This movie boasts an all Asian cast, which is groundbreaking and long overdue. Beyond that, the central plot looks intriguing, lavish, hilarious and yet somehow grounded in reality--aka the makings of a great movie.  So I can only wonder if Crazy Rich Asians might be the film that revitalizes the endangered rom-com genre?

​Find out for sure when it hits theaters this August. Until then enjoy the luxury and love in the CRA trailer!

Attending a screening of Black Panther is nothing short of a celebration.  I went to two separate screenings and it was pure superhero pandemonium. The largely black audience was decked out in vibrant African dashikis, headwraps, Black Panther shirts, and even full-fledged costumes of the characters themselves.  The theater had even hired African drummers to entertain the crowds as they waited in line for food and flooded into one of six theaters playing the film. 

When I was growing up, I worked at that very theater which is situated in an small, affluent white suburb.  It took a black Oscar-winning actor moving within driving distance before they began to regularly screen black movies.  So to witness it imbued with the spirit of Wakanda—for capitalistic gain or not—is just one of the reasons why Marvel’s Black Panther is so revolutionary.   

However, the most important question remains: does film itself hold up to the bombastic hype from fans who have waited more than a decade for Marvel to finally make a movie about a black superhero?

The answer is a sonic boom of a YES (and that record-breaking first weekend box office doesn't lie either).

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is an audacious masterpiece with a loaded cast that brilliantly blends the buoyant imagination of an unabashedly African superhero universe with the traumatic weight associated with systematic racism, oppression and the consequences of colonization. 

Taking place a week after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther follows T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) coronation as King of Wakanda.  Unfortunately that celebration is interrupted by the rise of enemies new and old determined to out Wakanda’s secrets, namely their true identity as a country with unprecedented technology and riches, all powered by their mountain of Vibranium. 
Black Panther is joyously filled with characters as vibrant as the African diaspora represented in the tribal ceremonies and Wakanda’s aftrofuturistic city-center, which blends ancient iconography with modern transportation and a freedom never seen in associated with African cultures. 

King T’Challa doesn’t reign alone.  Appropriately, especially with black and African cultures, it is the women of Black Panther that steal the spotlight with their luminosity and badassery.  The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira’s Okoye is the general of the Dora Milaje or Wakandian secret service.  She is as fierce as she is funny, and when paired with Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, they make a dynamic duo with enough substance and flair to fill their own Marvel franchise.  

Boseman brings the same assured and regal swagger to T’Challa that he did in Civil War, however, his demeanor is still muted by his new royal responsibilities, of keeping the secrets of his country and carrying the burden of his father’s recent death.  But he positively shines when he’s accompanied by his little sister, Princess and tech genius Shuri (breakout star Letitia Wright).  She doesn’t depend on him for leadership or council, but as a big brother to tease and impress with her technological prowess.  It’s Shuri, who has created the technology that has not only powers the Wakanda itself but also the dazzlingly kinetic action sequences, most notably being the extended fight and chase scene in a Korean casino.  

In this sublimely innovative sequence, Okoye makes a bold statement by using her bothersome wig to kill a bad guy before going awf on his buddies with a vibranium-powered spear.  Major props to Gurira for showcasing Okoye's supreme discomfort with her wig, which she wears as if she’s trying to balance a festering dead thing on her head.  It’s a deeper statement about rejecting European beauty standards, and the power of femininity.  This loaded moment is one of the many priceless and layered details in this film that you'll notice after a second viewing. 

Okyoe also uses Vibranium in her spear and shoes to mount an epic car chase that even ropes Shuri into the action all the way in Wakanda by remotely driving the car.  It's one of many scenes that captures the unspoiled freedom of Wakanda, where it's absolutely normal to be able to walk on tops of cars, thanks to the super-powered space metal in your shoes or to be able to drive a car from a nation away.
 
And this, Wakanda’s fiercely-protected riches contributes to the rise of Erik "Killmonger" Stephens, played with rabid ferocity by Michael B. Jordan.  Killmonger is a truly American creation, a villain hellbent on snatching and hoarding power by colluding with enemies, thieving, and murder.  Killmonger, with his gold teeth, tragic upbringing, and body branded with kills will join Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Vulture and Thor: Ragnorak’s Hela as one of the best villains in the Marvel universe, particularly because his ideas and motives are not wrong. 

Unlike other Marvel villains who are motivated by greed or universal destruction, Killmonger's agenda is actually honorable, even though his methods, especially his penchant for violence against women are horrific.  He infiltrates Wakanda with the intent to arm oppressed people all over the globe so they can rise up and take power back.  As a child growing up in Oakland during the ill-fated war on drugs in the early 1990s, he witnessed how one-sided and violent the march to true freedom really is.  Meanwhile, Wakanda has remained uncolonized and un-ravaged by slavery and colonization that stripped the rest of Africa of its people and riches.  

It asks the complex question: Is Wakanda wrong not to share their technology and riches with the outside world?  Seeing as how countries have plundered the Motherland for everything from diamonds to coffee to Shea Butter (and again PEOPLE) the easy and simple answer is no.  But as the world encroaches, it's becoming harder and harder to ignore the plight of the people around them. 

Nakia, a Wakandian spy, champions Wakanda starting a refugee program and reaching out to other nations.  It's an admirable idea and one that challenges T'Challa as both a king and a man.  It's also one of the many reasons why Black Panther is possible the most feminist movie yet (Sorry not sorry, Wonder Woman, you never should've left Themyscira).  While T'Challa wavers to rule as a new king, the women beside him remain unmoved in their convictions and will see them through no matter what it takes.  "I save my country," Nakia proclaims at an important tipping point in the film.  It is Okoye and Dora Milaje that bravely and epically challenge Killmonger in the movie's thrilling final battle that includes armored rhinos, Shuri pulling double-duty during the melee and a fight in an actual underground railroad.  It is Shuri who oversees the development of technology and is forever improving it.  It is Queen Ramonda (the underused Angela Bassett) who encourages Nakia to take the heart-shaped herb.  

Like in black culture, the women are the soul and strength of the film.  T'Challa is a better man and king because he listens to them.

Black Panther is a dense, lush and legendary film that doesn't make light of the real issues of oppression and colonization throughout the world.  "A kid running around Oakland believing in fairytales, can you believe that?" Killmonger scoffs, sadly.

The silver lining here that glints as brightly and proudly as Wakandian vibranium is that director Ryan Coogler was that kid from Oakland, and now he's sharing his fantastic fairytales with us.  Grade: A+

Photo Credit: Black Panther's Official Facebook page