I’ve been watching every Marvel film since I was old enough to know what one was and after watching “Black Panther” I was not disappointed. I’m the type of person to wait until the movie comes out on Netflix, but after hearing the huge hype I decided to pay the overpriced fare. It was worth every penny.

The PG-13 film is based on T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) who is the new king of Wakanda, a technologically advanced nation that is hidden in the jungles of Africa. It follows his rise to the throne and the struggles he goes through to keep it as a new “enemy” (Michael B. Jordan) compromises the safety of Wakanda and the rest of the world. The studio spent a massive $200 million to make the movie and it definitely showed on screen. The visual effects and storyline is incredible.

The use of many different landscapes brings the movie to new levels. The tribal costumes and makeup of the Wakanda natives were very intricate and show the enormous amount of effort put into the film.

“Black Panther” has the usual adventure and action that comes along with every Marvel film, but it is much more than that. “Black Panther” starts with a suspenseful scene of how the rest of Africa was colonized and taken away to become slaves and Wakanda had to be hidden. It shows that they did not need European influence to thrive as their country was more advanced than the entire world. The movie tackles racism, colonization and slavery. A breath of fresh air from most other movies, it consists of empowering black women and men. It includes a powerful army of all women and a seperate army of men who are portrayed as strong and determined. Even with the serious topics it maintains a light-hearted humor.

Director Ryan Coogler does a phenomenal job bringing all the aspects of a great movie together. It was two hours and 15 minutes well spent.