Last night I took my parents and wife to see Marvel Studios latest Superhero offering. The buzz surrounding the movie for almost a year at one point in this writers mind was almost too much as I feared the movie couldn’t possibly withstand all the hype. This publication says this another says that. DELUX Magazine sent our Editor In Chief and 8 lucky people to an advanced screening earlier this week and the feedback was on par with the many reviews and the almost 100% Rotten Tomatoes score it received.

black panther

Such is life, that one has to experience a thing before they can truly understand or appreciate it. It is my own experience that I would like to share here from the view-point of man who used to worship every hero that came across the small or big screen growing up. Please do not worry there are no spoilers here and no real analysis either just thoughts I would like to share after seeing Black Panther hours ago.

We used to watch Bruce Lee movies and want to be him or watch superhero movies and want to be them. Black Panther was other worldly and I think that is what lends to its appeal. For the first time after watching a movie I don’t want to kick my enemies asses or have super powers. I just want to be a good King.

 

black panther

I know some of our more melanin challenged readership may dread the fact that I am bringing “race” into this post but if you knew me, then you’d know that I do not believe in the separation of the races. If you really care for people you should understand the importance of young black boys and girls especially, to see these images on the silver screen. It would be insane to compare such a sight as the election of the first black president of the US in former US President Barack Hussein Obama, but I am slightly insane and say, yeah in a very, very small way that is what this experience was like. Consider Shaka Zulu never meeting Caucasians and instead going to an Avatar like planet. It’s just different and we need something different.

 

I believe it is important to see the richness of African culture, albeit in a fictional country of Wakanda for everyone. While the setting may be made up, the heritage, the pride, texture, landscape, appreciation of tradition, and yes the full onscreen blackness of it all should be adored as a great spectacle. I wonder how many of the African diaspora will yearn to explore the richness of Africa that is present in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, the Ivory Coast, and many other African nations after watching Black Panther.

#WakandaForever indeed in the way a movie can move someone to dream or imagine themselves as a good king blessed with an opportunity to lead a people. Peter Travers, of Rolling Stone said, “You have never seen anything like it.”, I simply just have to agree and I pray that we will get to see much more of it. Next up for MCU is Avenger’s Infinity War and the Black Panther will be returning there, but I have to say that I cannot wait to see another Black Panther movie. As a friend of mine once spit in a rhyme, “gotta thank God for Ryan Coogler!” Coogler wrote and directed something very powerful here.

© 2018 Marvel Studios

© 2018 Marvel Studios

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DeWarren Smith
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