“Black Panther” was a wild movie to watch from start to finish. It is an action-packed superhero movie about the king of Wakanda defending his homeland from the forces of evil.

This superhero’s first appearance was in comic book issue #52 of Fantastic Four back in 1966. The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements that were going on during the 1960’s and 1970’s were heavy influences on this particular Marvel Comics Avenger.

Centuries ago, a meteorite containing a powerful undiscovered element called vibranium landed somewhere deep in Africa. A warrior ingested a “heart-shaped herb” that grew from where the meteorite landed and gained powerful abilities such as superhuman speed and strength. This warrior became known as the first Black Panther.

The kingdom of Wakanda is very futuristic and sophisticated with technology that the rest of the world has never seen, thanks to the power of vibranium.. This kingdom is hidden inside of Africa, disguised as a developing nation, so very few outsiders know of this kingdom’s existence.

Chadwick Boseman plays T’Challa, the present king of Wakanda. His father was the previous king, but he gets murdered and T’Challa becomes the next Black Panther.

Something that stood out about the movie was the amount of ethnic diversity. Every citizen of Wakanda is of African descent, so most of the actors are black people. Compared to other superhero movies, it was refreshing to see representation of other people that didn’t just include white males.

Also, the female characters in this film are very empowering. There is no typical “damsel-in-distress” cliche in this film. When their country is being threatened, every man and woman fight honorably to protect their homeland.

Three of my favorite characters in the film are Nakia, Okoye and Shuri. Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong’o, is an undercover spy and T’Challa’s ex-girlfriend. Okoye, played by Danai Gurira, is the head of an all-female special forces unit who serve as T’Challa bodyguards. Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, is the princess of Wakanda and T’Challa’s younger sister. She designed the Black Panther suit and other technology that the country uses.

The soundtrack of this movie is also amazing. Most of the background music are hip-hop songs that fit very well with the film. One particular song that played during a chase scene called “Opps” had me dancing in my seat.

Although the movie gets a lot of things right, I found myself confused with some parts. Certain scenes just jumped around and some characters’ motivations made little sense to me. But the action in this movie makes up for all of that. The fight scenes are so action-packed that viewers in the crowd that were in the theater I was in were yelling at the screen! It was so wild.

I would recommend anyone to watch this movie. I was unfamiliar with the comics and I usually don’t like watching superhero movies due to how lengthy they are, but “Black Panther” gets it right. It is definitely an exciting film to watch in theaters. You won’t want to miss it!