I had the pleasure of being able to see Black Panther on the opening weekend, and, of course, like everyone else, I loved it! The theater was packed with people wearing traditional African clothing, which added to the excitement of the movie. All of this led to a wonderful experience that culminated in my appreciation of the movie’s representation of Black and African culture, which was impeccable.

So why is this movie so important to people? Why was it more hyped up than other Marvel movies? The simple and obvious answer is, the cast! The cast clearly looks like no other Marvel cast before. It was very important for black people to see themselves portrayed in roles of power instead of playing slaves or people from inner cities. The excitement leading up to the movie’s release was met with similar excitement following each showing as people came out of the theater thrilled with what they’d seen. Social media wasted no time creating memes with funny references to the movie, which brought even more attention and made people who had not seen it yet want to see what all they hype is about.

This movie was so important for Black and African culture, because we got the representation that we deserve.This movie had a strong sense of culture and true meaning behind it, something that other Marvel movies lack overall. It had a great balance of humor, action, and dealing with deep rooted issues such as slavery in America, and how it seems like leaders can turn their backs on the rest of the world, to protect their own.

Even though the country of Wakanda is fictional, it stood for something much more than just a fictional setting for a movie. Wakanda stands for the power that Black people hold. It stood for hope, and strength. This movie provided a new perspective on African culture to those who may not have been very knowledgeable on it.

In the film, Wakanda is a very advanced civilization with innovative technology that can be found nowhere else on earth. This painted the continent of Africa in a very positive light, which is quite important when you think about the very common and very negative stereotypes that follow Africa, stereotypes that are mostly about poverty and struggle, not advanced civilizations. It was great to see and hear Africans be so happy and proud to see some positive representation of their culture.

This is the kind of movie that people will never stop talking about. I guarantee that generations from now people will still be watching this movie and its likely sequels with their kids. This was a huge deal in society. It is described as a “groundbreaking” and “revolutionary” film, and that it exactly what it is. If you are a part of the few who have not seen the film or have expressed little interest in going, it’s time to change that mindset and go see it. You won’t regret it.