Before I start, I want to emphasize that there might be spoilers. So if you haven’t watched and don’t want any spoilers, I recommend not reading this. The movie starts off in a very elegant way in which Chadwick Boseman (Black panther) is honored. Lots of dance, music, and culture is involved as well as multiple flashbacks to Chadwick. In my opinion, the movie starts off well but progresses to the main plot very slowly. This might be a good or bad thing based on personal preferences since some people like longer movies while others like short movies that get to the point fast.

Also, there are new characters added and these characters actually serve main roles in the movie. These characters helped thicken the plot and there was one specific one that was a main contribution to the plot. What’s interesting is that that character was a foreigner (from the USA) and a college student which is unique compared to the other characters in the movie.

The representation of different groups is also great. In this movie, there was a group of people called the “Mayans” and the Mayans were at first, in an argument with the Wakandans but by the end of the movie, they reached agreement. There were fights with amazing surreal action scenes and visuals which made the movie ten times better.

Another note would be that there was a different setting other than just Wakanda as well as the mentioning and viewership of other countries/relations. One specific thing that stood out to me was the mentioning of neo-colonialism. Neo colonialism is when countries (usually powerful countries) use political, economic, and other forms of coercion/pressure to impact other countries. The victims of Neo-colonialism are most commonly African, young, poor, and developing nations. It is amazing that they showcased an issue that is affecting millions of people and shows the true thought and effort behind the movie. Nowadays, movies mention issues dealing mostly with the west or just the U.S.A but this movie mentioned an issue that is rarely talked about but is a huge problem. It also showcased great representation of Africans in a way that wasn’t stereotypical or “over the top”. For example, in the movie, many of the intelligent minds behind the technology are African. It also showcased an African nation with peace and development which is contrary to many of the stereotypical African representations we see. Also, we see Africans in not just cultural or entertainment roles but also engineering, doctoring, teaching, etc. Whereas, in many movies, the Africans get the roles of entertainers or aggressors.

If you’re still questioning watching the movie, here are a few reviews from students at Towson High School that have watched the movie.

● Review #1: This person rated the movie a nine out of ten. They stated that there was lots of action and the movie being in 3D made it better. This person loved the flashbacks to Chadwick Boseman as well as the representation of black people. They also stated that they liked the plot as well as the character progression. For them, the only downside was that the movie was too long.

● Review #2: This person rated the movie a seven out of ten. They stated that it was a generally good movie but the first half was boring and it took too long to get to the plot. Lastly, they said that the fight scene between the Mayans and Wakandans was cool.

● Review #3: This person rated the movie a five out of ten. They stated that the movie was boring but the last half saved it.

● Review #4: This person rated the movie an eight and a half out of ten. They said it was good and overall, a great movie.

● Review #5: This person rated the movie a nine out of ten. They said there was lots of great representation of the Mayans and Africans. They also said that there was lots of focus on Chadwick and those parts were emotional. Lastly, they said that the only bad part was that they took too long to get to the plot.

On average, these reviews gave the movie a good rating. I would recommend it for people that like long, meaningful, and action-packed movies. However, this is a movie that I recommend everyone to watch!