Black Panther review

I walked into Black Panther with a vague idea of the plot, barely remembering the events leading to this movie, and a little tired from trying to keep all the Marvel movies straight.

And then I met the women of Black Panther.

T’Challa returns home to  mourn his father’s death and become king, and we get a look at the true Wakanda. The world believes Wakanda is a poor country, but what Wakandans know and won’t tell is how their resources have turned their home into a magical, advanced, and very well hidden society.

What started as five ancient tribes fighting over vibranium became one tribe led by a king with the power of the Black Panther. They joined knowledge and power, working together to keep celebrate their beautiful culture and develop their technology.

T’Challa is welcomed home by his mother, who assures him that now is his time to rule, and his sister, who demands her present, laughs at his feelings, and flips him off. But then she gives him a newer better suit fueled with crazy vibranium tech that she developed.

She’s pretty cool.

T’Challa is the sensitive leader, the heartfelt king, and the powerful warrior. Shuri is everything else. She’s the engineer, the scientist, the doctor. She designs technology and studies resources and heals people. She’s incredibly smart and level headed. She may not be a warrior but she is a Wakandan princess and knows what to do in battle.

Her fresh humor and unrestrained sass makes her the favorite in every scene. I especially love the last scene, showing her working as a doctor in a poverty stricken area. Wakanda has stepped up and moved forward, reaching out to the rest of the world to offer their resources. T’Challa may be the one in the suit, making the decisions, but Shuri is the engineer behind the tech and the doctor with the advanced methods.

Shuri is not alone in her stre ngth. Wakanda is built on ancient rituals kept alive by its women warriors who protect their king and country, led by Okoye. Okoye has the exasperating task of keeping T’Challa alive and watching his back when he’s making an idiot of himself in front of Wakanda’s best spy and his ex-girlfriend, Nakia.

Okoye is solely dedicated to her country, while Nakia is looking for ways Wakanda can help others. Nakia wants Wakanda to use its strength to heal the world, but not everyone feels the same way. T’Challa’s cousin, Erik, attempts to kill him and take the throne so he can use vibranium to overthrow the world leaders.

T’Challa struggles with knowledge he learns of his father and has to decide what king he is going to be. He sees the poverty and illness in the world, the corruption and evil. He sees the goodness in his people. He leads with a desire to stay true to his ancestors, take care of his people, and bring justice to those who threaten them.

Okoye keeps T’Challa alive, Shuri keeps him updated with the best tech and suits, and Nakia asks him the difficult questions to inspire him and force him to decide. Nokia pushes him to be a better person and a wiser king. She has an overwhelming drive to improve the world and help people, giving T’Challa the extra shove he needs to go from a good king to an innovative king.

The women in this movie astound me. They are strong and smart and incredible. They push people and barriers, creating new possibilities, protecting everything they love, and fighting for everything Wakanda represents. They are truly the strength of their culture and this movie.