Early reaction to the first standalone film for Marvel's King of Wakanda was overwhelmingly positive with great praise in particular from POC critics.
Long live the king!
Early reactions from the Black Panther premiere are coming in from the Dolby Theatre, where audiences were treated to the first screening of the film. Reviews have not yet hit for Marvel Studios' superhero project, so this is the first word fans awaiting its Feb. 16 release date are getting.
If you don’t understand the power of representation, imagine growing up never seeing a superhero who looks like you. When American Girl dolls came out I always picked Addy who had to escape slavery. But now kids have #BlackPanther’s Nakia, Shuri and Okoye. Dope on many levels.
— Natasha Alford 🇵🇷 (@NatashaSAlford) January 30, 2018
And everybody was here: Kendrick, Janelle, Ava, Yara, Donald Glover, Issa, Kumail, Amber Riley, Lena, David O. #BlackPanther
— Tre'vell Anderson (@TrevellAnderson) January 30, 2018
Shuri, played by @letitiawright, is absolutely delightful. I love that Shuri is so at ease with her brilliance and genius. And her scenes with T'Challa are so funny! #BlackPanther pic.twitter.com/Rch7LfSlqM
— ReBecca Theodore-Vachon (@FilmFatale_NYC) January 30, 2018
Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger is the MCU's best villain thus far. His comments on colonialism as well as his motivations defined on imperialism...yo... #BlackPanther #BlackPantherSoLit
— Brandon Norwood (@bwood0824) January 30, 2018
THR has collected together a snapshot of early responses to director Ryan Coogler's film, which stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, as well as Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright.
The story arc of Eric Killmonger will strike a heavy cord for every African-American who was raised here.
— Mellow Marketer (@MellowMarketer) January 30, 2018
It puts tears in my eyes, made me grit my teeth and broke me before the credits.
Will discuss more on @FanBrosShow#BlackPanther
Across the board, the reaction to Black Panther was overwhelmingly positive with those lucky enough to see the film early praising the performances, the story, the costumes, the direction and the cinematic realization of the African kingdom of Wakanda.
BLACK PANTHER is like a Marvel movie, but better. the action is predictably awful, but this is the first MCU film that has an actual sense of identity & history & musicality. Wakanda is alive. whole cast is great but the women (and the war rhinos) steal the show — Danai Gurira!
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) January 30, 2018
Black reviewers and geek sites, in particular, were effusive for the positive representations of black women. Natasha Alford, an editor at The Grio, made the point that there will be a generation of kids growing up seeing superheroes that look like them. The Los Angeles Times' Tre'vell Anderson called Black Panther a "love letter about blackness." ReBecca Theodore-Vachon, who has written for Forbes and RogerEbert.com, was one among many who felt that Wright's Shuri and Gurira's Okoye were important and necessary portraits of black women not seen in superhero movies before. Many black reviewers also praised Coogler's deft handling of issues of identity and imperialism.
#BlackPanther is exceptional - the James Bond of the MCU. You've seen nothing like this in a superhero movie - it's bold, beautiful & intense, but there's a depth & spiritualness that is unlike anything Marvel has ever done. It's 100% African & it is dope af. pic.twitter.com/Z77IjnIjf2
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) January 30, 2018
“Black Panther” is one of Marvel’s most ambitious works and includes, in Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger, a top tier villain for Marvel or otherwise. He owns every scene he’s in and the film is everything it’s been billed as. Long may it reign. pic.twitter.com/KajWk3PNRm
— Frank Pallotta (@frankpallotta) January 30, 2018
Jen Yamato from the Los Angeles Times was also brimming with enthusiasm about Black Panther and the wider themes it tackled such as "representation and identity." Indiewire's David Ehrlich, while deriding the action scenes, also noted the film's "actual sense" of identity and history. Slash Film's Peter Scrietta called it Marvel's "most political film." Fandango's Erik Davis said the movie was "100% African and it's dope AF." Uproxx's Mike Ryan chimed in on the political nature of the film adding that Black Panther was a movie "with a lot to say."
Among the major film and entertainment reporters, CNN's Frank Pallotta praised Jordan as a "top tier" Marvel villain, a view echoed by Mashable's Angie Han who tweeted that she "didn't want the movie to end." Collider's Steven Weintraub confidently predicted that the Black Panther would make "serious" big office.
#marvel does it again with 'Black Panther'. Very impressed with the story and filmmaking. @michaelb4jordan absolutely kills it as the villain and is the best one since Loki. Also @DanaiGurira kicks so much ass and I loved every second of it. Going to make serious $. pic.twitter.com/YBrg2x3Nnz
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) January 30, 2018
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