By Tatiauna Miller

I have been excited to see the movie Black Panther for months and this past Thursday night my wait was finally over. I attended a premier hosted by a local African American history tour company, the event itself had a red carpet, photo ops with Black Panther and swag bags. Let me tell you when black people are excited about something, we show up and show out! There were at least 1000 people there just for the event and most of the people came dressed up in Afrocentric garb. I even ordered an African Print shirt and headwrap from a store in the UK just for the event.

I showed up to the event about 5 minutes after it opened and the line was already out the door and around the movie theater! I walked to the end of the long line and I realized that “Damn, I bought VIP Tickets” so I walked all the way to the front and got in with no problems. But, why is it always so hot when a bunch of black people get together? I felt like I was in an oven the entire time I waited for my popcorn and drinks, I probably sweated off all my makeup too. Due to this being a sponsored event before the show we had to sit through some shout outs and a birthday song. Yes, I was annoyed but at the same time happy to be seeing this movie.

Blank Panther was amazing from beginning to the end. It was funny, sad, exciting and the costumes and cinematography were beautiful. There were a few moments that surprised me in the movie and I’m usually good at guessing what’s next. I appreciate how Marvel allows the character’s to be vulnerable and allows the viewer to see their flaws. In this film the lead character T’Challa/Black Panther becomes king after his father’s death which was shown in the Avenger’s Civil War movie and where most of us got to meet Black Panther for the first time. T’Challa played by Chadwick Boseman is vulnerable but has an overwhelming need to be a good man. The quote from the movie that stood out in my head was when his father told him “It’s hard for a good man to be king”, you see how he struggles to be a good man and a good king. Each cast member had their own internal struggles that they had to overcome and they played their part amazingly.

When I say the costumes and cinematography were beautiful, I mean it! The costume designer for the movie pulled ideas from all African tribes to create the futuristic but traditional feel of all the costumes. I could see influences from Masa Tribes, mountainous regions and as well plains people. Each tribe kept their own color schemes and style of dress. The colors made it seem so joyful for me to be able to share this masterpiece with these people.

Besides the amazing action scenes this film made me feel a few things. First, I felt joyful to see an actual African super hero star in their own movie. Growing up and having to choose from dolls and action figures that didn’t look like you, bothered me since I was an adult. I’m also happy to see the female warriors that T’Challa had with him throughout the city, they are called Dora Milaja. The other thing that stuck out was the idea that most of the king’s friends wanted him to open up the borders. I think I yelled No” to the movie creen, I felt so concerned about his choice in the movie, It stayed with me throughout the entire film.

My only suggestion is to get your tickets soon and prepare to be amazed!

Thanks for giving me your time! Have a beautiful day, laugh more and live more!

[si-contact-form form=’3′]