Is it too much of an overstatement to say that a movie, this movie, might change things? Things that have needed changing for a looong time.

Where was T’Challa when I was a kid being raised by my single mother in a not too bad, not too great neighborhood in Memphis? Maybe I wouldn’t have been called a nerd or Steve Urkel just because I was black and had glasses. Maybe “acting” or “speaking white” wouldn’t have been a phrase I had to hear all the dang time. What if the fake Wakanda were a part of the lexicon?

I can’t say enough good things about this movie – although it had a few minor flaws. It gathered some of the best of the best and current.

• A leading man contending for an Oscar? Check.
• Angela Bassett? Check.
• Forest Whitaker? Check.
• A leading player from a popular TV show? Check.
• The guy who is going to play every famous black person ever? Check.
• Michael B. Freaking Jordan? Heck yeah – even though he may have been UNDER used.
• Lupita – who never impressed me before was a rockstar here
• An awesome talented new female lead? Check, Check, check (best part of the movie in my opinion)

Ryan Coogler is gonna be a director to watch. Heck, he already is. His collaborations with Jordan alone have brought us Fruitvale Station, Creed and now Black Panther. All feature intelligent African American leading me and straddling that fine line between mainstream and stereotypical.

This movie is so big you just can’t ignore it. It can’t be stopped. The financial accolades are great but what it is, the care in how it was made and the storytelling are even greater. Marvel did such a great job pulling this off – can you imagine if it was awful? If word had come out that they tried to be cheap on this movie? Kudos to this amazing studio for another great product. I wasn’t excited for Black Panther’s inclusion in Civil War…I AM super pumped for the eventual Black Panther 2 sometime next decade probably.

All I know is my son had better get ready to have a wardrobe FULL of Black Panther gear now and for a long time.

Wakanda Forever!