Black Panther is the first black standalone Marvel superhero movie and has gained praise for its adventure and its portrayal of a majestic Africa.
The Disney movie which premieres next week boasted an early Rotten Tomatoes score of 100 percent after the first 55 reviews posted on Tuesday.
The movie is expected to bring in some $150 million at the North American box office on its opening weekend.
Directed by Ryan Coogler and featuring a predominantly black cast including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong‘o and Angela Bassett, “Black Panther” was hailed by the Daily Beast as “a love letter to every black person” and “a correction for years of diversity neglect” by Rolling Stone, Reuters said.
“There’s no mistaking you’re still in the Marvel universe here, but this entry sweeps you off to a part of it you’ve never seen: a hidden lost world in Africa defined by royal traditions and technological wonders that open up refreshing new dramatic, visual and casting possibilities,” The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy said in his review.
Black Panther tells the story of T‘Challa, the newly crowned king of the fictional, technologically advanced African nation Wakanda, who is challenged from factions within his own country.
The movie arrives after years of criticism about the under representation of actors and filmmakers of color in Hollywood, including the #OscarsSoWhite campaign that prompted the Academy of Motion Pictures to increase diversity in its predominantly white, male membership, the report said.
Lupita Nyong’o is set for a red carpet reception in her hometown of Kisumu, western Kenya when the new movie premiers next week.
The Kenyan born Oscar winner plays a major role in the movie, starring as Nakia, a high-ranking member of the Wakanda royal family.
