Black Panther (4½ Stars)

This is it. This is the film people have been raving about all year. Judging by its initial performance it could be the most successful film of the year.

It's a great film, though not the best in the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe series. I think that "Captain America: Civil War" was a better film. Nevertheless, I can understand its popularity. It's the right film at the right time. In recent films it's been claimed that Hollywood films aren't black enough, i.e. they don't have enough black actors. In "Black Panther" almost every actor is black. Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis stand out as notable exceptions.

It's also a very empowering film for black people. The fictional central African kingdom of Wakanda is presented as the technologically most advanced country on Earth.

The film impresses in the way it combines futuristic technology with African culture. The tribal dances and rituals are a realistic mixture of what's practised in other African countries. The only unrealistic element is the way that women have leading positions in Wakanda, but if Wakanda is an advanced country it's logical that it's developed beyond the patriarchal societies that surround it.

This is the last film before "Infinity War", the climax of all the MCU films so far. Judging by the trailer T'Challa, the Black Panther, will play an important part. Sadly, I don't expect that "Infinity War" will live up to the comics on which it's based. Too much has been swapped and changed. But I'll give it a chance. It will probably be as good as any film based on comics can be.