When Black Panther came out I wasn't in a hurry to see it. The MCU had lost a little of its sparkle by then for me. It had been slightly reinvigorated by Thor: Ragnarok, but Ant-Man and Doctor Strange had dented my enthusiasm for Phase Three, and in truth Black Panther wasn't a character I was familiar with? The success of the film however, and the critical acclaim that followed it as a game-changer for both director Ryan Coogler and his mainly Black cast of actors, and it introduced me properly to Chadwick Boseman, an actor I'd only seen in Draft Day and 42. Boseman had charm and charisma to burn, and although I think the film benefitted from that large cast, that included the class of Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o, and Michael B. Jordan, Boseman put his own stamp on the production.

This is my first revisit since December 2018, and despite enjoying it just as much as on my initial watch, this still didn't hit me the way it hit others. Like all the MCU films, the CGI is sometimes too much, and although the actual story here is an engaging one, it just didn't grab me like some of the other films have. I also appreciate that this was aimed at a different demographic too, demonstrated by the audience % of African Americans that turned out for the film Stateside, a positive thing in terms of a swing towards diversity in Hollywood. The loss of Chadwick Boseman was a blow to the franchise, and although I haven't yet seen Wakanda Forever, I'm sure it'll be a fitting tribute to the man most people will most identify with as Black Panther. There's real talent within this cast to carry the baton into the next instalments, it's just a pity Boseman wasn't here to see it.