First Black Panther Reactions Hail It As A Beautiful Masterpiece

Director Ryan Coogler is on the rise.

Following the back-to-back success of Fruitvale Station and Creed – two hard-hitting dramas featuring Michael B. Jordan (Fantastic Four), who’s now collaborated with Coogler a third time in order to play the villainous Erik Killmonger – the filmmaker has taken the plunge into Hollywood’s thriving comic book movie scene. And it looks like his first venture in the genre will be one to remember.

That’s right, Black Panther has generated a metric ton of buzz ahead of its theatrical debut next month and unsurprisingly, it’ll be 2018’s biggest opening thus far, while also being the first major tentpole of the year. And what a tentpole it’s shaping up to be. Not that we had any doubt, mind you, but it’s now confirmed that Marvel’s got another mega hit on their hands as the first wave of reactions have surfaced (full reviews are still under embargo until next week) and as expected, they’re absolutely glowing.

Here’s a sample of what the critics are saying so far:

https://twitter.com/jtyboone/status/958218249400868865

https://twitter.com/jenyamato/status/958219135623741440

https://twitter.com/briantruitt/status/958219092439248897

#BlackPanther is hands down my FAVORITE @Marvel movie so far! Also, the women in this movie KICK ASS!!! Freaking spectacular! pic.twitter.com/0So83tUt1z

— Jenna Busch-Henderson (@JennaBusch) January 30, 2018

https://twitter.com/davidehrlich/status/958218243000463365

BLACK PANTHER is the most spiritual Marvel movie yet! Family and heritage is a big part of the story — there are moments in this movie that get real deep. Danai Gurira is a scene-stealer and the movie elevates whenever Michael B. Jordan shows up. #BlackPanther pic.twitter.com/KIxiAItnEY

— Jason Guerrasio (@JasonGuerrasio) January 30, 2018

Excited yet? Good, because we’ve got even more reactions below:

https://twitter.com/ErikDavis/status/958218220153917440

#BlackPanther is riveting on many levels: visually astonishing, but more importantly, so unpredictable. Incredible to watch a major blockbuster celebrate blackness while exploring its relationship to various facets of pop culture. “Stop scaring me,” colonizer!” #wakanda4ever

— erickohn (@erickohn) January 30, 2018

#BlackPanther: I never wanted this movie to end, and as soon as it did I wanted to go back. Solid action, smart story, tons of personality. Shuri is my new fave, Nakia is everything, Killmonger is incredible, T'Challa deserves to rule the MCU. Coogler has done it again. 💜🖤💙 pic.twitter.com/t9gG3DLuCL

— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) January 30, 2018

https://twitter.com/eeisenberg/status/958218356158431232

https://twitter.com/shawnxmadden/status/958218332452171776

With T’Challa at its core and an entire nation (read: Wakanda) ready to be explored, Black Panther also features an A-list cast comprised of the aforementioned Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and The Last Jedi duo Andy Serkis and Lupita Nyong’o, the latter of whom seemingly signed on to star as Nakia without so much as reading the script.

And we’ll get to see them all in action very soon, as Black Panther claws its way into theaters on February 16th here in the States, and when it does, Marvel Studios will purportedly be staring down the face of an opening weekend in the region of $100M-$120M. That figure could climb higher still, given the good word of mouth and positive buzz, and it’ll be fascinating to watch how well the film ultimately performs.