Marvel just released their newest film, "Black Panther," directed by Ryan Coogler. This film has been long awaited for many different reasons, and it certainly delivered. Personally, I think that this was the best film that Marvel has released in a long time, and that's coming from someone who has seen and thoroughly enjoyed all of Marvel's films. This one has all the heart and action that you'd expect from a superhero film, but it also has so much more than that. It has a richer culture to it than any other Marvel movie before it, and the characters (standalone and their relationships to each other) are beautifully complex.

"Black Panther" was a ground-breaking film for cinema in general, but especially for the superhero genre in particular. This was Coogler's third film after "Creed" (2015) and "Fruitvale Station" (2013). "Black Panther" was directed and powered by extremely dedicated and talented people of color, and the diversity in the cast brought such important representation to the spotlight in a genre that has been blindingly white in the past. There was a lot of pressure on this film, whether it was clearly stated or not, because it is the first in the genre to have a nearly all-black cast and it was bringing a whole new approach to comic book films and superhero lifestyles.

Coogler took this pressure, along with his passion and dedication to detail and made this film miraculous in every aspect. It lived up to and surpassed a lot of different expectations that people had. He paid due respect to the multiple different cultures that have been and still are present in different countries in Africa. From the costumes to the fighting styles and value of tradition, it was clear that he wanted Wakanda to be as realistic and honest as possible.

The movie tackles the complexities of culture and history specifically for people of color from Africa who are still in Africa as well as in the United States. The characters address the erasure of their personal past, as well as the intricacies that divide their tribes into the present day. Along with this, there is the discussion of the hardships that people of color face all over the world in present day and how it impacts the way that they live their lives and develop as people. There is such a strong rallying around pride for one's country and people, and paying respect to the history and traditions of them. Coogler does an amazing job of creating a setting that is completely separate from the effects of Eurocentrism and gives it a rich culture and history of its own.

Along with the beautiful historical and cultural aspects of "Black Panther," the characterization that we see in the film is absolutely amazing and the characters are so powerful in their own ways. We have the main character T'Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman, who we were introduced to in "Captain America: Civil War." This film builds on the introduction that we got in "Civil War" and gives us a much more complete picture of who T'Challa really is and how much heart he has. There is more to him than the stoic warrior that we saw originally. We also have our antagonist Erik Killmonger played by Michael B. Jordan, and even though he is technically the "bad guy," his character still has so much to offer in this film and Jordan's portrayal of him will blow you out of the water. There is so much passion portrayed by both Boseman and Jordan that you can't help but to become overly invested in their characters.

Then there are the powerful women of "Black Panther." From the get-go, we knew that the women in this film were going to be power-houses. T'Challa might be Black Panther, and Killmonger might be the mighty villain, but the women of Wakanda were not going to be shown up or overshadowed by the men. They were fighting and strategizing and saving the day right alongside them. The secret service for the king of Wakanda is called the Dora Milaje, an all-female group of cutthroat women who are ready to do anything for king and country. The general Okoye, portrayed by Danai Gurira, is the warrior that anyone wishes they could be. She's tough, stands her ground, won't take any flack from anyone, and not to mention she has some of the sickest fight moves in the film. If anyone ever wanted to be protected by someone, they would be lucky to find someone half as talented and strong and dedicated as Okoye.

There is also Nakia, played by Luptia Nyong'o. She's a Wakandan spy who has a romantic history with T'Challa. But even though that is the case, she doesn't get cast aside and reduced to a romantic subplot. She is vital to the success of T'Challa and Wakanda as a country, all the while her mission is to help as many people outside of Wakanda as she possibly can with the means that she has. She's an agent and a warrior and a beloved member of Wakanda.

Then there's Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, a Wakandan princess and T'Challa's little sister. But her character is so much more than just those two things. She is the smartest person in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hands-down. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner have nothing on the technological and scientific know-how of this quick-witted young woman. For someone who is a teenager, she has more accomplishments under her belt than most of us will achieve in...a very long time. I wholeheartedly support it. She's smart and powerful and has a laboratory that puts Tony Stark's to shame. She's an integral part of the plot and imperative to the technological development of Wakanda.

Not only are T'Challa and Shuri great standalone characters, but their dynamic as siblings is so full of love and humor-- the way that sibling relationships should be. They clearly care for each other and want to protect each other, but there is still the banter and bickering that anyone with siblings knows is a part of the deal no matter how much you love each other. The royal family as a whole is the healthiest and most complete family dynamic that has been present in a Marvel film. There is so much love between everyone even though they don't always see eye to eye and that's what family is about. They have a history filled with hardships and successes and it has built them into the close-knit powerful family that they are, and I'm excited to see the more of their development as individuals and as a family unit.

This film was about culture, heart, passion, power, family, and tradition. Coogler, as well as the entire crew of actors, did an amazing job of building up the country and culture of Wakanda and bringing life to the characters. This film had it all, from amazing scenery to well-choreographed fight sequences to rich family dynamics to a stellar soundtrack. "Black Panther" has something for everyone, even if you aren't someone who tends to be a huge comic book movie fan.

If you can't tell, I highly recommend you show this movie support while it's still in theaters if you're able to. If not, you can always stream the soundtrack that was produced by Kendrick Lamar on Spotify to hold you over until you're able to watch it.