‘Black Panther’ early buzz is hailing the movie as a defining cinematic moment

DISNEY and Marvel Studios might be embargoing critics’ full “Black Panther” reviews until Feb 6, but they aren’t forbidding them and other influencers from now sharing their reactions on social media.

And the fi rst wave of responses after Monday night’s red- carpet rollout in Los Angeles contains superlatives that are rare for even the best Marvel movies.

Los Angeles Times writer Jen Yamato was quick out of the gate with her response on Monday night, praising the fi lm — which hits theatres Feb 16 — as “incredible, kinetic, purposeful.” She also lauded how the fi lm forcefully depicts issues of representation and identity.

Natasha Alford, deputy editor of the Grio, called the fi lm “dope on so many levels,” and singled out the Wakandan women played by Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira as overdue symbols of diverse superhero representation.

Similarly, Entertainment Weekly contributor ReBecca Theodore-Vachon said that the fi lm’s representation of black women “made me feel seen.” She was also among numerous writers who said that director Ryan Coogler has “changed the game” for Marvel’s universe.

Essence editor-in- chief Vanessa K. DeLuca likewise hailed both Coogler and the fi lm’s potential impact on younger viewers.

And there are the exhortations from celebrities, with perhaps no compliment surpassing that of Jill Scott, who tweeted that “Black Panther” surpassed another Disney franchise, “Star Wars.”

While some industry skeptics have repeatedly warned that “superhero fatigue” will soon plague the multiplex, “The Black Panther” is striking some viewers as an invigorating shot in the arm to superhero cinema — at least rivalling the cultural moment that WB/DC’s “Wonder Woman” became last year. “Wonder Woman” grossed US$ 821.8 million worldwide, more than any other fi lm solodirected by a woman.

As Deadline reported early this month, Fandango presales for “The Black Panther” in the fi rst 24 hours outpaced every previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, including 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War,” in which Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther/T’Challa made his debut. “Civil War” went on to gross US$ 1.15 billion worldwide.

No fi lm with a predominantly black cast has ever topped the billion- dollar mark at the worldwide box office. — WPBloomberg