For the past few months, the talk revolving around Marvel’s newest endeavor Black Panther has been growing nonstop. Friday, Feb. 16 finally saw its release.

The movie stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, otherwise known as Black Panther. The rest of the main cast includes Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, Forest Whitaker, and others.

Of course, the main cast of all Marvel films is critical to its success, but especially so for Black Panther. For the first time in the Marvel Universe, the cast is made up of almost entirely black actors and actresses, which is the major reason it has garnered so much notoriety.

For many, Black Panther is more than just a superhero film. Not unlike Wonder Woman’s contribution to the empowerment of women, having a black-central cast for a superhero film within such a successful and popular enterprise is a defining moment for black America and an example of much-needed representation in the movie industry.

Aside from the cultural statement it makes, the movie’s content itself is groundbreaking. Although it is a superhero movie and obviously features superhuman abilities, it seems that the strongest sources of power for many of the characters comes from their emotional, human aspects.

The characters are all undeniably human, and most of the film is focused on political, familial, and moral battles that are fought without the use of superpowers. Director Ryan Coogler seems to have put a major emphasis on humanizing the characters, even the villains, in the story’s narrative.

Above all, the movie is impressive in its visual performance. The fictional land of Wakanda is illustrated to include impressive technological features yet artistic and majestic elements in the land’s more rural areas. Perhaps most intriguing and beautiful is the clear admiration of African culture that shows in the makeup and costume design for the Wakandans.

In short, Marvel yet again sets the bar much higher in the movie industry. Black Panther is a tasteful tribute to Afro American culture that includes elements previously foreign to the Marvel Universe while still maintaining its ties to the rest of the Marvel franchise, as we see in Stan Lee’s iconic cameo in a casino and a post-credit scene featuring one Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

Black Panther’s success sets the tone for the eagerly awaited Avengers: Infinity War coming May 4.