I’m going to be honest. I totally missed Black Panther when it was in theaters. It wasn’t intentional, and it was actually kind of painful. I saw the glowing reviews and fawning praise online, and I desperately wanted to see it. But to paraphrase a familiar tagline, Life finds a way . . . to keep you busy.

Then Infinity War came along, and I felt woefully behind on my MCU. How could I go into the biggest event of the Marvel cinematic universe a film behind? I felt like a bad nerd. But even more so, I felt like a bad dad.

Over the past year, I’ve been delighting in the MCU with my kids, who are now old enough to see and appreciate the films. We started with the original Iron Man and made our way through all of them. So omitting Black Panther seemed especially unforgivable.

Needless to say, I was EAGERLY awaiting the home video release of the film, which is this week!

And man oh man, does it not disappoint. But you already knew that, right? There’s really no point in telling you what the movie is about or doing a review here. Not everyone is as behind as I am.

So, with one of the most anticipated family movie nights in recent memory, we finally caught up with Wakanda and were blown away by Black Panther. In a film that boasts so many incredible highlights and notable firsts, it’s the role of women that made the most lasting impact and had my kids bubbling up with excitement throughout the film.

Yes, Chadwick Boseman was great as T’Challa/Black Panther, but Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright stole the show. No contest.

The messages of the film surely aren’t lost, and much has been written about the groundbreaking story and cultural impact it’s had. But I love that Nyong’o recognizes the effect these portrayals can have among ALL of us: “I love the way Black Panther represents women. Each and every one of us [in the movie] is an individual. We all have our own sense of power and we hold our own space without being pitted against each other. I think that’s a very, very powerful message to send to children – both male and female.”

Indeed.

I should also mention that both of my kids were relatively unfamiliar with the character of Black Panther, with Wakanda, and with their place in the larger Marvel universe. They knew T’Challa from Captain America: Civil War, but that was about it.

Our movie nights are usually simple affairs (popcorn and a darkened room are typically all we need), but I need to point out that these bingo cards were a BIG hit. My daughter, especially, was engrossed in the film and checking off characters, events, places, and symbols as she saw them. Click the image below if you want to download your own bingo cards.

Wakanda forever!