The release of “Black Panther” has been anticipated for during this last year, but the excitement has heightened as “Black Panther The Album” released last week. The album lead by Kendrick Lamar features artists such as Khalid, SZA and 2 Chainz. The release of the album comes before the release of the movie, which comes to theaters on Feb.16.

Not only is “Black Panther” another Marvel superhero masterpiece, it also is a stepping stone for more diversity in Hollywood. The combination of an African American director, an almost completely African American cast and a soundtrack produced by Lamar gives audiences a movie to be excited about.

The movie follows the story of T’Challa, who has taken his father’s place as leader of an advanced African nation named Wakanda. Conflict arises when villains of Wakanda attempt to dethrone and replace T’Challa for their own royalty. In order to keep Wakanda safe, T’Challa must use his power as the Black Panther to defeat the villains and keep Wakanda clear of war.

The creation of Wakanda, a fictional utopia land in Africa, has historical and metaphorical meaning.

“Wakanda is a kind of black utopia in our fight against colonialism and imperial control of black land and black people by white people,” said Deirdre Hollman, a founder of the annual Black Comic Book Festival at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, according to The New York Times.

The movie has already received acclaim from reviewers such as Rotten Tomatoes, which awarded the movie an astonishing 98 percent out of 100. Although this movie has not yet been released to theaters, it already has a worldwide appraisal from fans. The movie comes out to theaters this Friday, but be sure to buy tickets in advance because predictions show that the movie is planned to make $150 million on opening weekend.