Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the actors in the film, feeling that Boseman "certainly holds his own, but there are quite a few charismatic supporting players" including Jordan, Nyong'o, and Wright.[261] Peter Debruge at Variety said the film was one of the best standalone Marvel films so far, and that it "celebrates its hero's heritage".[262] Writing for The New York Times, Manohla Dargis called Black Panther "a jolt of a movie", and praised it as an "emblem of a past that was denied and a future that feels very present" due to its focus on black imagination, creation, and liberation.[263] At the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan praised the themes of the film and their exploration of what wealthy countries owe to the poor and oppressed, and noted that the film "draws energy from Coogler's sense of excitement at all he's attempting", saying that the film was worth seeing twice which he felt was rare for a modern superhero film.[264] Richard Roeper, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, called the film "one of the best superhero movies of the century" and said audiences should watch the film if they appreciate "finely honed storytelling with a Shakespearean core; winning performances from an enormously talented ensemble; provocative premises touching on isolationism, revolution and cultures of oppression, and oh yeah, tons of whiz-bang action sequences and good humor".[265] Brian Truitt of USA Today awarded the film four out of four stars, and called it Marvel Studios' best origin film since Guardians of the Galaxy. Truitt also praised the "superb cast" and stated, "While the themes are deep, Black Panther is at the same time a visual joy to behold, with confident quirkiness, insane action sequences and special effects, and the glorious reveal of Wakanda".[266]