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'Black Panther' trailer lights up the night, and NBA Finals

Fans watching Game 4 on Friday night won a free trip to T'Challa's kingdom of Wakanda, courtesy of the action-packed preview.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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Watch this: Journey to Wakanda in this 'Black Panther' teaser trailer

It's likely some viewers of Friday night's Game 4 of the NBA Finals didn't care one bit about the contest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors -- they were just tuning in to see the "Black Panther" movie teaser. And it didn't disappoint. 

No spoilers, but the preview is nearly two minutes long and offers plenty of looks at T'Challa's majestic kingdom of Wakanda, and at the film's stars (Chadwick Boseman, of course, but also Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira). And it ends with an action sequence involving costumed Black Panther and a flipping vehicle that'll have you rewinding the YouTube video again and again.

Or, you could just peruse our shot-by-shot guide:

New 'Black Panther' trailer, dissected shot by shot

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The film's new poster, featuring star Boseman sitting regally on T'Challa's throne, came out earlier Friday and helped spark the anticipation.

blackpantherposterfull

Chadwick Boseman plays T'Challa/Black Panther in the upcoming film, which also stars Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira.

 

 Marvel Films

Twitter users with a sense of history were quick to point out the "Black Panther" poster was similar to a famous historical photo of Black Panther leader Huey Newton.

"Black Panther" opens Feb. 16, 2018 in the US and U.K., and Feb. 15 in Australia.