Black Panther is one of the most Stylistically Unique movies in the MCU

Rating: 8/10 (14 February 2018)

Black Panther kicks off really promisingly with an animated/CGI prologue that establishes the history of Wakanda and why they're as secretive as they are, before jumping to 1992 in California and a conflict between King T'Chaka and his younger brother who's been placed as a spy in Oakland. This second prologue sets the stage for the ultimate T'Challa/Killmonger conflict that plays out later in the movie, but I'll admit it takes a while to get there. Instead Black Panther decides to build slowly, spending it's time on developing characters and world-building to establish the cultures and technologies of Wakanda, a previously unseen fictional country of the MCU.
But honestly, I didn't mind the slower pace, because the world-building is so good. Wakanda is a nation built from five tribes, and each of them are drastically different from one another, with their own technologies, their own role in Wakandan society, and their own fashions and associated colours. T'Challa's tribe is the royal blood, the keepers of the Vibranium and the spiritual realm, including the spirit of the Black Panther that gives him his powers. There's a border tribe that lives on the outskirts of the country and keeps outsiders out. They appear more impoverished than the rest of the country, but of course it's only a front to save face. They live in huts, breed battle rhinos (you read that right), and have technology that revolves around shielding and defence. There's also the river tribe adorned in shells and turquoise colours, the sun tribe emblazoned in gold, and the outcast mountain tribe who cause a minor nuisance every chance they get.
Honestly Black Panther's biggest strength is it's costuming/makeup and production design. There is no other movie that looks like Black Panther. It's aesthetic that marries traditional African designs and colours with wealthy/futuristic tech and architecture is unique. One of the River Tribe is a dapper-looking guy in a turquoise suit with traditional African lip plate, which is an equally bizarre and awesome aesthetic. General clothing is emblazoned in African patterns and colours with a modern stylising, and many characters show off tribal tattooing like facial scarification. Many walk around barefoot despite the obvious advancements in technology to be able to craft shoes and sandals (both of which T'Challa wears himself). The cityscape is full of futuristic skyscrapers topped off with African huts and buildings.
But the traditional African aesthetic just stop there, it also leaks into the music, combining effortlessly with both modern Hip-Hop and your typical flavour of orchestral film score, sometimes all at the same time. I'm listening to the Kendrick Lamar-curated accompaniment album now and I'll admit I'm not digging it (although Pray For Me with The Weekend is pretty good), but the film's score is a different entity entirely. It makes a lot of use of African percussion, with the talking drum being instrumental in the film's audible identity, being used as both a main theme for the film, as well as providing some really good tension. As well as this there's often a typical hip-hop beat that comes in and out and instantly makes any and every scene it's used in feel inherently cooler and more badass. The orchestral element is, in typical Marvel fashion, still a little by-the-numbers at best, and just plain misused at worst. Even so Ludwig Goransson has crafted probably the most unique score Marvel have ever enjoyed (better even than Ragnarok, and Guardians doesn't count because that was all licensed).
But I feel I've been focussing too much on the stylistic merits of Black Panther. They're undoubtedly the film's strongest suites, but that doesn't mean the rest of the film falls to the wayside. The story takes a while to pick up, it's true, but once it does it becomes full of political intrigue, and drives home it's message of worldwide responsibility. Killmonger is a fairly typical African-American who feels entitled by virtue of his skin colour, while ultimately not really understanding what his heritage means. He wants to use Wakandan tech to destabilise the world's governments and put Africans on the top of the world ladder for once. Meanwhile both Nakia and Shuri see the potential in Wakanda reaching out and providing aid to the countries that need it. While both viewpoints are stark opposites, they both revolve around Wakanda ditching its secretive nature and taking a more diplomatic standpoint on the world stage.
Killmonger as a villain isn't too bad. While I wouldn't say he's a great villain in his own right, when compared to the rest of the Marvel villain roster, he's certainly one of the more developed ones. Wronged at a young age, he seeks to return to what he sees as his birthright. He has motivations and an intertwined history with T'Challa and the Wakandan royal family. I mean, compared to the likes of Malekith or Kaecilius, Killmonger is a breath of fresh air. Similar could be said of Andy Serkis' return as Ulysses Klaue, who is also not a particularly engaging villain in his own right, but Serkis just chews up the scenery (not only that, but beefed up with a tightly grown beard, and a waistcoat barely big enough to contain him, he's looks pretty badass).
Chadwick Boseman gets almost the entire movie to flex his muscles as T'Challa, and manages really well to keep him the wise-beyond-his-years king. I'm not entirely convinced he can hold a whole movie himself though, as Black Panther was definitely kept afloat more by its supporting cast than by its lead. Luipta Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Martin Freeman, Winston Duke, and even Sterling K. Brown's small appearance all join together to give the movie an acting backbone to be proud of.
Is Black Panther one of the best Marvel movies to date? I don't think so. It doesn't always hit the mark, and it's action sequences just become a blur of boring choreography, and its story is an interesting one, but feels a little diluted and probably too on-the-nose. From a stylistic viewpoint though, Black Panther not only stands out from the crowd of Marvel movies, but from blockbusters in general. I can't wait to see more of Wakanda in a few months come Infinity War. I give Black Panther a solid 8/10.