Upsettingly Wasted Potential, But Important Nonetheless.

Rating: 6/10 (14 June 2019)

Black Panther is an important film. There's no denying this - The relevance of it's diverse and inclusive cast in a whirlwind of superhero movies that are some of the most seen and highest grossing films of the past decade (as well as being launchpads for a million different toys, models, figures sold across the world) is something you have to take into consideration when looking at this movie.
Objectively, this is a really entertaining watch! As with most marvel movies of late, much of the fight choreography is exciting and different, and the movie in general is... mostly well acted. Standout performances by Danai Gurira and Michael B. Jordan have to be mentioned; both actors play their parts with genuine sincerity, and add weight to a fairly lofty story (especially in the wake of 'more relevant to the MCU' films such as Civil War). Chadwick Boseman reprises his role as Black Panther from CW, but seems to float through this film with little direction? Obviously as an origin story of sorts, this makes sense, but CW introduced Black Panther PERFECTLY, so its odd that in his own film he holds so much less gravitas on screen. This, I believe may be down to one of my 2 major issues with this film: the script.
When I first watched this film, I found the pacing a bit clunky, and thought maybe the editing is abit choppy? Perhaps the actors are struggling to keep up with the narrative? But on rewatch, it occurred to me the script is confused. It simply cannot hold drama and comedy on its shoulders the way films like Infinity War did. Shuri is perhaps the most tired use of the Marvel comedy formula seen in one of these films yet - 'What are those!' was already an outdated meme by the time the film released, and is PAINFUL to hear. On the other hand, Killmonger's dying monologue by the sunset over Wakanda about his ancestors dying at sea on slave ships, is one of the most poignant moments in the entire MCU. How did they tonally screw this film so hard? Why was Martin Freeman in this film as unneeded, and unfunny comic relief? The script tries so hard in some places, but feels like a total afterthought in others. This, funnily enough paralelles my other main gripe with this film: The CGI.
Oh dear. When the universally unloved Spiderman 3 from 2007 has a far better looking subway fight scene than a larger franchised multi-million dollar blockbuster from nearly a decade its former, you know you've done something wrong. The film opens with quite a stunning credits sequence, stylised and detailed it gives you the sparknotes version of Wakanda and the Black Panther's history. Then Black Panther and Killmonger fight near some trains and good grief it looks BAD. 2 rubber men flung about on a green screen in a dimly lit cavern with nothing going on in the background. The choreography struggles here too, and considering this was the same year as Dr Strange? It's completely pitiful. Some of the absolute worst CGI Marvel has offered paying audiences in this decade (looking at you too, Homecoming).
Overall Black Panther does have a lot of merit. Like I mentioned, the importance of such a diverse blockbuster phenomenon is so great for representation in 2016. For others, the script will have been entertaining, and not everyone will notice the dreadful inconsistencies with the CGI. I can understand the high praise this movie got (Okay, maybe not 3 oscar noms worth, seriously?) But for me personally, these issues stuck out like a very sore, cat scratched thumb, meaning I cant give it more than a 6 and a half out of 10.
Oh, and Andy Serkis is here, doing his crazed Andy Serkis routine. Yeah.