An interesting look even if formulaic

Rating: 7/10 (8 April 2018)

This review contains spoilers.
Black Panther is a continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that centers on the Black Panther characters that was first introduced in Captain America: Civil War. T'challa leads the African nation of Wakanda, a technologically advanced isolationist country using vibranium. T'challa formally becomes the Black Panther in a ritual but soon discovers an old historical relic that seeks to undo his legacy. Killmonger is revealed to be his uncle's son and seeks the throne of Wakanda for himself.
Black Panther is a riveting movie focused on its action set pieces and its setting. Much like the other Marvel movies, Black Panther has highly explosive and plot important action set pieces that have cool effects. The directing is much better at the action rather than the character dialogue. The dialogue has a different feel from the more humorous entries of Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy. Black Panther adopts a more serious tone with some touches of comedy. Overall the dialogue is well written and helps bring the viewer into the setting. The setting of Wakanda and characters is easily the more interesting part of this movie. The movie uses this to its advantage by doling out parts of the setting and environment in bits. The culture and people of Wakanda is its more interesting part and by the end of the movie, I still wanted to know more about it.
The main arc with Killmonger and T'challa hit some emotional moments but eventually descends into typical superhero stories. Killmonger creates a villain for Wakanda to prioritize. He then returns to the hidden kingdom to enact revenge for his father. He accomplishes this by seemingly killing T'challa and becoming the new Black Panther. Somehow a kingdom that embraces tradition and isolationism embraces his violent actions and commands without rebellion. The movie wanted an excuse to have a large scale battle but did not have the heart to back it.
Overall, Black Panther is a strong entry into the Marvel cinematic universe. I would recommend this movie.
Grade: C