Visually magnificent, the story could have been better

Rating: Null/10 (14 November 2019)

The character of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) was first introduced in Captain America: Civil War. In it T'Challa was the prince of Wakanda, a mysterious African nation whose technological supremacy has been carefully hidden for centuries. Unfortunately the events of Civil War rob T'Challa of his father and now he's to be crowned king. But there are those that dispute his worthiness.
We'll talk about the story in a bit, but if there's one thing Black Panther absolutely nails it's production design. How the film looks, how the costumes are made, what kind of backgrounds are used. That stuff. Because by the heavens if this film isn't one of the most gorgeous pieces of cinema I've ever seen. And from what I've read, they went to great lengths to represent different regions of Africa, giving them voice and visibility. Which has been well-received, I'm glad to hear.
Although, speaking of how the film looks, there is one aspect that could have been better. And that's the CGI elements. Those often look rather rubbery and fake, unfortunately, which is a shame because Marvel usually has had really good CGI.
I also really like all the main characters. From Boseman's T'Challa to Letitia Wright's Shuri to Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger to so many others. All great characters with interesting motivations and clearly established personalities. Killmonger especially is one of the all-time great Marvel villains. His struggle against Wakanda is born from something personal and identifiable rather than just from a lust to conquer and destroy. You don't agree with him, but you can see where he's coming from.
That being said, I found the story itself to be formulaic. It telegraphs rather egregiously where it's going at any given moment and that lessens the tension. Sure, you have fun along the way, but you still watch the film and wish it could have had the courage to do something different. For example, the battle scene near the middle of the film. Could have gone differently, which would have allowed some other characters to step in and make bad choices anyway. Which would have been more dramatic. But no, the winner wins, because of course he does. That's how these stories go.
Still, Black Panther is a good movie. A veritable feast for the eyes, with great characters and a story which while by the numbers still delivers what you expect from it.