When Marvel decided to make remake 'Lion King', 'Fruitvale Station', and 'Game of Thrones' into one movie, 'Black Panther' is all you got (Though it mostly 'Lion King').

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2018)

My first entry in 2018, yeayyy.....!!! So here it goes....
When I watched it on the theater, I felt something not right about this movie. It almost didn't felt like, "Marvelish", in fact, it almost didn't felt like any mainstream superhero movie I've encountered over the past two decades since I was born for it tells more about the people and the reality some of us face around the globe than the hero himself. The effect of colonialism, racism, slavery, hatred, and the supremacist movement was put inside the heart of one man who is most likely to be the hero than the main character himself (whose alter ego becomes the very titular of the movie) had 'Black Panther' written as a literary source from the 18th - 19th century where slavery was at its peak: Erik Kilmonger.
So yeah, what I'm trying to say is: 'Black Panther' would turn out gloriously as a masterpiece had it been written as a book comparable to 'Sula', 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'Things Fall Apart', or any other works that focus on the mistreatments of the Blacks/Afro-Americans. But as a movie? Errrr... not so much. I mean it's generally good and I see why so many critics fall in love with it, but some elements ruin the elements and the messages that made 'Black Panther' more than a comicbook movie such as the cgi based one-on-one fight between T'Challa and Erik (in fact, many of the phenomenal Black Panther's moves and martial arts were done by computers).
I'm fully aware of the reason why they had to cgi-ed BP's over-the-top jumps, upper cuts, punches, kicks, overhead kicks, and so on, but at least try to involve more humanly approach (like wires, stuntmen, etc) and a more smooth cgi for these scenes to make it more realistic and pleasing to the eye. Why didn't they just copy the treatment of 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016) for the fight scenes in this movie? Can't you see that the fight and chase scene between Bucky, BP, and Captain America was among the most jaw-dropping action scenes Marvel Studios has ever produced without so much waste of cgi? Honestly, I prefer the Batman raid scene in 'BvS' (considered by many as a ****** movie) than the duel match between BP and Erik in a movie that many people love so much. Not to mention that some of the scenes make the movie a little bit boring that some of us inside the theater either checked their phones and probably asking themselves when the movie might end.
Despite all of the downsides, this is probably the only movie that makes me interested in the richness African cultures with all the traditions, the dances, the songs, the warcry, the outfits, the earings, the histories, the tools, the masks, their way of life, their faiths, etc. Like it or not, we have no other choice than to admit that 'Black Panther' is one of the boldest movie Hollywood ever produce for it explore the black continent as it has never been done before by any other American movies before (though fictional one). It helps us to open our eyes of the beauty of the real-world Africa in the time where most of us are more fascinated by the work ethics and the cultures of the Japanese, the beauty of the South Korean boy/girl band members and actors/actresses, the economic prowess and the development of China, or the beautiful views of European famous big cities.
The director (Ryan Coogler) has put so much effort in reminding us that this is a black people's movie, directed by black director, played by (mostly) black actors and actresses, about black superhero and the continent where he lives. You can easily find the director's intention from the African, 'Lion King-ish' backsongs on some of the scenes and the Afro-American rap style like the ones you can find in 'Fruitvale Station' or any other movies about black people. Ryan also didn't forget to put some Game-of-Thrones level of intrigue where the rightful king has to give up his rightful title and rightful throne to a stranger (who's actually the king's *SPOILER ALERT*) and the king's bodyguards (The Dora Milaje) have no option but to obey and protect their new king despite their resentment to him.
Oh wait, have told you about another BP's villain, Ulysses Klaue? Played by the great and magnificent Andy Serkis, Klaue is, in my most humble opinion, a more suitable choice for the role of an antagonist than the tragic hero Erik Kilmonger thanks to these factors: he is lunatic, he's been running for more than 30 years from the clutch of the most advanced nation in the history of the world in MCU (since the time when T'Chaka, the father of T'Challa and the Black Panther before him, was on his peak), he is pure evil, fearless, and almost reminds you of Heath Ledger's Joker from Chris Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'.
So far, 'Black Panther' is the movie we all have been waiting for (mostly by the people of color since they have so little amount of heroes/heroines that are worthy to represent them and they can look up to) since the hero's conception in the 60s, or perhaps, way long before that: since the golden age of Hollywood at the 30s in which American movies reached its peak of storytelling that focuses on its heroes/heroines/protagonists portrayed mostly (if not all) by white males/females. Not too great to me, but not bad either. It's good for a solo-debut movie, and it's the right move to pave a way for something much, much bigger yet to come to the MCU, something that is written and can be clearly seen by all the audiences who can patiently wait until the very end of the movie:
Black Panther will return in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR