Visually and thematically phenomenal, the story falters towards the end

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2018)

Black Panther is the story of newly-crowned King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the sovereign of Wakanda, a hidden African nation secretly renowned for its technological supremacy and its hidden natural resources. T'Challa ascended to the throne after the assassination of his father during the events of Captain America: Civil War, but now he must face threats both from outside and within.
Marvel, once again, does not fail us. This movie might very well be one of their best in terms of visual splendour and thematic depth. The nation of Wakanda opens in front of us bright with colour, resplendent in culture and history, representing the whole spectrum of African art and creativity. Add in some really cool action and chase scenes, some cool new tech gizmos, some quality acting - some really high-end quality acting, to be truthful - as well as some really poignant questions about the responsibility of the haves towards the have-nots, and you have the makings of a great movie.
Unfortunately I do think that the latter half of the film drops the ball. Most of the events after they return back to Wakanda are... clichéd. There's really no other word for it. As soon as Michael B. Jordan's character sets foot on Wakandan soil, I could tell minute by minute, almost line by line, what would happen. And that's not a good thing. Sometimes you can make such an obvious, clichéd plot work, but this is not one of those cases. For example, there's this battle scene in the middle of the film. You know how these stories go. One of them is going to lose, because that's how the story works. So why should you care, at all, about this fight? What's at stake here? Nothing at all, that's what.
Black Panther is a good film. The characters are some of the best we've seen from Marvel, as are the visuals. I just wish they had had the creativity to move beyond obvious formulas and story clichés in the latter part of the story. Still, very much a film worth watching.