A fun Marvel-style superhero entertainment

Rating: 7/10 (19 February 2018)

I just came from the cinema after hearing rave reviews about Black Panther over the weekend. I was looking forward to seeing it before it became the #1 topic everywhere after seeing the character of T'Challa introduced in Civil War, but I guess I kind of allowed the reviews to influence me going into it because I was expecting something truly unique and special. And as the movie went on, I was having fun but I was waiting for those outstanding, memorable moments to arrive. They sadly never did.
Nevertheless, Black Panther made me feel the same way I felt after watching many of the MCU movies that I liked- it was a fun ride, but one I'm probably not going to go on again.
What I liked most was the overall look and feel of the movie. Wakanda was stunning, offering a blend of sci-fi tech with more traditional African look that's rarely seen in superhero films and for me it worked. I really loved all the ritualistic elements of this fictional society, their tradition, individual styles, hierarchy and so on. Almost every moment on Wakanda was a good time. I also liked the performances from this cast, Chadwick Boseman and MBJ stood out and delivered it most of the time, whether in dramatic or more comedic moments. Action was also good, however I feel there wasn't enough of it. Black Panther action moments from Civil War were more memorable to me than the one's from his own movie.
On a bit of a negative side, the pacing didn't always work for me making the movie feel a bit long. I wish more time was dedicated to Killmonger and his clash with T'Challa, both physically and ideologically. The middle part in Korea was fun but felt a bit pointless in the end. The end fight between two panthers was a bit of a letdown, set in a tight, dark environment. Also, it looked very much like a video game by the end, kind of like Justice League, with both characters looking like they were digitally made for the entire fight. The political and social themes in the movie were not very subtle, as expected.
In the end, I got from BP what I really should have expected, which is not a bad thing. Great look and feel, good, effective soundtrack, solid characters and mostly fun action made this an entertaining 2 hours in the cinema.