A culturally important film, but a fairly paint-by-numbers MCU film

Rating: 7/10 (16 February 2018)

We finally get a peek behind the curtain at the mythical Wakanda, a nation and its protector the Black Panther, that have been hinted at and built up since Age of Ultron (or even earlier, if you count the Easter egg in Iron Man 2), and while this film does not fail to provide us with great action scenes and vibrant culture scenes, as well as probably the most interesting Marvel villain since Loki in Killmonger, I can't help but feel slightly disappointed.
Don't get me wrong: every scene with Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa is near perfect, both inside the Black Panther suit and out.
His story in this film picks up a short time after the events of Captain America: Civil War, where his father King T'Chaka was killed in Vienna, and T'Challa must ascend to the throne of Wakanda. But, other forces are pushing him in a darker direction, and he must choose what kind of a king he must be.
The film shines whenever we get to see T'Challa interact with his fellow cast members. Whether it be with Forrest Whittaker's character, Zuri, an elder statesman and friend of T'Chaka, or T'Challa's sister Shuri, played beautifully by Letitia Wright, Chadwick Boseman seems to have good chemistry with just about everyone.
The film also boasts a great villain in Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger. While his performance may feel only a hair more than one-note, his character development and motivations are some of the most compelling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Much like Loki, the conflict derives from a family connection. Unlike Loki, his cause is something you can actually see yourself supporting to some degree.
Where this film falters, at least in my view, is in the seeming lack of character development in almost anyone else in the film. Aside from T'Challa, his friend and ex-lover Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong'o, is the only one who has an easily identifiable character arc. Everyone else seems to stay in their own little bubbles, which is fine for some, but those who probably should have developed but didn't is a little frustrating.
Also lacking is the seeming paint-by-numbers of the whole thing. The action scenes are impressive and there are the occasional jokes that land almost always, but it just feels a little too self-serious in its delivery, and when it tries to be light-hearted or semi-silly (mainly the scenes with Andy Serkis's Ulysses Klaue) it's jarring to say the least, mostly because it feels very forced.
Nevertheless, this film is without a doubt a culturally important film, and true to form the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet to produce a truly bad film. However, I still rank Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the first Iron Man ahead of this one.