Standard origin story but a little try-hard in some places

Rating: 7/10 (22 February 2018)

Reviewed it on Rotten Tomatoes but, strangely, it doesn't show up there...so here I am.
Spoilers ahead!
I thought I'd write this review having just gotten home from seeing the movie so it would be fresh in my mind.
Overall, it's on par with all the other origin stories we've seen thus far and gives us a greater insight into T'Challa and how he's come to be who he is. So as Tony Stark was the billionaire playboy that had to see his life's work used to harm others and be a victim of the same before he comes around, we see T'Challa has led a life in which he was groomed from childhood to eventually rule his nation with self-sacrifice always being a possibility.
Now, let's be blunt here. Given all of the absolutely asinine nonsense that was swirling about before the movie came out, the real concern was how the issues of an ethnostate and nationalism would play out on the big screen, especially because we're aware of some of the personal beliefs held by Disney execs, directors and the like.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were dealt with rather fairly and honestly. Maybe someone was watching how Star Wars: The Last Jedi was being handled and took notes on how NOT to destroy a good story by poisoning it with their personal views. That being said, they didn't go too far in the opposite direction and completely ignore that there are people in THIS world that have radical views, though they could have gone just a little further in the explanation of why they were wrong.
Case in point, Killmonger openly states that other black people around the globe suffer and lays the blame squarely on the shoulders of those he doesn't speak of directly(that I can recall) i.e. white people. Anyone that knows even a smattering of history will understand that there have been black people that suffered at the hands of whites...but also at the hands of other blacks that sold their countryman into slavery themselves(unpleasant fact that not all slavers were simply grabbed and whisked away), poor decisions and even the simple lack of resources in their surroundings in which to take advantage of to better themselves. Though T'Challa disagrees with Warmonger's actions to take the world over with Wakanda(and presumably, based on his actions and speech, blacks around the world having a privileged position) being the ruling nation above all, the message that he was wrong would have carried far more weight if human greed, which is found in every race, was acknowledged as the driving force behind much of the world's suffering.
There was a joke with his sister calling the C.I.A. agent 'colonizer' but it fell flat as such because, again, it felt a little too much like they may have tried to be cute to get away with insinuating that only one race has ever expanded beyond it's borders of origin. And a lone "white-boy" as well but it seems in line with the intelligent, but immature, character.
There was another slight jab about not building barriers at the end which was almost certainly a shot across the bow at America's southern border and the desire of many to prevent others from crossing illegally. In the Marvel universe it's hinted that Wakanda would use it's technology to help the world, and in the last shot shows that the first outreach center would be located in America to help those in need. It's a nice thought but sadly, we live in the real world where resources are more limited with the impact of fewer jobs, greater social welfare expenditure, likely crime because of not being able to determine the character(which is based on previous actions, in this case criminal) of those who enter the country or not is felt by the people not living in 'ivory towers'. It was too 'clean' of a message that those who need/want help should receive it regardless of the ramifications to the country meant to give it.
Another memerable point was when T'Challa says that he can't speak for past kings and their actions. Although I question whether most will be able to understand the meaning of that it has to be pointed out as being a good point. Blaming those in the present for the happenings of the past is foolish at best and absurdly dangerous at worst. No group is without sins and all that can be done is to grow and make sure we don't repeat them in the future.
The last point that resonated with me was when Killmonger referenced how some slaves would throw themselves overboard rather than live out their lives in misery and pain and said that death was better than bondage. This was the same reason America had it's Revolution. "Give me freedom or give me death."- Patrick Henry. Freedom is something never guaranteed and as Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction." We see our individual freedoms slowly encroached upon until one day, we'll have them in name only. And even the divisiveness that is sown into society by media, power-hungry politicians and other forces with darker intent is a bondage of a type if we look to see how it prevents us from growing.

Of course, how the movie will be viewed is ultimately up to the individual and their experiences and their desire to be honest about all the problems that were presented in the movie. Some will see it and identify with Warmonger and decide that the ends justify the means if they get what they want. I would like to believe people will be more intelligent than that and see that the world isn't 'black' or 'white' but rather shades of grey(no, not that crappy movie trilogy they justwrapped up) and approach it in a thoughtful manner but only time will tell.
All in all, I have to give this movie a very solid 4 stars. At the end of the day it's still a superhero movie but I have to give them credit for really trying to address real world issues like race and resources(even if people take a message that Disney might not have wanted them to take from it) that could very easily have been glossed over with few likely caring.