Marvel Hit - but Best Picture Nominee Worthy?

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2020)

First of all I have to question the worthiness of this film being Oscar nominated for best picture. It is a Marvel film. They are designed and adored for their entertainment value, which is fantastic - their critical acclaim less so. I think the only reason Black Panther reached these wavering heights during awards season was because of its attempts to scratch the surface on some social and racial themes, but the message is weak and never really makes any sort of impact. Other than that slight criticism however I rate this as a really enjoyable watch and another great addition to the MCU.
As a Walking Dead fan I loved Danai Gurira's role in this film, playing the part of the strong female warrior as brilliantly as always. Daniel Kaluuya was wasted somewhat, he's excellent in Get Out and deserved a bigger role here, and there's something a bit shallow about Martin Freeman's CIA man Everett Ross, who I'm not particularly excited to see more of in Marvel films to come. The standout performance comes from Andy Serkis, who we rarely see on screen without the guise of motion capture animation - after watching him portray Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther you'll be asking yourself the same question I did... why not?! He is fantastic as Klaue. It's a shame the writers cut his screen time short and opted to lead the plot down the Lion King path, as I believe he could've made for a better primary antagonist.
An honourable mention must be made to the soundtrack, which rivals that of Guardians of the Galaxy for the MCU's no.1 spot (and that's no mean feat). Overall the cast and writing do just about enough to make Black Panther another classic Marvel hit.