The hype is very real for this both typical and different Marvel movie; go watch it!

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2018)

Black Panther has been one of the most anticipated movies of 2018, hype building up globally as the world waited for its release. Its near perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes has done nothing but exacerbate this hype, and I can confirm that the hype is definitely justified.
Black Panther probably won't start the conversations about race that some critics might have you thinking, but it's just such a tasteful, entertaining, unique movie that does so much more than your typical Marvel flick.
The film is set about a week after the events of Civil War, where T'Challa's father was killed at a bombing at a UN Convention in Vienna. T'Challa is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his father and the king of Wakanda, the setting of the entire film. It's this struggle that the movie focuses on at first.
The movie unfolds rather neatly, especially for a Marvel film, with the majority of the film centring in Wakanda. (Seems like Marvel's doing a lot more location centralisation; GOTG2 is mainly on Ego's planet, Thor: Ragnarok has a lot on Sakaar...it's better this way).
I think some of the key highlights of Black Panther have to be the characters. Chadwick Boseman shines as T'Challa; seriously, his silent bad-assery is stunning. Shuri, T'Challa's sister, is probably my favourite character in the film, she's just really funny and sweet. Nakia and Okoye are both very powerful female characters in the film, both taking their turns in guiding T'Challa in his times of need.
It's definitely the villain that many have really loved about this movie. Personally, while I loved Killmonger, I think maybe it would've been cooler if we got to delve a little more into his backstory and really understand his motives. Also, Claw is...just there...but when he is, he's fine. Martin Freeman returns as Agent Ross from Civil War, and while I'll readily admit I didn't need to see him back, it's nice to see him take on a bigger role in this movie as we delve more into his character.
I feel like Marvel movies are slowly becoming more and more grounded as Marvel mature, and that definitely shows in Black Panther. The film is easily their most mature film yet; Thor: Ragnarok is plain fun, Spiderman Homecoming is just another packed Spiderman film, but Black Panther feels very deep and important. It explores very important themes, that of race, of T'Challa's moral battles, the theme of leadership and monarchy...Marvel have proved time and again that a superhero movie can be a comedy, and now they've just proven they can also be something so much more meaningful.
You see, Black Panther is a very neat film. You can lose yourself in the stunning action of Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Black Panther will keep you engaged in its meaningful story, embroiled in its chief themes. All the characters shine as they deliver the movie's message about the challenges of being a leader, and the consequences of every action, big and small. I don't want to give the plot away, but its themes are what set it apart from any other Marvel film.
Now, I can't say it's a perfect movie. I did like Killmonger, but let's be honest; at the end of the day, he's just another Marvel villain. Basically that means he just feels like he's there...never much of a huge threat. (I mean we already KNOW that Black Panther survives already, we saw him in the Infinity War trailer!) It's basically the same feeling for Claw. There's also Killmonger's girlfriend who we never really get to see that much of, which is sorta a shame, I guess I can forgive that though.
Also, I think the soundtrack of this movie was a real highlight. I don't like trap music at all but I think it actually blended with this movie reasonably well. The soundtrack also sounded very traditional-African, especially given that Wakanda is a fake-country. That's actually one of the things you have to remember about this movie; it's as though it's trying hard to respect Wakandan culture, even though this culture is completely fictional. But hey, that's fine, right?
In the end, there's isn't all that much to fault about Black Panther. I think its themes are its real strong point. Okay, so while it's got powerful themes at the end of the day it's still a superhero movie, so don't expect to be blown out of your socks. But still, it's just got such great, well-rounded characters that you find yourself really believing in, and a very nice, neat story. If you watch any movie before summer ends (it's summer here in Australia), make sure it's Black Panther. Many critics have called it the best movie in the MCU; I might not go quite as far to make that claim, but it's definitely close. Go and watch it, and make the choice for yourselves.