Black Panther (SPOILER FREE) Review

Black Panther is Marvel's latest installment to its ever-growing cinematic universe. This is their last film before their highly anticipated Avengers: Infinity War (April 27th this year). 

Although the character T'Challa first appeared in Captain America: Civil War as Black Panther, it doesn't necessarily have to be watched prior to to seeing Black Panther. The film is very easy to step into with knowing nothing of the previous Marvel films.
The story manages to sustain itself yet it feels a little weak as it has two plots separating the film into two halves. This isn't a problem as such but it doesn't allow each plot to be developed to its potential if it had focused more on the political aspects.
The villains of this film are definitely some of the more enjoyable villains with the theatrical Klaue (Andy Serkis - Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and the well developed and intimidating Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan - Creed). The only problem about them is, they're the most entertaining characters in the film and there isn't enough of either to be truly satisfied.  
T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman - Get On Up) feels rather two dimensional, with a problem displayed to him at the beginning of the film and then a lot of introspection of his beliefs throughout the film leading to his final showdown with Killmonger. This is where Killmonger came into a great villain for Marvel; you may find yourself siding with him which goes to show how human and fleshed out he is but to some this could be a weakness in the film.
The supporting cast is exceptional ranging from Oscar winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) to Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead). It's a shame most go to waste and are simply there to feel as if they're making smaller characters more important.
The set designs are very rich in detail from the urban streets to the Wakanda wide-shots and streets. Although the set's are designed well, a few do look unfinished particularly most shots on a cliffs edge.
Most action scenes are either fairly short or really dark and rely heavily on what looks like unfinished CGI with an only average choreography. The disappointment in the fights hit's hard when you know this is directed by Ryan Coogler (Creed) which has some brilliant fights and a fight that is achieved in one take.  
Coogler fails to do much and had not been for a decent enough plot he  would fail to break any new ground. There's nothing visually stimulating; with action scenes that are bland and a lot of what looks like unfinished CGI it doesn't look much like the blockbuster it should. Most of the time it feels like he's trying to film a compilation of music videos and that has more emphasis when the soundtrack is accompanied to the scene, it became terribly distracting.
A very strong element in the film is the score by Ludwig Göransson (Get Out) as he impressively combines the tribal sounds with modern electronic sounds. The score captures the scenes well and fit stunningly played over the scenes of Wakanda.
Black Panther had such a big hype before its release and it's failed to reach anywhere near to what it was built to. It's strengths gained from the villains and the score and a relevant political plot are heavily outweighed by how boring this is to watch when the villains aren't there.

Mr. Cynic rates this a 6/10

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