Black Panther

I don't think it's going to come as a massive shock to anyone to learn that Black Panther, the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is worth seeing. Marvel Studios have been releasing strong films for so long now that it almost feels like a foregone conclusion, which means that the real question at this point is if each new installment in this mega-franchise can meet the expectations set for it. In the case of Black Panther, those expectations are sky high thanks to the character's impressive debut in Captain America: Civil War and the fact it's written/directed by the brilliant Ryan Coogler.

It's without a doubt one of the stronger films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, introducing us to great new characters and telling an interesting, thematically complex story that I'm sure people will be analysing and talking about for a long time to come. It's a really good superhero film for sure, certainly one with more ambition and intelligence than most, but the realities of making a Disney-backed Marvel Studios film means that it's also ultimately only a really good superhero film, rather than the legitimately great piece of cinema it falls short of.

Set some time after the events of Captain America: Civil War, we follow T'Challa as he is officially crowned the King of the technologically advanced and secretive African nation Wakanda following his father's death. But after Vibranium thief Ulysses Klaue (last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron) resurfaces, T'Challa sets out to capture him alive and bring him back to Wakanda to face trial, a decision that ultimately results in an outsider named Erik "Killmonger" Stevens challenging T'Challa's right to the throne. It's a politically charged, thematically rich and almost Shakespearean tale of royalty, family, tradition and legacy that would be interesting regardless of where it was set, but it's only made all the more compelling by Black Panther's ability to sell us on Wakanda as a place worth caring about. It takes mere minutes for Wakanda to feel like a tangible location with its own history, culture and place in the larger world around it. With the exception of scenes that are overly reliant on CGI, Black Panther is one of the best looking films in the Marvel Universe to date thanks to Rachel Morrison's vibrant and colourful cinematography, and Ludwig Göransson's constantly evolving score. 

The only actual problem in Black Panther is the incredibly disappointing CGI. Between this and Thor: Ragnarok's inconsistent-at-best green screen work, I'm genuinely worried that Marvel Studios think they can get away with skimping out on the visual effects budget. They can't - Black Panther looks really bad whenever it is forced to resort to CGI characters fighting in CGI locations, don't get me started on the ancestral plains, to the point where it pulls you out of the film entirely. Naturally then, Black Panther's action is at its best when it's trying to be a more grounded spy-film, and at its worst when it remembers that it's meant to be a large scale superhero movie.

Black Panther might not be quite as impressive (or consistent) as Coogler's other films have been but it's still undeniably an intelligent, entertaining, mostly very well-made movie, and something of a watershed moment for blockbuster cinema too.