Black Panther (2018)

Director: Ryan Coogler
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Runtime: 134 minutes

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Special Effects: 7/10
Costumes/Makeup: 9/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10 

Verdict: In 2016, the world was introduced to and immediately fell in love with the character of Black Panther, who played a key part in the Civil War that divided the Avengers. Two years later, the new king of the fictional African country of Wakanda came back to the big screen in his inevitable own movie, helmed by the very talented Ryan Coogler. "Black Panther" has a ridiculously rich cast that includes stars like Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Laetitia Wright, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Forrest Whitaker, Angela Basset, Andy Serkis and Forrest Whitaker. All of them were incredible in their respective roles, pulling off African accents beautifully without ever sounding unnatural or over the top, but still managing to find a way to make the film a very funny one. But what I loved most about the movie is Coogler's direction. He succeeded in differentiating the picture from other Marvel flicks by truly making it his own from a technical point of view as shown in a particular scene that takes place in a Korean casino, and that reminded of the famous church scene in the first "Kingsman" film. However, "Black Panther" is still a Marvel production, and does feel very formulaic at times. The lack of stakes and exposition scenes were also problematic for the movie, as they took me out of it and reminded me that I was watching something I had watched a million times before and as result made the picture drag at times. But in the end, the 18th (!) chapter of the MCU is a beautiful and really fun addition to the universe, topped with a great soundtrack as well as an impressive job by the costume department, and is only handicapped by a script that didn't quite offer something fresh.

Final Grade: 6/10