This is quite a tough film to review objectively; at times it is as good as any from the comic-book universe; the cinematography and effects are top drawer and the pace of the action is usually well judged and enjoyable. The writing and the acting, on the other hand, are a different matter. Chadwick Boseman as "T'Challa" is about as wooden as they come as he returns to rule his outwardly agrarian African nation ("Wakanda") that secretly has some state-of-the art kit based around a rare, but enormously powerful mineral from outer space. In this particular outing he isn't much helped by Martin Freeman ("Agent Ross") or Forest Whitaker as the sagely "Zuri". Letitia Wright injects some charm as his tech-savvy little sister "Shuri" and for a bit at the beginning, Andy Serkis hams up nicely as South African arch villain "Ulysses Klaue" (pronounced claw) but once it settles down, it becomes a beautifully shot but rather bland, simplistic right vs wrong, do the right thing type of story. I do like Michael B. Jordan ("Erik") - here he has a screen presence that is charming, cheeky and he knows how to work an audience - and I have to say I was on his side pretty much from the outset, but sadly though, the ending is never in doubt and with neither suspense nor jeopardy to sustain it's initial promise, "Black Panther" just ends up being a great looking, but pretty shallow festival of colour and CGI.
