The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most different from all of Marvel films I have seen so far. It is a credit to the studio to keep coming up with new ideas to keep the superhero genre alive. The characters themselves are quite different and interesting so I never get bored.This one specifically was so different from other movies as I saw a whole new culture surrounding the characters and the story on the big screen. It took a short time to get used to but the African culture including the music choices for various set pieces were what made the movie for me. The director, Ryan Coogler shows he can handle a movie from this genre pretty well too. He combines the modern Wakandan technological marvel with tradition beautifully. The second best part of the movie was the villain Killmonger played by my favorite actor from this movie, Michael B. Jordan. He is a brilliant actor showing ranges from sarcastic comedy to murdering villainy very well. I have read people saying they feel for him even though he is the bad guy. I never did but that doesn't mean he didn't play the part wonderfully. I did like that he remained bad until the end and not come around at the face of death when T'Challa wanted to grant him life. Chadwick Boseman was good as well portraying the king of Wakanda who also had a softer side to him. His banter with his sister, Shuri was fun to watch. All the women, including Shuri and the general Okoye (played by Danai Gurira) were brilliant in this film and each served a purpose to the story.
The story was however still not completely original and I could see where it was going. The surprise elements like T'Challa coming back to life and Killmonger being his cousin did not have the same effect on me as it was intended. The action scenes in some parts were hard to focus on because of bad lighting or fast moving camera.
This movie works because characters are given time to interact with each other and scenes breathe. Ludwig Göransson's music was a joy to hear and Rachel Morrison's cinematography was a delight to see.
Overall Rating: 8/10