5 things that elevated it over Feige's usual safe dreck:
1. Tone. The biggest problem with most MCU entries is that they feel like melodramatic bull**** aimed at kids and really immature adults. They tend to patronize their audience. BP doesn't so this. In fact it does the opposite. It's not afraid to just let loose and act like a REAL ****ing movie. Naturally those moments are at this point shocking in an MCU movie but they're all over the place in Coogler's story. You never feel like you're watching a kids movie and that in itself is a massive win (there's some segments set in the inner city that I was shocked to see).
2. The Politics. The film speaks volumes on the never-ending cycle of cause and effect that has plagued African tribes for centuries as well as Blacks everywhere. It's not Liberal propaganda. It's Coogler's blatantly honest view of his ancestry. A shockingly unsafe plot point for an MCU movie.
3. Michael B. Jordan. The guy's just talented as ****. Naturally Coogler uses him in everything. He EATS the movie with superb tenacity. His character embodies the opposing view of Boseman's. Their rivalry is one of the most pivotal and engaging aspects of the film.
4. Wakanda. It's rare to see a fully realized vision of a world that doesn't exist. Coogler masterfully achieves this thematically and visually. It's very much everything it needs to be and as a member of the real world you almost wish this fake world existed. The color, the rituals, the people...it completely obliterates the forgettable cardboard Asgard the MCU presented via 3 mediocre films.
5. The Cast. Aside from Michael B., Boseman, Kaluuya, Nyongo, Serkis, Freeman and the other showstealer - Danai Gurira (TWD) simply do a fantastic job from start to finish. They all work and feel like genuine parts of this proposed society. It's really a superb gathering of gifted actors.
All in all, Coogler just made a great film that could have easily just been another forgettable MCU movie of the week.
