10 Reasons Black Panther Shouldn't Win Best Picture

5. It Still Succumbs To Superhero Movie Formula

When you look at Black Panther in its entirety, it does subvert a solid amount of the expected superhero movie tropes, even if it ultimately still works comfortably within that framework.

Obviously, the film was always going to be subject to the whims of the wider MCU - generally believed to be the reason that original director Ava DuVernay bailed - but when you examine its overall plot and structure, it's still pretty formulaic.

Are there many moments where the viewer is in doubt of what will happen next? Does anyone really buy that T'Challa might actually be dead after Killmonger hurls him off the cliff? Absolutely not.

The hero's third act return to Wakanda and the excessive finale is all but inevitable, ensuring that no matter how well-crafted the movie is, it still doesn't break away fully from the trappings of tentpole cinema and the demands of Marvel Studios' blockbuster conveyor-belt.