Black Panther Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

3. It Fully Engages With Real-World History & Politics

Perhaps the most unexpected aspect of Black Panther is just how willfully it addresses the inequality that has been faced by black people since time began.

There are literally dozens of barbed lines about the history of "colonials" taking away what belongs to ancient black civilisation and appropriating it as their own, which in large part accounts for why Wakanda remains a hidden nation.

It doesn't stop there, though, also firmly and bluntly addressing the continued ill treatment of black people in the present day. It may not be subtle, but sometimes subtlety isn't needed, and if you look at the major racial issues prevalent in the U.S. alone today, this is clearly a case where a sledgehammer is the best weapon for the job.

That a $200 million superhero tentpole can broach such social issues and do it in a way that's at once angry, hilarious and ultimately even quite sweet and affecting, is no easy feat. Bravo.