Saw BP at a press screening a while back in old London town, in front of a (very) partisan audience (well, some of them, anyway).
There's hype, and then there's the hype surrounding this film. I've seen countless Marvel movie press videos where the director, screenwriter and main cast members discuss the finer nuances of the film that they are in, along with the subtext, relationships between characters, etc. And every single time all I can think of is that it's all hot air and spin - it's always a presentable genre film, often entertaining, with a handful of good lines that adheres to a strict and inflexible formula, because after all that is what audiences expect, and get. Why diverge from a winning recipe? And why let matters like art or actual cinema enter the equation? There's acting, and then there's Marvel acting.
And there's not much to separate this movie from all the others. To claim that this is revolutionary, groundbreaking, or seminal is absurd. It's a competent movie at best, which outstayed its welcome for me due to its overblown self-importance. The acting was passable, but our leading man (Boseman is by far the best thing in the movie) is given little to do. If there is a theme or subtext it's not exactly subtle or allegorical. This is a genre movie and nothing more, with different costumes and setting. The rest is cookie cutter, with some elements of Greek tragedy thrown in. Oh yeah, some of the CGI was poor, but that doesn't bother me.
I almost felt sorry for Martin Freeman for taking on his role as stooge. A half-decent movie at best, but also dispiriting. What (apart from the identity politics) is so special about this film?