Almost every single Marvel Cinematic Universe movie review starts basically the same. God knows I’ve been just as guilty of it.

Talk about how long Marvel Studios has been around (10 years). How many movies (18). How great their ratio of great-to-bad movies is (depending on who you ask, there’s only 2, maybe 3 bad). And ask how they keep doing it.

The answer is simple, and its retained here with the latest release - Black Panther: believe in the source material and you will reap its benefits.

The benefit which Black Panther has, however? While a basic heroes journey tale - you’ve never seen or felt a superhero movie quite like this one.

Under the watchful eye of director Ryan Coogler, Black Panther builds off of the star-making performance of Chadwick Boseman in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War as the titular hero, T’Challa, the leader of a hidden African nation called Wakanda. He has to now take his rightful place as King of Wakanda, with his father being murdered in the aforementioned Civil War, and deal with the subsequent fallout.

While that may feel like you need to have a guide to the Marvel Universe to understand where we’ve been so far, Black Panther as a film is as accessible to viewers as the nation of Wakanda is inaccessible to outsiders. You need not have seen a frame of a prior film to get it.

What you do get, either way, is an absolute cracker of a superhero saga.

From the glorious hidden nation of Wakanda, a technological marvel (no pun intended) obscured from the rest of the world, to a rich supporting cast surrounding T’Challa (including great turns from Lupita Nyong’o,The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright - starring as T’Challa’s sister, a genius who may put both Tony Stark and Peter Parker to shame), and arguably two of the best villains in the MCU yet, Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaue and Michael B. Jordan’s Erik “Killmonger" Stevens.

The latter is where the movie shines brightest. Without going into to much detail, the third act of the film, while filled with the standard smash and bang CGI action, has a beating heart of political conflict and intrigue. Black Panther doesn’t shy away from being a movie of its time, something I wasn’t sure we’d see given how the first two acts are sort of a Batman meets James Bond adventure, seen through a lens of incredible futuristic imagery.

Special credit must go to the amazing art directors and designers for this film - as much as Thor: Ragnarok served as an homage to Jack Kirby and his bold four-color designs, the vision of Wakanda is absolutely stunning and unlike anything ever capture on film. I was captivated by every frame. Also fantastic? The score by Ludwig GÁ¶ransson - best known for collaborating with Donald Glover on his Childish Gambino musical projects. Equal parts classical, tribal, and modern, it adds a driving beat to a film which rarely lets up and delights a truly worldwide audience.

While I write this shortly after leaving the cinema, my brain has not been able to let Black Panther go. Truly a triumph for blockbuster filmmaking and a must-see on the big screen, I foresee watching and rewatching this movie for years to come.

One more note before I go - how incredible is Ryan Coogler as a filmmaker? Between Fruitvale Station, Creed, and this, he’s a true wunderkind. Studios of Hollywood, open your pocketbooks and let him make whatever he wants. He is unstoppable.

Black Panther is in theaters now. Grab your tickets now via Fandango, or pre-order digitally via iTunes.