Black Panther (2018)

Two years ago, I would've had reservations about an adaptation of a character who clearly came out of the blaxploitation era. Thankfully, not only did his screen debut in Captain America: Civil War show how promisingly cool he was, but TV's Luke Cage reassured me that Marvel blaxploitation could avoid looking like old-fashioned moderate racism.

Although Prince T'Challa of Wakanda (Chadwick Boseman) had already donned the royal stylized catsuit, only in this movie does he officially become king and take the Black Panther title, along with a substance that enhances his physical abilities. Soon afterward, he learns of a murderous international museum heist that put secret Wakandan technology in the hands of smuggler Klaw (a hammy Andy Serkis), and he assembles a team to recover it at a rendezvous intended for a black-market sale. Naturally, a mere illegitimate businessman could hardly be the main villain in a work like this; he has a temporary partner with a vision for the global future....

OK, a bit of background: The fictional East African nation presents itself to the outside world as one of the most developmentally backward countries in existence, but that's just its way of being almost as insular as Themyscira. It contains easily the world's largest supply of vibranium, the same rare material that makes up Captain America's unbreakable shield. Little did I know that it could somehow lend itself to centuries of technological advances that Iron Man has yet to equal. At the forefront of the modern tech industry is Shuri (Letitia Wright), T'Challa's gifted teen sister, who serves as something of an Agent Q.

Nevertheless, the technological gap between Wakanda and the rest of the First World is narrowing. That's one reason that the new Black Panther can't get behind his predecessors' traditional seclusion as he's figuring out what kind of king to be. It turns out that he's not the only Wakandan royal who feels that way. If a certain other claims the throne thru legal and/or illegal means, Wakandan technology will still get distributed throughout the world, but in a different way and for a different purpose -- one that could spell bad news overall.

This other reminds me a bit of Magneto, which is mostly a good thing, as Magneto's my favorite supervillain. Never mind that they both hail from Marvel series and go by Erik; they both fancy themselves champions of an oppressed race and will do anything to turn the tables. For Magneto, it's the mutant race; for Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), it's the Black race. Killmonger's an antivillain, all right, and I worry that some audience members might sympathize too much with his quest to arm Blacks all over the world for an uprising. That said, I think his plan wouldn't work that well, as (1) it's hard to organize so broadly in such a way that the weapons wouldn't fall into enemy hands and (2) only so many people of any race are spoiling for large-scale war against neighbors. In any event, his chosen nickname is a good hint that the extremist has already committed too many shameless atrocities to be a true hero.

If Jordan Peele had directed this, I'd expect all Black heroes and all non-Black villains. Ryan Coogler plays a bit friendlier. In addition to the villain diversity described above, there is one minor White hero, CIA Agent Ross (Martin Freeman), who's something of a plucky comic relief but more useful here than in the comics. Much of the audience might relate to him simply for being a fish out of water, totally new to Wakanda's awesome machinery.

More impressive are the Wakandan heroines. Nakia (Disney mainstay Lupita Nyong'o) is first seen foiling a Boko Haram-type group with espionage and martial arts. She also adds interest as T'Challa's on-and-off girlfriend. Then there's Okoye (Danai Gurira) and her army of warrior women to do Themyscira proud. My mom especially appreciated this feminist aspect.

I have but two complaints about BP: It's low on surprises, and some moments are forced when you think about them. On second thought, that amounts to one complaint: It's formulaic. For all the hype about Marvel doing something different with a main hero whose race really matters, I can't help feeling like it's largely a retread.

Still, long-time readers know how big I am on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I hardly begrudge BP a high degree of familiarity. It accomplishes the important elements I look for in a movie of its ilk. You have to be pretty stodgy not to like it overall.