Tonight's Movie: Black Panther (2018)

BLACK PANTHER (2018) is a strong new entry in the consistently well-done, entertaining films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Like Marvel's THOR (2011), BLACK PANTHER is a tale of "earning the throne," yet the movies couldn't be more stylistically different, which is part of the wonder of this Marvel series.

The MCU encompasses everything from the Nordic mythology of Thor and Loki to the zany Guardians of the Galaxy, from stalwart Captain America to an ordinary dad turned into a miniature Ant-Man; yet while the movies all have their own stamp -- thanks in part to the unique vision of each film's director -- they also form a cohesive whole, populating the same universe. It's great fun to see the characters cross paths in the various films; for example, is there anything better than Thor confronting the motley crew who comprise the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of the AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR trailer?

BLACK PANTHER originates from a comic book of just over a half century ago, yet as I watched I couldn't help thinking that it was Marvel meets THE LION KING (1994). Each film tells the tale of a royal family in Africa, reflecting the "circle of life," and the familiar themes continue from there.

Black Panther, also known as T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), is the new king of the mysterious African kingdom of Wakanda. T'Challa's father T'Chaka (John Kani) died tragically in a previous entry in the series, and now it's time for T'Challa to take his place on the throne.

Wakanda hides in plan sight, seeming to be a poor country, while it's actually a wealthy technological powerhouse thanks to vibranium, the same material which goes into Captain America's shield. Wakanda has remained isolated, keeping vibranium out of the hands of bad actors, but T'Challa's once and future significant other, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), believes Wakanda has an obligation to help the world.

Unfortunately such debates must be put off, along with finding the man responsible for T'Chaka's death, as it seems that T'Chaka had a disloyal brother (Uncle Scar, anyone?) whose son, Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), arrives in Wakanda to challenge T'Challa for the throne. And Killmonger is really bad news.

BLACK PANTHER is a wonderful melding of the terrifically creative with the familiar, such as T'Challa being guided by his father's spirit (more borrowing from THE LION KING). I also liked what a friend pointed out on Twitter, that the opening of the film is thematically very similar to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014); in each a young boy experiences tragedy and witnesses something amazing from outer space, but from there, their lives go in completely different directions.

Many viewers have also picked up on a bit of a James Bond theme, with T'Challa's sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) serving as a sort of "Q," inventing all manner of gadgets for her brother to use when acting as a superhero.

At the same time as it presents its spin on classic themes, the film is bursting with unique visuals and characters, such as Danai Gurira's leader of the royal guard, the Dora Milaje. The movie could rate a second look just to more completely take in everything that's on the screen, let alone the story!

I really enjoyed Boseman, whose character is a compelling mixture of confidence and uncertainty, as he strives to be worthy of his new role(s). Now I want to go back and take a look at DRAFT DAY (2014) again, as well as check out 42 (2013) and MARSHALL (2017), which are both in my viewing stack.

The film is noteworthy for several strong women's roles, as played by the actresses noted above. Martin Freeman is also on hand as Everett Ross, an American agent who joins forces with T'Challa's family after they save his life. The cast also includes Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Kaluuya, and Andy Serkis.

BLACK PANTHER was directed by Ryan Coogler, who also directed this film's villain, Jordan, in CREED (2015). CREED costar Tessa Thompson joined the MCU last time around in THOR: RAGNAROK (2017).

The movie was filmed by Rachel Morrison. It runs 2 hours and 14 minutes.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13. There are a couple disturbing yet bloodless deaths. Mostly it's the usual Marvel cartoon violence.

A trailer is here.

BLACK PANTHER opened to strong reviews, including from Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, who wrote "This is the model of what an involving popular entertainment should be. And even something more." It received a four-star review from Brian Truitt at USA Today, while Leonard Maltin writes that "Black Panther has already generated enough hype for multiple movies…and delivers on its promise to an eager audience."

Previous Marvel reviews: IRON MAN (2008), IRON MAN 2 (2010), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011), THOR (2011), THE AVENGERS (2012), IRON MAN 3 (2013), THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014), AGENT CARTER (2015), ANT-MAN (2015), AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015), CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016), DOCTOR STRANGE (2016), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017), SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017), and THOR: RAGNAROK (2017).

Coming next from Marvel: AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018) on May 4th and ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018) on July 6th.