Regular readers know my general antipathy to superhero films, comic book adaptations and fantasy films, yet even I can appreciate a good one when it comes along.  Black Panther is a good one.  I was surprised to find it a film that has a lot to say about one’s place in the world, the accountability that cultures have to each other and how to act honorably even when circumstances are most dire.  It’s much more than a typical action film, although its action sequences are pretty cool, too.

Ryan Coogler’s film posits that a culture in Africa, Wakanda, has remained hidden for centuries, and that it has progressed technologically far beyond the rest of the world.  The status quo is threatened when someone from the outside with a link to Wakanda — and a powerful grudge — threatens the throne and wants to enter the world stage with a big bang.  The drama of personal stories blends beautifully with the larger view of how a societal shift could change the world, and it is punctuated with eye-popping action sequences, gorgeous costumes, powerful characters (especially women) and challenging moral questions raised by an incisive script.

I waited almost two months to see this because I just wasn’t excited about it, but I am very glad to have seen it.  The Marvel universe, I must admit, has been generally entertaining, and this is a most welcome addition.  It is more thoughtful and reality-bound than many of the others, despite its completely fictional components.  It’s an important sociological document, too, but I am more concerned with its entertainment value — and it certainly delivers in that realm.  Be sure to see it, if you haven’t already.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  26 April 2018.