Wakanda Forever! The fierce enlightenment of Black Panther

Superheroes often have a secret identity, kept hidden from the world at large. But what if an entire country had a secret identity? That's that fantastic notion at the heart of Marvel's absolutely outstanding Black Panther. As far as the other nations of the world are concerned, the tiny African kingdom of Wakanda is just another impoverished third-world country no one gives a second thought to. But the real Wakanda is hidden from the outside world - the real Wakanda is a technologically and culturally superior utopia, maintaining a careful balance for its varied people, its secrets kept just that - secret. 

I keep saying that Marvel continues to find ways to expand and keep the Marvel Universe feeling fresh and novel - but nothing quite prepared me for the vitality and cultural relevance that heaven-sent director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed) brings to bear in this simply phenomenal film. 

After his father's death (as seen back in Captain America: Civil War), T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) must assume the duties of King, contend with challengers for the throne, inhabit the legendary presence of Wakanda's guardian - the Black Panther - and deal with the responsibilities of charting his country's place in a world increasingly beset by injustice and conflict. 

Fortunately he's not alone. T'Challa is surrounded by a trio of incredibly strong Wakandan women who not only have his back, but appear more than capable of running the entire planet without his - or any man's - help. The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira ascends to ferocious heights as Okoye, the leader of the King's Royal Guard, and my pick for one of the coolest characters you'll find in movies anywhere. I didn't think anyone was ever going to top Robin Wright's Amazonian bad-assness in Wonder Woman, but Gurira and her Wakandan warrior women look like they could floss their teeth with the Amazons of Themyscira. 

Lupita Nyong'o is sensational as Nakia, T'Challa's estranged flame who's compelled to take action to protect Wakanda's people. But it's Letitia Wright as T'Challa's sister Shuri who steals the movie. If Black Panther was a James Bond movie - and there are many times when it feels like it is - then Shuri would be T'Challa's Q, making sure he's outfitted with the most agile and reliable tech imaginable. She brings an unbeatable combination of humor and rationality to the role, and I take heart at the idea of how many young girls out there will be inspired to pursue careers in science after seeing Shuri. There are so many breakout characters in Black Panther, it's easy to lose count. But huge mention must go to Winston Duke, as leader of a rival clan, who also pretty much walks off with the picture in his every scene. This cast is so good, and is having so much fun, including the great Forest Whitaker as T'Challa's mentor, Martin Freeman (playing Felix Leiter to T'Challa's Bond) and an unhinged Andy Serkis as demented ne'er-do-well Ulysses Klaue, first glimpsed back in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

But Nobody owns Black Panther like Michael B. Jordan. Without question, Jordan’s Erik Killmonger is the most complex and grounded “villain” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Evoking Shakespearean antagonists such as King Lear's Edmund, Killmonger has grown up in exiled illegitimacy, hardened and spiteful. He wants power, but not for power's sake, or vengeance. Like a Special Forces Nat Turner, Killmonger wants to inflict righteousness. He dares to ask, "If Wakanda's had all this power and technology and harmony, why have we stayed silent as our brothers across the world have suffered ages of oppression and violence? Why haven't we acted to set things right?" That's not like any villain I can remember. He's a social justice avenger. He has one hell of a point.

Black Panther's arrival couldn't be more serendipitous. Coogler (who also co-wrote the script) has managed to do the impossible. Like Wonder Woman before it, Black Panther is not only a wildly satisfying and crowd-pleasing adventure saga, but it's also about something, and resonates powerfully in the times we live in, to the point that it may become an anthem. You care fiercely about every single character, and there are at least a half-dozen sequences where it's impossible to stay in your seat. Huge kudos to Coogler's Fruitvale Station cinematographer Rachel Morrison, currently enjoying the distinction of being the first woman ever to be nominated for a cinematography Academy Award for her work on Mudbound. She makes Wakanda an eye-popping environment that feels real and grounded despite its serene futurism, while delivering kinetic action mayhem across an incredibly dynamic canvas. From the hard streets of Oakland to distant jungle plateaus, Ryan Coogler has asked his fellow superhero directors his own Killmonger question: "Why aren't we doing more?" It may only be February, but Black Panther will be casting a long shadow as one of the year's very best films, and likely far beyond.