“Black Panther” is Marvel’s 18th film in less than 10 years and it’s still shocking to believe that they’ve just now theatrically released their first black-led superhero film with Chadwick Boseman taking the helm of Wakanda’s Black Panther. Stepping back and looking at the cast of “Black Panther” is a feat within itself. We see talent ranging from prominent black actors of one era including Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett, and circling back around to the the new age led by Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong'o. Chadwick Boseman is the star of the show here as he immerses himself into the quiet, reserved, and humble role of King T’Challa. His performance is razor sharp and he evokes a quiet ferocity during action scenes, and other sequences with dramatic power. Juxtaposed to Boseman’s quiet stature is Michael B. Jordan’s, Killmonger. Who conveys anger, ferocity, fierceness, and fire boiling beneath the surface of a damaged man who will not stop to accomplish his mission. It’s been a while, and maybe even the first time ever an MCU film has gifted us intense, emotional drama between our protagonist and antagonist. Even though Killmonger doesn’t appear as often as he should have, Jordan delivers scene in and scene out and makes the most out of his demanding screen presence. The capitalization on the villain alone is a great sign that Kevin Feige let director Ryan Coogler lay it all out on the table. In this case it means that “Black Panther” has enticing themes of political uneasiness, three-dimensional character exploration, world exploration, proper conclusion to themes and arcs, and a technically efficient film on screen and off of. Where most MCU films miss the mark is their inability in creating a thrilling villain. Most of their filmography is riddled with “good enough”, “middling”, or “passable” villains, but these films include themes worth exploring that never are. The point is, is that within “Black Panther” we see themes explored through character. Characters are left unexplored or half-baked themes lie stale on the table that are soon to be replaced by unnecessary action sequences, jarring fanservice, or scenes that have zero importance to the larger picture. Here, we are served up a beautifully well-rounded platter of thought-provoking themes that challenges it’s audience, characters associated with those themes worth exploring and caring about, and material that is ripe with flavorful juices worth sinking your teeth into and taking a scrumptious bite out of. “Black Panther” is a film that participates with you, and is not a film that insists you participate with it. There are countless times throughout the film where you will find yourself lost in a mesmerizing haze due to the heart-pounding score and cinematography that speaks with a raw cinematic language the MCU has yet to achieve until now. The script was visualized by the right mind in Ryan Coogler. He granted Wakanda the ability to live and breathe on its own without any reliance on past MCU entries to be the foundation for building this mystical land. “Black Panther” felt like a home away from home within the MCU, and the only chores within “Black Panther” is unfortunately apart of its DNA with the umbrella it sits under. Had “Black Panther” not been under the Marvel Studios umbrella this would likely be considered one of the greatest the genre has ever seen, but it suffers from tropes that have riddled the MCU since it’s inauguration back in 2008. Gifting your main character an impenetrable suit has become repetitive in the MCU’s slate of films and it appears again here. For some reason the MCU has an obsession with making sure their hero cannot be matched while in their iconic suit. It’s lazy writing and instantly deflates any stakes the film might have had going for it. It also doesn’t help any that the villain is gifted the same abilities to go toe to toe with our hero even though they never earned it in the first place. “Black Panther” also suffers from characters pointing at things in frame and explaining them. There’s a difference between planting a point and paying it off, and explicitly telling your audience that that item will play a role later on in the film. Coogler, who is well known for his direction of action sequences doesn’t really deliver thrilling action scenes outside of two (ridiculously) well staged and directed scenes right next to a waterfall. Otherwise, the action is mostly forgettable and really underwhelming compared to Coogler’s actual talents. “Black Panther” doesn’t have too many issues, but there are problems latched onto it that are just unshakeable. It’s unfortunate that a film so good suffers from something ingrained in its DNA. As you can tell, “Black Panther” does match the hype being set forth by those that have seen it. Killmonger is one of the MCU’s best villains yet, and Michael B. Jordan delivers a riveting performance as Black Panther’s formidable foe. The performances by the entire cast are nuanced, powerful, and each carry their own emotional weight. The film is technically proficient and miles ahead of every other film in the MCU slate. Issues with heavy-handed dialogue throughout, and unforgivable MCU problems prevent “Black Panther” from sitting atop of this long, storied franchise. “Black Panther” is a refreshing MCU film full of soul, motivation, character, and is a celebration of culture from the past, to the present, and looking beyond into the future. Thankfully, when the lights may have started flickering out, Ryan Coogler fans the flame and turns “Black Panther” into something of a tamed beast that the MCU desperately needed. “Black Panther” gets an 81/100