The 18th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the first to star a black superhero. In that regard, director Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" is a game-changer, a landmark of the superhero genre that's been more than 2 decades in the making.

The plot goes like this: T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is the king of Wakanda, but when he dons his leather all-Ebony suit, he's the Black Panther. Since this is Coogler, Michael B. Jordan has to be cast in some kind of role, so here the 31-year-old actor plays the villainous Erik Killmonger and he, quite frankly, steals the show from Boseman's rather stilted, uninteresting performance. Ditto Letitia Wright as T'Challa's very own "Q," Shuri.

Without a doubt this is a culturally important film, one with an important message to tell its audience. We learn that bad power leads to oppression, and good power leads to good oppression, but only if used properly and respectfully. Blind loyalty to a power structure keeps the system intact.

Wakanda is, in essence, an African fantasy, one in which the continent is able to withstand white oppressors and consequentially has the power to build an empire off Vibranium, a natural resource that is more powerful than steel.

Wakanda is hidden behind clouds and mountains, far from the evils of white colonizers, but any sort of imagination is left in the back seat when it comes to this emerald city onscreen. It's a missed opportunity on the part of Coogler because, after all, this is an MCU movie set in Africa! I wanted to see the savannas and the fantastic natural sights and beauties that come with this fascinating and colorful continent, but instead, there's an over-reliance on fake digital backgrounds rather than real on-set locations. This is detrimental to bringing any kind of humane connection or absorbingly artful feeling to the film, which quite frequently feels artificial and computerized rather than lived-in and three-dimensional.

The look of the film is beautifully rendered and was said to be inspired by the architecture and dress of African countries. Coogler even has time to bring innovation to the tiresome superhero genre with a few of the excellent single take shots he used in "Creed," which makes the film feel truly inspired and unique. But at the end of the day this is a Marvel movie and because of that, there are restrictions, and creative freedom is stalled in favor of business as usual.

The plot is rather stagy but at times effective. After the murder of his father, T'Challa comes back home to Wakanda to become king.

At the ceremony, he is challenged by Jabari Tribe leader M’Baku, and what ensues is a rather thrilling combat between the two, which ultimately has T’Challa prevailing and keeping the throne. Enter Killmonger, now an ex-U.S. black ops soldier hellbent on dethroning the king to ship Wakandan weapons, filled with Vibranium, to black operatives all around the world. His goal is for black people to fight and take control with the use of Wakandian firepower. The eventual ritual combat for the throne between T’Challa and Killmonger leads to the former’s ousting and a new king being reigned into power. Thinking T’Challa is dead, Killmonger proceeds with his plans for a new world order. If you’ve seen “Hamlet” or even “The Lion King,” you know what happens next.

Cue the climatic battle, where a down and out T'Challa has to overcome a hellbent arch nemesis, a showdown that leads to final words, a Shakespearian death scene and a lesson being learned by all. It's a tale as old as time and "Black Panther" achingly sticks with the formula.