BLACK PANTHER (Rated PG-13)

There is plenty of hype about the Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther, the mythical leader of the fictional African nation called Wakanda, who first came to the silver screen two years ago in “Captain America: Civil War.”

The setting of “Black Panther” might be on a continent far removed from our shores, but it is African-American actor Chadwick Boseman in the dual role of T’Challa, the monarch of Wakanda, who much like Bruce Wayne has his titular alter-ego in a costumed outfit.

What gives strength and power to T’Challa is the rare mineral vibranium, a substance created from a meteor strike long ago on the formerly impoverished African nation, which then turned the entire country into a technological marvel hidden from the world.

Indeed, Wakanda is an isolated, hermit nation, maybe even more so than North Korea, given that its secret power has been withheld from the outside world. And many in the kingdom wish to keep it that way.

Conflict arises when T’Challa has to defend the source of vibranium from the nefarious plans of Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), one who appears to be an outsider from Oakland but has a claim to Wakandan royal lineage.

Becoming the ruler of Wakanda, under the watchful eye of his protective mother Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), T’Challa faces challenges to the throne, first from the fearsome M’Baku (Winston Duke).

Leader of the Jabari mountain tribe of Wakanda, M’Baku fears his culture may not survive in a modern world. But the real threat to T’Challa comes from Killmonger, who manages to get his hands on a piece of vibranium kept in a British museum.

There are some great actions scenes when T’Challa engages mercenary Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) in a high-speed chase in South Korea, but the real battle lands on the turf of Wakanda when Killmonger challenges T’Challa.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Wakanda kingdom is that the women are fierce warriors, with Okoye (Danai Gurira) showing more physical prowess than even the Black Panther fully accessorized with his powers.

T’Challa also seems to be upstaged by his own sister, Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright), who takes seriously her key role in using advanced technology to provide her brother with all the tools he needs to battle his enemies.

“Black Panther,” more so than other superhero movies, dips into social-political issues from the perspective of writer-director Ryan Coogler. Exploring the messages would take us to a discussion beyond the entertainment value.

It was claimed that legendary Hollywood mogul Samuel Goldwyn had the saying, “if you have a message, call Western Union.” Or this could have been said by Moss Hart.

Whether or not the messages are received and processed by the audience, “Black Panther” can be enjoyed for the mere fact of a good story delivered by a good cast filled with charismatic characters.




‘GOOD GIRLS’ ON NBC NETWORK

Female empowerment takes a dark, comic twist in the new NBC comedy “Good Girls,” which is basically about three suburban moms, struggling with finances, family crises, and crumbling marriages, who take extreme measures.

Pretty much the soccer mom-type with four kids in her daily care, Beth (Christina Hendricks) finds that her sleazy auto dealer husband (Matthew Lillard) is cheating on her with a ditzy blonde secretary.

Meanwhile, Beth’s younger sister Annie (Mae Whitman), needing money for legal help in a custody battle with her ex, works as a minimum wage grocery store clerk having to fend off the unwanted advances of the store manager.

The other member of this trio is Ruby (Retta), a waitress and happily married mother who is distraught over the fact that her young daughter is suffering from a crippling disease that could only be cured by unaffordable medical care.

The plot is hatched for what these three women mistakenly think of as a “victimless crime.” The idea is to stage a daylight armed robbery at Annie’s store to steal $30,000 secured in a safe.

Well, it turns out the robbery nets them something close to a half-million dollars, and knowing grocery stores don’t haul in that kind of dough, it soon becomes apparent that a criminal enterprise is underway.

Now some very bad guys (you can tell this by the fact the leader has a large tattoo on his neck) show up at Beth’s house, brandishing weapons, knocking over furniture and demanding immediate repayment.

The premise behind “Good Girls” feels like it should be the plot of a feature-length film rather than a TV series, so it will be interesting to see how the story unfolds over time with likely one complication to follow another for our heroines to dig out of a hole.

The executive producer Jenna Bans informed critics during the winter TV press tour that the “characters tell themselves they’re doing it for good,” and that any moral judgment is for “the audience to decide.” Now you know your assignment should you choose to accept.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.