“Black Panther” is a must-see. It is a triumph on all fronts. As a stand-alone film, it is action-packed, fun, and entertaining. It expands and upturns the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and leads us into the much-anticipated Infinity War. It succeeds, too, as a cultural celebration.

There is so much that is great about this movie that I will get the negative out of the way first thing. The plot is pretty predictable, but most casual moviegoers have not been surprised by a Marvel movie since “Guardians of the Galaxy” turned out to actually be good — so that is nothing different. It is a superhero film, after all.

This is normally the part when I talk about how the MCU has a “villain problem,” in that each one of their villains can be described with what amounts to a Mad Lib: “Insert villain name here hates insert hero name here because insert generic revenge-based motivation here.” MCU fans were hoping that “Infinity War” and Thanos would fix this problem, but “Black Panther” beat them to it. Killmonger is motivated by revenge, but it is not a misplaced vengeance, like in the case of Iron Man and the Winter Soldier. It is justifiable not only to Killmonger’s eyes, but also to the heroes.

Speaking of heroes, Black Panther — or T’Challa — might just have become my favorite in the MCU. T’Challa is to inherit the throne of Wakanda after his father was killed when Zemo bombed the UN building in “Infinity War.” He returns to Wakanda, a technologically advanced civilization in the heart of Africa, to be crowned king. But he has to prove his worth when Killmonger shows up, also seeking the crown.

The acting is top-tier, as it usually is with Marvel movies. Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, and Letitia Wright shine bright, bringing charisma, fire, and depth to their characters.

The fight choreography is the best I have seen in the MCU. There are no guns in Wakanda — according to Danai Gurira’s character, Okoye, they are too primitive. All the fighting is done with hands, advanced melee weapons, or rhinos — yes, rhinos. Or it is done with the Wakandan ships that make the SHIELD helicarriers look like children’s toys. But without guns, the fighting is much closer, much more intimate, and much, much cooler. It is one of those things where you cannot even remember what was so cool about it because it moved so fast.

This film messes with power roles in its fictional world. You would think that the United States would be the go-to military power to help the Avengers when Thanos comes to town. Nope. That will be Wakanda. The center of power is not America anymore.

The best thing that this film does, though, is mix up stereotypical roles within film. A white guy playing the bumbling, semi-competent comic relief (as opposed to Kevin Hart in the recent “Jumanji” film) and a black guy playing the reluctant hero (as opposed to basically every movie ever)? It is a cinematic breath of fresh air. To quote “Star Wars” actor John Boyega, “It’s about time.”