You get the sense that “Washington Black” has much more in store than just a globe-trotting odyssey as soon as the historical drama starts. Narration from Sterling K. Brown’s Medwin Harris hints as much when he declares that everyone who steps off the last stop of the Underground Railroad,

Adapted from Selwyn Seyfu Hinds accalimed novel. "Washington Black" is a tale of freedom, adventure and the desire to change the world.

The story of a young Black man in 19th century Nova Scotia that stars Sterling K. Brown has a lot going for it but erases much of what made the book special