T’Challa (also known as the Black Panther) returns to his homeland after the loss of his father (as we saw in Captain America – Civil War). T’Challa accepts the crown and becomes king of Wakanda, but his position is soon challenged by a new threat.  

Unlike the previous Marvel instalments, our lead hero is more of a silent type who rarely speaks, but when he does, he’s confident and strong. The film also has a heavier focus on story and developing its new characters rather than loading the film up with huge amounts of witty jokes as we’ve previously in the likes of Thor Ragnarok or Iron Man. The film also has less amount of action than I expected for a Marvel title. But is less humour and action something to be spoken about as a negative or positive?

Being a Marvel film, one element that doesn’t surprise me is that once again we have an audio track which is loud and alive. I personally love how Black Panther’s soundtrack felt- perfectly timed and fitting tightly with every moment. Even the faint drumming in the background of some scenes was tension building and gave life to moments where key characters dealt with dramatic situations. The visuals are also strong, full of colour, except for some of the film’s fights scenes, and this brings me to one of the film’s negatives for me personally.

Some the fights scenes are fast and quick, which I expected for someone who moves and fights like a Panther. But, some of these action scenes were nearly in utter darkness and I found it slightly disappointing. Some of the action scenes were so dark it became somewhat unreal, almost turning it into an animation film and it became harder to enjoy the action as the darkness felt slight distracting. Other action sequence resulted in predictable outcomes even before the claws come out. The villains (yes, plural) overall were also fun and some of the best we’ve seen in the Marvel universe to date (Andy Serkis- dare I say no more lol).

Overall, this is yet again another enjoyable Marvel film. I love how this film manages to be different from the other previous instalments. We have a new entry to the Marvel universe which focuses more on creating better characters and a strong plot rather than pushing witty characters and big bang action sequences. I truly give absolute respect to the results that have been achieved here. While it might not be my no.1 Marvel film to date, I can easily understand why many Marvel fans will sing and chant its praises.

8.1/10 

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Review Written by Peter Walkden