Black Panther Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

7. It's Funny...But Not Too Funny

A common criticism of MCU movies is that they're often too funny for their own good, breathlessly vomiting quips and witty one-liners at the audience to the extent that it detracts from any palpable sense of tension.

Black Panther is no such movie, thankfully. Now, be clear, this is a devilishly funny film at times, but the tone is more akin to the Russo Brothers' Captain America movies: it takes itself and its world seriously, but finds fun in smaller, more human character beats rather than the all-round zanier shenanigans of, say, Thor: Ragnarok.

The tone should satisfy those who complain about the MCU often prioritising laughs over dramatic stakes, but at the same time, there's also a healthy doling-out of hilarious one-liners to ensure it's anything but a self-serious, mirthless affair.