A touch of black magic from Marvel

Black Panther

(Cert 12A, 134 mins)

The lucrative Marvel Comics universe will expand exponentially in the next 12 months. Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man And The Wasp are waiting in the wings, tightly coiled with droll humour and hyperkinetic energy to discharge during the summer blockbuster months.

First out of the digitally augmented blocks is a rousing standalone adventure for the eponymous African king, who we first encountered in a snazzy vibranium-enriched bodysuit in the superhero battle royale Captain America: Civil War.

If Black Panther — directed by Ryan Coogler — is emblematic of things to come from the comic books pantheon, then roll on the rest of the year because this frenetically edited odyssey of self-doubt and redemption is the big cat’s whiskers.

In some respects, this is identikit film-making from Marvel: prodigal sons tormented by the loss of powerful fathers, computer-generated characters trading bone-crunching blows in mid-air, a throwaway cameo for comic book maven Stan Lee and additional scenes concealed in end credits. Coogler’s slinky picture is barnstorming entertainment of the highest pedigree, which sinks its narrative claws into present-day racial tensions, gender inequality and western imperialism with relish. See interview on opposite page.