Review: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, directed by Ryan Coogler, tells the tale of the kingdom of Wakanda, a highly advanced civilization whose people are mourning the sudden death of their king T’Challa. The King’s death hits especially hard for T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letita Wright), who blames herself for being unable to save her brother with her scientific gifts. But with T’Challa out of the picture, the rest of the world is hounding on Wakanda to share its precious resource of Vibranium, causing a hidden underwater nation lead by a ruthless mutant named Namor (Tenoch Huerta) to attack. Wakanda now must figure out how to defend itself in a world without the Black Panther.
We did it, we survived the MCU’s Phase Four. This film marks the end of Marvel’s most problematic phase yet, and after seeing it for myself thematically speaking it does make sense. For those Marvel fans hoping to see the gameplan for what the MCU has in store next, you may be a bit disappointed with this film.
Wakanda Forever does not make any promises on what the MCU has in store for us next; there are no “cheer-worthy” moments of fanservice to be had nor excessive callbacks to the rest of the MCU. This is a surprisingly empathetic and somber tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who tragically lost his battle to cancer two year ago. And as morbid as this sounds this does make Wakanda Forever one of the more interesting Marvel films I’ve seen in a long time.
The first Black Panther film was a pop culture icon that inspired many kids in the Black community and racked up three whole Oscars for the MCU in addition to being a critical darling and box office juggernaut. I personally found it to be slightly overhyped but I still acknowledge the impact it had on society as a whole. The sequel is understandably less fun than the first, but oddly enough I find it to be a better movie overall.
The highlight without a doubt is the performances. Marvel films generally have good performances all around, but for this film it seems that Boseman’s death gave the cast members the extra emotional push needed to deliver the gut-punch to the feels. Letita Wright gives one of the most nuanced performances I’ve seen in any Marvel film; it goes without saying this is a dramatic change of pace compared to her performance as the spunky side character from the first film and Wright nails the demanding emotional complexities needed from her this time around as the new leading lady.
Angela Basset gets a little too grandiose for my liking but she still has some powerful moments that will no doubt be used for her Oscar campaign, Lupita Nyong’o does fantastic as usual, and while Tenoch Huerta lacks the charisma needed for a compelling antagonist I still think he makes for a badass Namor. Ryan Coogler’s direction this time around is a lot more confident than it was in the previous film, the production design and costumes are just as unique and detailed as before, Ludwig Göransson’s score is still a banger to listen to.
This was honestly one of the most refreshing Marvel films I’ve seen in a long time, however it’s still a Marvel film. The plot is by far the weakest element of the film; there are multiple characters introduced that are either new faces or characters we’ve seen before in previous Marvel properties that serve no real point to the events of the plot outside of providing some form of foreshadowing/fanservice. There were also plot points that are brought up but ultimately serve no purpose by the end of the film, making the two hour and forty minute runtime a slog to get through.
Coogler’s usual DOP Rachel Morrison opted not to return this time around in favor of making her own directorial debut, and her absence is sorely felt as this film looked uncharacteristically ugly for both a Coogler film and even a MCU film. A good chunk of the film takes place underwater (eat your heart out James Cameron) and most of the scenes underwater don’t look too good; the image is either dark or bland, sometimes both. This film is also not entirely free from the usual MCU pitfalls with its one too many unfunny jokes and bad CGI littered throughout the film.
Overall though despite it being “another Marvel movie” I quite like this film. This was a near impossible project to pull off considering the title character’s passing in real life, but Ryan Coogler and the cast and crew managed to overcome the tragedy and deliver a genuine heartfelt love-letter to Chadwick Boseman’s legacy in the MCU. Who knows, this film might even get better for me over time but for now I can confidently recommend everyone to go check this film out and see for yourselves.
Final Verdict: 7/10