Marvel’s new Black Panther movie had a monumental task: continue the story of Wakanda — which became a worldwide phenomenon in 2018 — without its main actor and character.
The original film was understandably celebrated. It earned over a billion dollars at the box office and became the first superhero movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture.
That’s already a lot of follow-up pressure for the director, Ryan Coogler, besides the fact the film’s main character, Chadwick Boseman, passed away in 2020.
All of these reasons make Black Panther: Wakanda Forever a thrilling, heartfelt, and layered return to Wakanda.
And that’s what makes the sequel great: it doesn’t shy away from it. They lovingly honour the death of Boseman, which translates into his character, King T’Challa. The film heavily centres around the tragedy as his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and mother Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) deal with his death (in a few beautifully touching scenes).
- You might also like:
- Return to Pandora with stunning new "Avatar" trailer (VIDEO)
- Ryan Reynolds shares why he had a "nerve-wracking" time filming "Spirited" (TRAILER)
- Ryan Reynolds confirms "Deadpool 3" is coming and will include Hugh Jackman
What makes Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stand out is that it doesn’t feel like all of the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) sequels — it has depth, emotion, and stakes. The sequel shies away from the formulaic MCU jokes in most of their flicks.
The plot is once again based around the valuable and naturally-occurring element of the technologically-advances nation of Wakanda — vibranium.
Newcomer Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) becomes the point of contention for Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the film’s villain who — with his underwater army — set their sights on the young student, who’s poised to take the mantle of the next Iron Man.
View this post on Instagram
The cast is stacked and it feels like an old-school Marvel movie (oh boy, that makes me feel old). It’s heavy with emotion and heart, not jokes and a forced narrative (we’re looking at you, Thor: Love and Thunder). Bassett is commanding as the Wakandian monarch, grieving her son and worrying about her daughter. Wright does a lot of heavy lifting as Shuri, Danai Gurira kicks ass as Okoye, and Huerta’s Namor has understandable motives for a villain.
If you’re annoyed about how the MCU doesn’t seem to connect to humans, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever does a good job of making the now-massive cinematic universe feel more grounded.
There are great fight scenes, solid CGI, a very relatable story, great acting, and cool costumes. It’s fun. If you haven’t been to the movies in a while or you haven’t enjoyed an MCU flick in too long, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever feels like a page out of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
In typical Marvel fashion, it does a good job of expanding the universe, even though it doesn’t feel forced (ahem, looking at you again, Thor: Love and Thunder).
Wakanda is indeed forever but keep an eye out for Namor and his superpowered underwater kingdom clan, because they’re pretty damn cool too.
@blackpanther/Instagram
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pounces into theatres on Friday, November 11.