Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Starring: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Alex Livinalli, Mabel Cadena, Michael B. Jordan
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 2


Summary: In the wake of T'Challa's death, Wakanda faces its greatest threat yet when Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his undersea army threaten to destroy the nation.

Review:

Tim: Man, this whole production was just cloaked in sadness. With the world still reeling from the tragic, unexpected death of Chadwick Boseman, Ryan Coogler and the production team faced a massive challenge. How do you follow up one of the biggest films of all time, when your leading man has succumbed to a prolonged, private fight with cancer? While I don't believe this film is quite as good as the original, I think Coogler and the team did everything they could to honor Boseman's legacy while continuing the characters' stories. This film feels like a win to me, even if it's a bit hollow.

My biggest issue with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever isn't really the film's fault. The fact of the matter is, Letitia Wright is no Chadwick Boseman. She's not half as good an actor. She's not as interesting, doesn't connect with the audience the same way. Similarly, Shuri isn't as interesting as T'Challa. To force a supporting character like this into the lead role that she never deserved was always going to hurt this film. That being said, Coogler and the other writers did their best. Shuri's journey here is an interesting one, but only in relation to the loss of her brother. It's T'Challa's death that drives Shuri. Yes, they tried to make it a story of revenge vs. forgiveness, of Shuri coming into her own as a potential next Black Panther. That all felt forced. What we feel the most watching this film is the loss of Boseman, the absence of T'Challa, and a group of people who are doing their very best to continue on. I suppose in some ways, this film gets a ton of credit for showing an aspect of life that often doesn't get mentioned in superhero films. The easy thing would have been to explain T'Challa's death in battle or something that felt more fitting of a comic book character. By making his cause of death an illness- just like Boseman's, Marvel holds a mirror up to the real world. It's awful, unfair, nonsensical, just like life and death in the real world.

I don't want this to seem like a hate rant against Letitia Wright. I think she's fine as Shuri. She's the ideal supporting character, to pop in with energy and humor and contribute in small doses. She's simply not interesting enough to carry the entire film, which is why the supporting cast must shoulder a much heavier burden this time around. I thought Wright gave a good performance. I did love seeing Lupita Nyong'o have a slightly bigger role here. Nyong'o is a better actress than Wright, makes a more powerful connection with the audience. I remember the second she showed up on screen, it was reassuring. Her presence is critical here and I wish she'd had even more to do. Danai Gurira is always going to give a solid performance and she does that again here. I love Winston Duke's ability to influence films from the side and he once again contributes a lot with his supporting performance. Angela Bassett gets more to do here and she's quite good as the Queen. I know there was some consternation she wasn't nominated for an Academy Award for her Supporting Actress performance. I actually thought that was the right call. She's good and she adds a lot to the film, but it feels like any comic book movie performance. I don't think it had quite the gravitas her or her supporters believed.

I was a huge fan of Tenoch Huerta's performance. The inclusion of Namor the Sub-Mariner is a big reason why this movie is so successful. If you read the Marvel Comics from the 1960s, Namor's presence looms large. He's a terrific character, an antihero who is believable both as a hero and a villain. He's fascinating- a character not of any one world, but straddling multiple peoples and cultures. I've been waiting a long time for his entry into the MCU. I know Huerta got some criticism for his physique here, but that didn't bother me. What Huerta does is make Namor a complex character. There were scenes here filled with gentleness, when you see him as a benevolent ruler, a protector of his people. And then, there were chilling moments when he comes across as the avenging monarch who is willing to burn the surface world in retribution. Namor is both of these things and Huerta captures those sides in his layered performance. I thought the changes they made to Namor's backstory were interesting and I loved the focus on the Mesoamerican history and culture for him. It's different in many ways from his comic book origins, but it made Namor feel unique in the context of the MCU. I loved how this character was portrayed.

There's always a big cast in these films. I'll always love the inclusion of Martin Freeman in any film here, and I loved his pairing with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I hope we see them interact more. Dominique Thorne made a memorable entrance into the MCU as Riri Williams. She gives a strong performance and I'm interested in seeing where her character goes from here. It was cool seeing Attuna and Namora depicted on screen, although Alex Livinalli and Mabel Cadena felt limited in their performances. Maybe it was the masks, maybe they aren't that great of actors.

I really loved that this story moved away from the United States. Most of our heroes in the MCU are American and it felt like this film took a nice step away from that. The big confrontation is between the African nation of Wakanda and the underwater nation of Talokan. It felt refreshing to not have the cast populated with white Americans. It adds a nice global feeling to the entire MCU. The clash between these two people felt interesting and exciting, for the most part. The action scenes are well done and while there's not really any standout sequences, Coogler delivers some memorable and engrossing battles throughout the film.

I thought the final scenes of the film were powerful and the mid-credits scene was exceptional. It was surprising, poignant, and brilliant in many ways. It truly made me realize Marvel is playing the long game. It was an excellent revelation that reminded me when Marvel is at their best, no one is better.

Now, as much as I enjoyed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and think the movie came out as well as it could have under the circumstances, there's worrisome aspects here, too. The first Black Panther did $700M at the domestic box office, enough to move into the 3rd spot all-time. That's stunning. You figured some drop-off would happen, but with the loss of Boseman, this film managed only $436M. The world is different in 2022, yes. But that's not an encouraging sign. Furthermore, this is the 3rd non-great MCU film in a row, after the disappointing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the mess that was Thor: Love and Thunder. In my opinion, the first Black Panther wasn't great either, so this film did face an uphill battle. However, I think it's fair to say that Marvel is in a bit of a slump. Truth be told, all the movies I just mentioned, including this one, are better than anything DC has done in a decade. These are all exceptionally good movies. But, the MCU hasn't delivered a great film since Spider-Man: No Way Home. That's worrisome for the future of the series.

However, let's just focus on this film. Facing grave challenges, Ryan Coogler managed to craft a sequel that's almost as good as his first film. I think the biggest takeaway from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is that the MCU is bigger than any one person. Boseman's loss still hurts and it's impossible to not think about what this film could have been had he lived. However, this is a fitting tribute to an amazing actor. It's a testament to his burgeoning greatness and the love so many had for him. In that vein, this movie is undoubtedly a success.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame