MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

 

Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with Nakia and Everett Ross to forge a new path for their beloved kingdom.

Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast:  Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, Angela Basset

Release Date: November 11, 2022

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-FiThriller

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action and some language.

Runtime: 2h 41m

Ryan Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an emotionally charged comic book movie wake that is trying to pay tribute to its fallen star while moving the franchise forward into a new era.  Mourning is the central theme throughout the entire film even amongst the usual comic book action that the film provides in spades.  The film handles it about as well as can be expected even though the film is overstuffed with required checkboxes to mark off for the ongoing Marvel franchise.  If anything, it gives the film a very different feel than most of Marvel's entry but its never entirely removed from it either.  The comic book side of the story is surprisingly straightforward with very little in the way of surprises since it follows a predictable path from start to finish.  The big introduction of Tenoch Huerta's Namor is one of the film's strongest and intriguing story thread by delivering an antagonist with a bit more depth than the usual baddie.  Huerta effectively conveys the character's deep-rooted desire to protect his people at any cost, serving a mirror to the Wakandans.  It’s an engaging performance from start to finish which makes him the most interesting performer whenever he's onscreen. Using the Mesoamerican imagery is a masterstroke to juxtapose both cultures who have been subjugated and create something different enough from DC's Aquaman to avoid comparisons.  Replacing Chadwick Boseman was always going to be a difficult task and we end up getting more of an ensemble than a central lead.  Letitia Wright, Angela Basset, Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira all carry portions of the film which is understandable but it doesn't allow for the kind of depth you'd expect.  Letitia Wright gets a larger share of the focus but her character isn't that engaging or interesting with a late act reveal hinting a more nuanced take that might have been left on the cutting room floor.  Its shame since there's clearly some fertile ground that could have been explored as she deals with the death of her brother but the film is simply too big and busy to deliver that type of focus.  Basset, Nyong'o and Gurira all get moments to shine but the characters are surprisingly one note. Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams/Ironheart serves as fun comic relief with her introduction clearly setting up future appearances. It’s an example of the difficult tightrope that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had to walk, eulogizes its fallen star while moving forward a gargantuan franchise.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK PANTHER

After the death of his father, T'Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T'Challa's mettle as king -- and as Black Panther -- gets tested when he's drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.

Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis

Release Date: Feb 16, 2018

Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action violence, and a brief rude gesture

Runtime: 2h 14 min

Review:

Black Panther is a bit of a watershed moment for Marvel films for a variety of reasons.  First and foremost, the cast and director are primarily people of color and it carries over on screen.  The film has a decidedly strong theme of African Heritage running throughout all within the trapping of a superhero story.  Ryan Coogler does an impressive job of giving his film a visual distinctiveness that’s missing from most of Marvel entries.  As such, Black Panther has a strong identity and it uses it to its advantage by telling an emotionally engaging and thoughtful story.  Chadwich Boseman leads the film with an easy charisma that’s hard to resist.  Boseman has an effortless way about himself all the while maintaining a sense of nobility in T’Challa.  The supporting cast is probably one of the best assembled for any of the Marvel movies.  Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright and Martin Freeman all leave lasting impressions on the film.  Their characters aren’t simply throwaway supporting players but instead feel like well rounded characters equal to the lead.  Michael B. Jordan makes for a fine villain.  He’s a strong counterpart to Boseman’s T’Challa in every manner of speaking.  The character’s motivations actually make sense and pose some interesting questions.  Unfortunately, the film doesn’t spend nearly the amount of time it should fleshing him out which could have made him iconic.  It’s a minor issue compared to the whole.  Black Panther, much like last year’s Wonder Woman, elevates the super hero genre and forces future entries to raise their game.   

A