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
