“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” begins with a death that rocked Hollywood and Comic Con Nation.
Chadwick Boseman’s 2020 passing forced the MCU to alter the obligatory sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther.”
“Wakanda Forever” moves on from the star’s death, embracing grief before the follow-up’s credits can roll. What follows captures some, but certainly not all, of what made the 2018 film a wondrous affair.
We’re left with a bloated tale with glimpses of what director Ryan Coogler can bring to a four-quadrant blockbuster. It’s more proof the MCU’s cultural dominance is no more.
Wakanda’s ruling family remains shell-shocked by T’Challa’s death one year later. A new threat soon arrives, starting with a U.N. meeting where Wakanda’s vibranium reserves are targeted by several nations.
Cue the colonial-style exploitation of an African nation, a theme that fits snugly into the “Panther” franchise.
Not so fast, Queen Ramonda says. Angela Bassett gets more to do here than the first time ’round, one rare way the sequel laps the source material.
That won’t stop nefarious types from seeking vibranium elsewhere, a search that introduces the MCU to the underwater realm run by Prince Namor (Tenoch Huerta). Namor, a longtime Marvel Comics hero also known as the Sub Mariner, seethes with rage over how his people were grossly mistreated during their land-dwelling days. (Don’t ask … it’s a meandering flashback)
Now, Namor wants to team with Wakanda to wage war against the rest of the world.
The setup involves iffy explanations, the introduction of an unnecessary new character (upcoming Disney+ hero Ironheart) and way too much exposition. The “Black Panther” franchise has more on its mind than CGI mayhem, thank goodness. And Coogler is shrewd enough not to shove said lessons down our throats.
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“Wakanda Forever” gets lost in the personal politics of characters we haven’t gotten to know over a series of MCU adventures.
It’s one thing to lament the human toll hulking out leaves on Bruce Banner. We’ve watched him evolve over several films, including some where he’s the main attraction. Here, we’re told to care, and care deeply, about minor players we barely got to know the first time.
The screenplay, credited to Coogler along with Joe Robert Cole, isn’t strong enough to seal that deal.
The film tries some comic relief with mixed results, but “Wakanda Forever” remains obsessed with vengeance, death and the perils of unchecked power. Except those themes are delivered with little nuance.
Returning player Martin Freeman gets an unnecessary subplot paired with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a fine comic star on hand for no apparent reason. Their inclusion could be trimmed away, saving us some of the film’s grueling 161 minute running time.
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Coogler stages a neat early scene showcasing Namor’s army, but the battle is too poorly lit to pop. That’s similarly true for other first-act sequences. When the lights finally come on, the cinematography lacks the “wow” factor of the 2018 film, although Namor’s CGI world is wonderfully rendered and fresh.
Letitia Wright flashed movie-star wattage in the 2018 film as Shuri, the techie with the spirited wit. Here, her role is dutifully expanded, blending regret for not saving her brother with the sense she may be her nation’s last best hope.
And, if you’ve seen the trailer you know another Wakandan picks up the Black Panther mantle. That succession should be the film’s crowning moment, like when the Man of Steel returns in “Superman II.” Instead, it comes off as perfunctory, part of a larger, messier narrative.
Comic book movies should deliver some Pow and Bam, not just wallow in mourning. Far better is a mid-movie battle where Wakanda gets flooded thanks to a certain undersea foe.
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Audiences were understandably shocked by Boseman’s passing, especially given how he kept this cancer fight private and kept working until his body finally gave out. His stoicism in the face of his mortality is richer than any movie could duplicate.
Everyone mourned his public passing.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” banks heavily on our real-life emotions without expanding that grief to make the sequel worthy of Boseman’s legacy.
HiT or Miss: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is ambitious but bland, a valiant attempt to sustain a franchise without its MVP.
A soulless, exploitative trainwreck. “Representation” commodified to cover up lack of film rights to Namor. Knowing colonialism, I know colonialism is bad, but why is Wakanda good? It’s walled off to keep undesirables out, it doesn’t share its riches with others, and doesn’t use its vast power to help the powerless in any way. It isn’t democratic, but autocratic, its leader selected by mortal combat, not because of competence or morality. Why is this the aspirational “Afro-futurist” state? It has more in common with North Korea than any kind of progressive futurist ideal. Bizarre.
It actually feels like Killmonger was right, and a better story would be a powerful African country coming out of the shadows to punish oppressors rather than this one that, while making mercernaries kneel before a queen, seems to completely accommodate colonial power.
A more interesting story would have been Killmonger going on a vengeful rampage against racist, colonial powers and Namor trying to prevent the fallout from killing all life on the planet – leading to an epic clash between Namor and a Killmonger Black Panther.
Instead, we get a story as grey and formless as the action sequences. You don’t end up rooting for anyone, the one-dimensional boss ladies, the kingdoms of Atlantis or Wakanda, the man-baby Namor and his utterly senseless goals, or the flawless superlady Shuri. There are no character arcs, and the only reason you really mourn with Shuri is because you know a real person has died – and that death has been exploitatively juiced to the max. Did Chadwick save the world for real, or was he actually just an actor?
I’m sorry but this review is extremely tone deaf. Read the room. It was going to be extremely difficult navigating the right amount of grief and comic relief. We knew going in, no way it’s the same. And to say that the subplot of Valentina and Ross was unnecessary just goes to show your lack of understanding the storylines of the MCU as a whole picture. Awful take.
The MCU has no storyline period.
Really curious to see how this one lands with audiences. I have no interest in seeing it but I’m just fatigued with the MCU overall and don’t have much interest in them anymore. I’m more interested in seeing where audiences feel about this one.
I’ve been told that the blacks don’t want me to see this until they give the ok. Don’t bother, the minute your spokespeople/leaders offered that up it was over. You support it, you pay for it.
Ditto. Couldn’t the f said it better. Ye who smelt it, dealt it
Who exactly told you that?
I saw a video on Amala Unapologetic. We whites are supposed to buy tickets and give them to poor blacks. I don’t remember the name of that intellectual giant.