Prepare for a thoughtful and emotional tribute
Let’s take a trip back in time, shall we? The destination: May 2016. This was when Captain America: Civil War was released, marking the first appearance of T’Challa / Black Panther into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character—played by the late Chadwick Boseman—was such a joy to watch onscreen, with his arc revolving around avenging the death of his father, King T’Chaka of Wakanda.
With the character having a massive presence in the Marvel universe, it was to be expected that T’Challa’s solo film would come pretty soon. Well, that “pretty soon” came in February 2018 with the release of Black Panther, a film that I have fond memories of. While it wasn’t my favorite MCU film, I greatly enjoyed it thanks to its strong performances, powerful themes, and amazing score. I wasn’t the only one who liked it, as it had an enormous impact on everyone, particularly in terms of representation of Black characters.
The film’s huge success guaranteed it a sequel. After the soon-to-be-titled Wakanda Forever began development in 2019, the tragic and shocking passing of Boseman occurred in August 2020. His loss was felt the world over, with many mourning such a beloved actor. Amidst grieving himself, director Ryan Coogler would soon rewrite the script to accommodate Boseman no longer being a part of the film.
Development would proceed throughout the years, coming to an end in March 2022. With a tumultuous process having drawn to a close, Wakanda Forever would eventually release on November 11, 2022—and the end result was a spectacular one.
In Memoriam
The general plot is this: T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright) grapples with her brother’s sudden death whilst finding herself amidst a brewing war between Wakanda and the underwater kingdom of Talukan. The latter nation is led by the powerful Namor (Tenoch Huerta), a man determined to protect his people from the threat that he believes that the “surface world” poses. Other characters, such as Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Okoye (Danai Gurira) aid Shuri in combating Namor and his forces.
While the plot sounds simple, it deals with rather compelling themes—colonialism, isolationism, the cost of vengeance, etc.—but the most prominent is grief. This element was to be expected, but the way it was explored really surprised me: the film chose to show how people grieve in different ways. Shuri is shown to be burying herself in her technology, desperate to separate herself from the mysticism of T’Challa’s legacy as Black Panther. Ramonda has slowly come to terms with her son’s death and is on the path to healing. Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), T’Challa’s girlfriend, couldn’t bear to go to his funeral because the pain was too great, but still grieved in her own right. These various explorations are all realistic, as the relationships and personalities of each character as introduced in the first film helped to inform how they grieved for T’Challa.
From the Depths
To put it plainly, I found the performances from the cast to be pretty powerful. Wright and Bassett in particular are the standouts, as they are the two central actresses that the film focuses on the most. With Shuri, Wright had to portray a character who desperately wanted to escape the idea that her brother was gone—and her greater anger at the world for taking him from her—and I thought her portrayed that masterfully. To see Wright effortlessly capture Shuri’s constantly shifting emotional states regarding her feelings about herself and the greater Namor issue was a treat to see.
Moving on, Bassett’s presence is equally incredible. The first film did little with her in regards to allowing her to show her acting abilities, so it was great to see that remedied here. Unlike with Wright, Bassett had to portray Ramonda with a great deal of pressure: you see, Ramonda is now sovereign Queen of Wakanda, and with that comes to the stresses of being a ruler—all while still mourning T’Challa’s death. Much like Wright, Bassett portrays the character’s fluctuating emotional states flawlessly. There is one scene in particular, set in the Wakandan throne room, where Bassett’s talent truly shines.
Some of the other actors, such as Gurira and Huerta, also deliver standout performances. I was a huge fan of Okoye in the first film, so I was unsurprisingly happy when Gurira did another great job as the character. (She too had an amazing display of acting during the throne room scene with Bassett.) Huerta’s Namor is a very different beast from Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, and I feel that’s a good thing. Huerta portrays Namor as a formidable, yet quieter and calmer enemy than the more violent and angrier portrayal that Jordan gave to Killmonger. It’s a solid choice, as both characters are wildly different in terms of motivations and personalities.
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Sea to Shining Sea
I am glad to report that Wakanda Forever looks good. Heck, I can say that it looks great (at times)! It’s such a relief to say this after the CGI debacle that overcame the first film. (Remember the incredibly weird fight between clearly-not-real T’Challa and Killmonger in that…tram station I think it was? Yeah, it wasn’t exactly pleasant.) This film’s CGI—mostly—is an improvement, looking as it should for a multi-million-dollar blockbuster…though the use of green screen was readily apparent, which was a distraction. The cinematography was also noticeably improved, particularly aerial shots of Wakanda amidst beautiful sunsets.
The score—again composed by Ludwig G?ransson, who scored the first film—while having some tracks that I felt were great, like “Welcome Home” and “Wakanda Forever,” felt like a step down from the previous one. That last score has one of my favorite film scores in a comic book movie, so my expectations were pretty high for this one. I can’t help to say that I’m a bit disappointed on this front. (Regarding the film’s licensed soundtrack, I can’t say much because I haven’t really given it a good enough listen to speak on it. Though I will say that from what I have listened, the first film’s is the one I prefer.)
Overall, I would say that Wakanda Forever is pretty GOOD. Really, really GOOD, in fact. (Whether or not I find it better than the first film remains to be seen.) Regardless of that, I strongly suggest that you go out and see this, if you haven’t already.?
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