Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(B+ or 3/4 stars)
'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', as directed again & co-written by Ryan Coogler, is an emotional & memorable tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman and, as such, the major theme of this sequel is love & loss. To explain T'Challa's absence, his sister, Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright), is shown scrambling in her high-tech lab for a cure to her brother's sudden illness. Shuri & her mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), are then left to mourn Wakanda's superhero protector. One year passes, and Shuri is still angry at not being able to save her brother. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is after Wakanda's greatest mineral resource, Vibranium. But Queen Ramonda, who appears before the U.N., stands firm in her resolve not to share their precious element.
As it turns out, ships meant to mine for Vibranium in the Atlantic are being attacked and ... Wakanda is suspected by the CIA to be the antagonists. But Shuri & the Queen discover that it is actually an underwater civilization descended from Mesoamericans called Talokan that is the culprit. Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia), immortal ruler of this underwater world, approaches the two women 'in peace''; asking for their help to destroy the rest of the world/keep Vibranium for themselves. When they refuse, Namor abducts Shuri, along with Riri (Dominique Thorne), a brilliant 19 yr. MIT student who developed technology for detecting Vibranium. Unwilling to give Riri to Namor, the Wakandans must prepare to fight Talokan ... with or without a new Black Panther. Battles ensue with all hands on deck in Wakanda, including M'Baku (Winston Duke), T'Challa's wife, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), who's been living in Haiti since her husband's passing, & Gen. Okoye (Danai Gurira).
Given this sequel's production problems {COVID, Boseman's untimely death, script re-writes, delays, other cast issues}, I think 'Wakanda Forever' is just about as good as it could be. Led by a superb ensemble, this film's tribute to the loss of Boseman/T'Challa is potent in exploring how grief & revenge can be obsessive. As per usual with MCU movies - especially as of late - the proceedings are simply too long. Some subplots should have been streamlined. And though the action & special effects are often spectacular, they also tend to become mind-numbingly requisite. I know it sounds obvious: 20 min. could've easily been shed off of this thing. But I digress. The film is at its best when focusing on the main characters & their various arcs.
Tenoch Huerta Mejia makes for a magnetic & enticing 'villain' whose back story allows for some nuanced understanding why he does what he does. Supporting performances by gregarious Winston Duke as M'Baku & genial Martin Freeman as CIA Agent Ross impressed me. But it is the women of Wakanda who rule. Letitia Wright is a solid "lead", here. She just isn't as charismatic or wow-worthy as Boseman was in the 1st film -- that's a problem. Still, thespian-wise, she emotes anguish & heartbreak very well. Her best scene involves her interaction with someone from her past {the cameo blew my mind}. Danae Gurira & Lupita Nyong'o rivet as they have before. And Angela Bassett is great. Whether she's exercising her royal authority in front of the U.N., wallowing in quiet mother/child suffering, or verbally blowing the roof off a scene with Danai Gurira ... I was spellbound.
So, yeah. I dug a lot in this film. Along with the performances, I loved Autumn Durald Arkapaw's dynamic cinematography, the sleek Wakandan production design, Ruth E. Carter's incredddibbbllle costume designs, and Ludwig Goransson lends an immersive music experience with compositions & a soundtrack that are heavily African AND Mesoamerican-influenced -- all great. I appreciate that all these characters are complicated with morally gray moments. As mentioned, Coogler did well to juggle it all. 'Wakanda Forever' could never be as singular or groundbreaking as its predecessor. But I absorbed the solemn, sorrowful tribute to its fallen star. And the groundwork has been laid for some {hopefully} intriguing adventures ahead.
As it turns out, ships meant to mine for Vibranium in the Atlantic are being attacked and ... Wakanda is suspected by the CIA to be the antagonists. But Shuri & the Queen discover that it is actually an underwater civilization descended from Mesoamericans called Talokan that is the culprit. Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia), immortal ruler of this underwater world, approaches the two women 'in peace''; asking for their help to destroy the rest of the world/keep Vibranium for themselves. When they refuse, Namor abducts Shuri, along with Riri (Dominique Thorne), a brilliant 19 yr. MIT student who developed technology for detecting Vibranium. Unwilling to give Riri to Namor, the Wakandans must prepare to fight Talokan ... with or without a new Black Panther. Battles ensue with all hands on deck in Wakanda, including M'Baku (Winston Duke), T'Challa's wife, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), who's been living in Haiti since her husband's passing, & Gen. Okoye (Danai Gurira).
Given this sequel's production problems {COVID, Boseman's untimely death, script re-writes, delays, other cast issues}, I think 'Wakanda Forever' is just about as good as it could be. Led by a superb ensemble, this film's tribute to the loss of Boseman/T'Challa is potent in exploring how grief & revenge can be obsessive. As per usual with MCU movies - especially as of late - the proceedings are simply too long. Some subplots should have been streamlined. And though the action & special effects are often spectacular, they also tend to become mind-numbingly requisite. I know it sounds obvious: 20 min. could've easily been shed off of this thing. But I digress. The film is at its best when focusing on the main characters & their various arcs.
Tenoch Huerta Mejia makes for a magnetic & enticing 'villain' whose back story allows for some nuanced understanding why he does what he does. Supporting performances by gregarious Winston Duke as M'Baku & genial Martin Freeman as CIA Agent Ross impressed me. But it is the women of Wakanda who rule. Letitia Wright is a solid "lead", here. She just isn't as charismatic or wow-worthy as Boseman was in the 1st film -- that's a problem. Still, thespian-wise, she emotes anguish & heartbreak very well. Her best scene involves her interaction with someone from her past {the cameo blew my mind}. Danae Gurira & Lupita Nyong'o rivet as they have before. And Angela Bassett is great. Whether she's exercising her royal authority in front of the U.N., wallowing in quiet mother/child suffering, or verbally blowing the roof off a scene with Danai Gurira ... I was spellbound.
So, yeah. I dug a lot in this film. Along with the performances, I loved Autumn Durald Arkapaw's dynamic cinematography, the sleek Wakandan production design, Ruth E. Carter's incredddibbbllle costume designs, and Ludwig Goransson lends an immersive music experience with compositions & a soundtrack that are heavily African AND Mesoamerican-influenced -- all great. I appreciate that all these characters are complicated with morally gray moments. As mentioned, Coogler did well to juggle it all. 'Wakanda Forever' could never be as singular or groundbreaking as its predecessor. But I absorbed the solemn, sorrowful tribute to its fallen star. And the groundwork has been laid for some {hopefully} intriguing adventures ahead.