Written by Christian Garcia
Today I am reviewing Marvel's latest release and one of the most anticipated sequels, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The first Black Panther film was one of the biggest cultural events in Marvel history and the impact that it had is still felt to this day. The untimely death of Chadwick Boseman also played a huge factor in the anticipation for this film as fans were wondering how Marvel would handle the loss of Wakanda’s King and move on without him.
With so much fanfare and anticipation, did Marvel stick the landing with this sequel? Or did they fall flat? Or fall somewhere in between? Let’s take a closer look.
The Hero:
Shuri is the daughter of T’Chaka and Ramonda and sister of the late King T’Challa.
She is a gifted engineer and is responsible for creating a lot of Wakanda’s modern technology.
After the death of her brother and her mother, she is now tasked with taking on the throne and giving the people of Wakanda their leader and protector while also dealing with her grief and figuring out what kind of leader she is going to be.
The Hero’s Journey:
Shuri’s journey throughout the film is overcoming her grief from the death of her brother while also learning what it takes to be a protector and a leader.
The film’s first act focuses heavily on Shuri’s grief over T’Challa’s death and her mother, Ramonda trying to get her to confront it and let it go. Since T’Challa’s death, Shuri has kept herself busy in the lab with her work. She is haunted by the fact that she could not save her brother. She has been attempting to recreate the heart-shaped herb that had been destroyed in the previous film by Killmonger.
Ramonda recognizes her daughter’s denial and tries to implore her to let it go. Their moment is interrupted by the arrival of Namor who threatens Wakanda unless they bring him the scientist responsible for creating a Vibranium detecting machine. Shuri and Okoye journey to track down CIA Agent. Everett Ross who leads them to MIT Student, Riri Williams.
The group is tracked down and chased by the FBI. After being intercepted by Namor’s forces, Shuri agrees to go see Namor to save young Riri’s life. Namor shows her his underwater kingdom of Talokan and tells her his history of how the surface world rejected him. Since then, he has protected his people and his kingdom, which is rich in Vibranium. Namor offers an alliance with Wakanda against the rest of the world. He threatens to destroy Wakanda if they refuse. Nakia rescues her and Riri and they escape back to Wakanda.
Namor is true to his word and his forces attack Wakanda. His attack leads to the death of Ramonda who drowns saving Riri. This sends Shuri on a crossroads between forgiveness and vengeance, much like T’Challa went through in Civil War after the death of their father. After a breakthrough in her research, she is able recreate the heart-shaped herb and ingests it to become the new Black Panther. When she journeys to the Ancestral Plane, she does not see her family but instead Killmonger. He taunts her saying that she chose to see him, stemming from her desire for vengeance for her mother’s death. He challenges her to what needs to be done. When she reveals herself to the tribes as the new Black Panther, M’Baku advises her not to kill Namor, but Shuri has let vengeance consume her.
In the final battle, Shuri’s plan works as she has Namor at his weakest away from water and is prepared to kill him. However, after realizing how much vengeance has consumed both, she implores Namor to yield and offers a peaceful alliance. Namor yields and the battle ends. This is an important moment in Shuri’s journey as the Black Panther where she decides what kind of Queen she will be. Like her brother, she chose to not let vengeance consume her any longer and went the path of peace.
In the final moments of the film, Shuri fulfills her mother’s wishes and burns her funeral ceremonial robe and finally lets herself grieve over T’Challa. It’s the emotional highlight of the film that serves as a touching farewell to her brother and to Chadwick Boseman. My girlfriend was in tears watching this final scene and my eyes got glossy as well. Shuri endures such loss but steps up to the plate and by the end proves that she is a worthy successor to her brother.
Letitia Wright puts in a great performance as she is likable with her wit and quips and relatable as serves as the audience grieving the loss of Chadwick Boseman and shows how that grief has affected Shuri throughout the film. She has grown in her role as Shuri and has proved herself as a strong female lead and I look forward to seeing her do more in future films.
The Villain:
Namor is the king of Talokan, an ancient civilization of underwater dwelling people.
Namor has a troubled past and like Shuri, is driven by grief and vengeance. His people were forced off land to the sea by invaders. When he returned to the surface to give his mother a proper burial on land and was disgusted to see that conquerors had enslaved the local people. This angered him to the point that he killed all of them and adopted the name Namor as a warning to his enemies.
He sympathizes with the Wakandans at first seeing that they are also the targets of invaders over their greatest resource: Vibranium. When a Vibranium Detecting Machine locates some near his home, Namor and his people feel threatened. He tries to be peaceful and asks Ramonda to bring him the person who made the device and the conflict would end there. When he has Shuri and Riri hostage, he tries appeal to their similar stories of grief, but his extremist methods lead to Shuri rejecting his offer. When Nakia kills one of his people helping Shuri and Riri escape, he gives into his anger and retaliates against Wakanda which results in Ramonda's death.
He is very similar to Killmonger as both are driven by grief, anger, and vengeance and turn to more extremist measures when deciding how to deal with outside threats. However, a major difference between the two is that Killmonger was driven to use Wakanda’s resources to conquer their enemies while Namor was more concerned with protecting his people rather than conquest. I personally was a bigger fan of Killmonger because I while I can see Namor’s pain and motivation, I can feel Killmonger’s more and that makes him a stronger villain because I can understand and feel his pain.
Despite that, Tenoch Huerta’s performance is still great and Namor makes for one of the stronger Marvel antagonists in recent years.
The Film’s Pros:
Touching Tribute to Chadwick Boseman
A lot of the hype behind Wakanda Forever stems from the unfortunate passing of Chadwick Boseman. Boseman’s death shocked the world and left the future of the Black Panther franchise in question. When Wakanda Forever was first announced, it was a tribute to the world that Boseman helped create and all fans were left wondering how the film would address the loss of T’Challa.
Thankfully, the film handles T’Challa’s passing with much class, and it is not just a quick spot of exposition and then everyone moves; it affects the entire film and every character. Shuri, Ramonda, and every inhabitant of Wakanda deal with the loss of their king. The opening scene for T’Challa’s funeral felt like a touching send off not only to T’Challa but to Boseman as well.
Shuri’s journey throughout the film is driven by her refusal to let herself grieve over T’Challa’s death and as a result, his death plays a major factor into her motivations and decisions. The final scene of the film where Shuri finally lets herself mourn her brother is the emotional powerhouse moment of the film that left my girlfriend in tears. The flashbacks of her with her brother tug on the heartstrings and it is not only a moment for Shuri to mourn, but for the audience. Accompanied by the beautiful performance of “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna, there was not a dry eye in the theatre once the credits rolled.
Chadwick Boseman left behind a great legacy with the first Black Panther film and this film honored what he created and carried it further and while he may not have been in the film physically, his presence was still felt throughout. Kevin Feige said the film would honor the legacy that Boseman created, and this film did just that.
Fantastic Performances From its Cast
The performances of the lead cast were some of the best performances to come from a Marvel film in recent history. The film carries great emotional weight to it with the passing of Wakanda’s king and showing how it affects every inhabitant from the immediate family to close friends to associates. The cast step up to the challenge and deliver incredible performances.
The performance that stood out the most was Angela Bassett as Ramonda. Her performance was Oscar-worthy, and I hope that she at least gets a nomination if not the win. I have always admired Bassett’s work and her acting ability as she has always carried herself as someone who has endured and keeps pushing on and she brings that here. She plays Ramonda as a woman who is trying to lead and protect her nation after enduring the loss her husband and son and is just trying to keep it together. The scene that highlights this is when she chastises Okoye and strips her of her title. She lets out all her frustration and hurt in that moment and leaves everyone speechless to the point that even Okoye accepts her fate. With this being her final appearance in the MCU, she went out like the Queen that she is and her presence will be missed.
Letitia Wright’s performance was also well done. After Boseman’s death, many wondered if his successor would be able to take the mantle of the lead and Wright most definitely stepped up to the plate and proved she was more than worthy of being the Black Panther. She still has her wisecracking personality that made her likable in the first film, but she especially steps her game when it comes to the emotional moments. Her best moment was in the final scene of the film where Shuri finally allows herself to grieve over T’Challa and she mourns her brother on the beach alone. It is a powerful moment that sucks you in to the point that you feel her pain and loss and end up crying with her. Her performance was so great that it left me looking forward to seeing her in more films and assured that the franchise in safe hands with her at the helm.
As I stated earlier, Tenoch Huerta’s performance as Namor was also a highlight of the film and he made for a great antagonist. Lupita Nyong'o also delivered once again showing why she is one of the best in Hollywood today. I also enjoyed Dominique Thorne’s performance as Riri Williams and despite being underplayed, I am looking forward to seeing her in her own show, Ironheart.
The cast stepped up for this film and brought their A-game with performances that would make Chadwick Boseman proud and remind us why we fell in love with Wakanda in the first place.
Empowering Female Leads
I previously criticized the Marvel film, Captain Marvel for focusing more on telling the audience that the character of Captain Marvel was an empowering female lead rather than letting her be an empowering lead through her actions and personality. Wakanda Forever did exactly what I thought Captain Marvel should have done but even better with not just one empowering female lead, but an entire cast.
Aside from Namor, and a few appearances by M’Baku and Agent Ross, the women take center stage in this film, get a majority of the screentime, and absolutely delivered. As stated previously, Letitia Wright’s Shuri stepped up to the challenge as the lead hero and Angela Bassett’s Ramonda killed it with a performance that can only come from a Queen. Lupita Nyong'o’s Nakia and Danai Gurira as Okoye already established their presence in the first Black Panther film, but they took charge in this film as well and have cemented themselves as two of Marvel’s most badass and capable heroes, with Okoye now being one of my favorites in the MCU. Newcomer, Riri Williams is a welcome addition that shows a promising future on the horizon for Marvel and is a character that I am looking forward to seeing be delved into further when her show, Ironheart comes out later next year.
The film follows the strategy of show don’t tell. It lets these women be badass and do badass things and they are empowering through their actions and personalities. I see all these women as great role models for women and especially for black women. While in title Shuri is the official Queen, I feel that this film gave us five incredibly empowering Queens in the end.
The Soundtrack
You know a film has done something right with its soundtrack when you find yourself wanting to whip out Shazam during the film. (Thankfully my girlfriend did it for me lol) The soundtrack for this film is one of the best that I have heard from a Marvel film mixing different cultures to create a unique and diverse collection of music.
The highlights for me include: “Love & Loyalty (Believe)” performed by Busiswa, DBN Gogo, Sino Msolo, Kamo Mphela and Young Stunna), “Alone” by Burna Boy, and “Con La Brisa” performed by Foudeqush and Göransson). And of course, there is the lead single, “Lift Me Up” performed beautifully by Rihanna that will leave you in tears by its final note.
I can confidently say that this is the best soundtrack to a Marvel film that I’ve ever heard. Don’t believe me? Me and my girlfriend have been playing it nonstop since we saw the film and it is still one of my top albums on Spotify.
The Film’s Cons:
Weak Third Act
Even though this film does have a lot of great things going for it, much like the first Iron Man film, it is bogged down by a weak Final Act.
While not one of the worst by any means, the final act felt very rushed as if it were just going through the motions and suffers from a serious character driven issue that severely hampers it.
In any great superhero final act, you’re on engaged because there is a serious threat to the hero and watching the hero take on that threat can have you on the edge of your seat if done right. For example, the final acts of Avengers Infinity War and Endgame both have you biting your nails and anxious to see how things will turn out. While those may be unfair comparisons, they get across the feeling of uncertainty which keeps viewers engaged. With this final act, I never felt that sense of uncertainty and it didn’t keep me as engaged as it could have. When I said it feels as if it is going through the motions, I mean that it follows the typical third act structure beat by beat and while it does that properly, there isn’t enough going on that I feel as though the heroes are in any real danger of losing and therefore, it doesn’t feel like there are any real stakes to it. Again, it is structurally a fine third act, but it is not that engaging or interesting.
The other major issue that really hurts this final act is Shuri’s journey of vengeance and overcoming it. Black Panther’s first appearance in the MCU was in Captain America: Civil War and in that film T’Challa went on a journey of being consumed by vengeance and eventually overcoming it. Throughout the film, he pursued Bucky Barnes wanting to avenge his father’s death. In the end, he realizes that Barnes wasn’t the one responsible and that the man who was responsible was also consumed by vengeance which helps him realize that the path of vengeance isn’t the one for him.
In Wakanda Forever’s final act, Shuri goes on the same journey wanting vengeance against Namor for the death of her mother. While it brings an interesting dynamic making you question what kind of Queen she will be, Shuri’s transition to vengeful Black Panther doesn’t come along naturally and feels out of character. Although it makes sense that she is driven by her grief and loss of guidance, it still feels out of left field. I remember when M’Baku advises her not to kill Namor and she brushes him off, I was left thinking “where did that come from?” While I like that she and T’Challa learn the same lesson, his journey had the benefit of being carried out over two acts of a film while hers is squeezed into the final act and because of that when she doesn’t choose to not learn vengeance consume her anymore, it falls flat.
The film does still wrap up well despite the weak climax and the final scene of Shuri on the beach mourning her brother is a fantastic ending that it makes up for it. Like the first film, the final battle does fall flat and feels anticlimactic but the moments after the climax are still strong enough that it doesn’t hurt the film too much. While it is a notable flaw with the film, it doesn’t leave enough of an impact to drag the film down.
Final Thoughts:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a wonderful celebration of the world that Chadwick Boseman created and left behind and honors him while also pushing the characters forward and continuing the story. It is carried by an empowering female cast that dominates the film with stellar Oscar-worthy performances and assures that the future of Wakanda is in good hands.
The loss of T’Challa is felt throughout and the film feels like a touching goodbye to the beloved hero in an experience that allows the fans to grieve with the characters. The final scene is a touching goodbye not only to T’Challa but to Chadwick Boseman, a beloved actor and human being who left behind a legacy that will be remembered for generations. The post credits is also a touching moment that shows and tells that T’Challa will live on.
Whether you were a fan of the first film or not, this is a must see experience that is unlike the typical Marvel film and continues the trend of the Black Panther films being their own experiences that can only be captured in Wakanda. This film will have you in tears by its end and will have you tearfully whispering Wakanda Forever.
To Chadwick Boseman.
Thank you for everything.
Rest in Power Our King.
Wakanda Forever.
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