Anthony's Film Review - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

With the second Black Panther movie, Marvel Studios has released what may be its best film yet...

The death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, two years after starring in 2018's Black Panther, had shocked so many beloved fans. It was so unexpected that the film's director, Ryan Coogler, even thought about leaving the franchise at one point. I can understand the difficult decision that had confronted him. Ultimately, he must've felt that directing a Black Panther sequel was a better way to honor the memory of Chadwick Boseman. I can understand that, too.

The big question then is how to tell the right kind of follow-up story. Whenever an actor dies before a sequel film is made, the easiest approach would be to simply recast the character that the late actor had played. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a few cast changes, like Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard as Rhody and Mark Ruffalo replacing Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk, but these examples did not involve actor deaths. The situation with Black Panther is different. Chadwick Boseman left such an impressive mark on audiences that nobody else could fully embody the character of T'Challa just as well as he did. Boseman was T'Challa, not merely playing him. Therefore, the best way to honor Boseman is to also have his fictional counterpart move on. Hence, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever begins with the death of King T'Challa of Wakanda, his funeral, and the Marvel Studios logo that is modified with a black/purple color scheme and images of Boseman/T'Challa in place of the usual superhero visuals (the same way that the Marvel Studios logo in Captain Marvel paid tribute to the late Stan Lee).

This approach also has the benefit of telling a far more emotional and expansive story than one with a recast T'Challa. Wakanda is now ruled by Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), who attends a United Nations conference where she expresses a firm protectionist position for her country. Wakanda has thrived because of its rich supply of vibranium, a resource that other countries demand be shared with them, but Ramonda is highly suspicious of their motives to use vibranium for militaristic purposes. This occurs as a mining expedition team seeking vibranium is violently attacked and the world mistakenly blames Wakanda for it. Meanwhile, other familiar characters are adjusting to Wakandan life beyond T'Challa, including Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) and General Okoye (Danai Gurira).

Like the first Black Panther movie, this one excels in presenting a richly detailed fictional African culture, one that has many rich traditions alongside incredibly advanced technology. But that's not all. There is also a second fictional culture created here: the Latin nation of Talokan. Like Wakanda, Talokan is hidden from the rest of the world, but not because of cloaking technology as with Wakanda. Rather, it's because of its existence underwater. The first people of Talokan were humans in Central America who had mutated into water-breathing beings. Now led by its king, Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), Talokan features a beautiful Aztec-influenced culture that is sure to amaze any open-minded visitor.

You know how the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and TV shows involve telling a certain kind of non-superhero story while layering in superhero elements throughout? Well, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the MCU take on the cultural and geopolitical drama, involving culture clashes, misunderstandings, and conflicts. In the beginning, Namor wishes to form an alliance with Wakanda, because both nations have vibranium resources that the rest of the world covets. However, certain events have made it so that Wakanda does not trust Talokan, and additional events only widen this rift, making everyone more fearful of one another to the point of imminent war.

The main focus of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the escalating conflict between Wakanda and Talokan. However, to add a bit of extra intrigue, this film also presents a third-party nation: the United States. That's because the vibranium detector, seen by Talokan as a threat from the surface world, was ultimately developed by Riri (Dominique Thorne), a student at MIT. Okoye and Shuri try to protect her as Namor of Talokan wants her dead. There are also brief moments with members of the CIA, including Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Honestly, my only criticism of this movie, a very minor one, is that the CIA scenes seem unnecessary. I think the story could essentially be the same without them.

That being said, this movie excels on multiple levels. The cultural conflict story and geopolitical themes feel so real, especially as they mirror many real-life events of the past and present. The characters come alive through outstanding performances. We get to see much more of Angela Bassett's Ramonda, a minor character in the previous Black Panther movie and a very prominent one here. The same goes for the other Wakandans, especially Shuri. And let's not forget Namor, who is another great example of a villain to have real sympathy for. Most importantly, there is emotional intensity throughout, particularly in the story's many key moments.

Finally, let me provide a few non-spoiler comments on what happens after the end credits start rolling. From what I've read beforehand, there is no post-credits scene, so you don't need to sit through all of the credits. There is still a mid-credits scene after the formal presentation of the film's title. It's a continuation of the last moment before the end credits begin, and it does several things. The way I see it, the mid-credits scene delivers an interesting surprise, provides an emotional catharsis, sets the stage for a future Black Panther installment, wraps up MCU Phase Four with a sense of empowerment, and pays one final tribute to Chadwick Boseman. Given all of this, a post-credits scene is understandably not needed.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever moved me from start to finish. It may be a very long movie, with a running time of 2 hours and 41 minutes, but I savored it all. I found myself connected to the characters' motives and fearful of what their clashes would lead to. I certainly enjoyed the action as well, even if that was secondary to the story. That just goes to show how Marvel Studios really does put story first and action second. The only question now is whether this movie is better than (a) the previous Black Panther movie and (b) all previous feature-length MCU films. You know what? After some thought, my answer may be yes to both. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could very well be the best Marvel Cinematic Universe film to come out of Marvel Studios at this point in time.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, visit the Internet Movie Database.