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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closes off Phase 4 of the MCU and with it we get an emotional and slow farewell to its main character (and actor), and not a great Superhero movie. We have a memorial film disguised as a Marvel film and that could have worked (thanks to the over 2 and half hour runtime), but it was dragged on through the whole film. We have variable CGI quality from scene to scene, great acting, solid soundtrack, so-so fight scenes, and an overall highlight being its main villain. Connections to the greater MCU were minimal at best and it seemed it was more concentrated to tell its story, rather than set us up for what’s coming (that I liked).
As almost everyone has mentioned up to this point is that the actors really upped their game in this one, and they did, but to Oscar worthy performances. A stand-out was Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta) who has clearly set out morals and would do anything, if it is for better good of his people. He has that specific way of acting with his eyes which serves him great, he is telling you something, be it taking things too far or offering a peaceful way out, but by his tone you can’t actually figure out if that is truly what he means or there is something more going on under the surface. As with the first black panther, the villain outshines the main hero.
Since it was a slower film which worked against it at times, we don’t get too much connection to the greater MCU, rather a few lines and a recurring character from the series. The first one had better pacing, this one focuses too much on the tragedy of the passing, and forgets that it should be a Marvel film at the fore-front. I get it, it is tragic, but make another documentary/biography film and not this, and then call it a ‘Marvel’ movie.
We again have to witness the MCU have flimsy CGI from scene to scene, not to the extent of the last fight scene from the first movie, but still really bad at times. The main outlier were costumes, and not their everyday clothes, but rather their hero ones. Especially some of the dora milaje (new and improved ones) and the Iron heart final one (which looked to be from a different franchise).
Again, as with the last, almost every fight scene is better than the big fight at the end, especially the night time bridge scene. When we have normal people (or semi normal) fight without any powers and flashy CGI shlock it's great, everything can be seen, and each hit can be followed. The bar fight scene in the first Black Panther is better shot and choreographed than any fight scene in this one.
Where they didn’t miss at all was the soundtrack with their bombastic mix of new and old to announce each character coming into the scene. Some of their respective songs from the last one can be heard here, but with quite a bit of improvements which worked out great. The first song when entering the underground city and home of Namor is mesmerizing, the new and improver Dora Milaje song is great and much more all were absolute bangers.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did many great things and some were debatable, it’s a fun time at the cinema and it was better than Love and Thunder (bar was low as it is). If you have any higher expectations from this one, do yourself a favour and lower them a bit so you can have an overall better time. This year Marvel (at least for me) was at an all-time low be it film or series, too many series starting off great, forgetting what they are at the middle (be it ramping up speed thanks to their 6-episode runtime and or introducing newer characters/villains at the penultimate/last episode) and films without a clear vision (some of them), going too hard on their comedic scenes, forgiving heroes (who have become villains) because of tragedy and being let-down because of a horrendous third act. Get your act together Marvel and start acting like the franchise you once were, and not this sorry excuse of failures.
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I hardly even know where to begin with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Ryan Coogler crafts an absolute masterful goodbye to Chadwick Boseman and a fantastic story of grief and leadership. Letitia Wright takes on her new list of responsibilities with amazing resilience and power. Her performance goes through so many amazing emotions from the moment the movie opens to the moment it closes. Angela Bassett also delivers a phenomenal performance of a grieving mother forced to rule a kingdom in a dark time. Lupita Nyong’o is finally back as Nakia and they give us some answers on why she’s never around when Wakanda needs her. I really wish we had seen a little more action from her but she does very good with her dialogue. Listen, honestly, the only thing other than Boseman’s memorial I needed from this movie was at least three action scenes with Okoye and god damn Danai Gurira delivers on at least four amazing action sequences and she wears some killer ass outfits that I would have never imagined. Winston Duke takes a big step up in some great ways, his M’Baku has always been an underrated favorite of mine and I’m glad to see the way he’s treated here. Dominique Thorne bursts into the MCU in a big way with a great performance, I am very eager to see her again soon on her own show. Florence Kasumba is another slept on favorite of mine, her Ayo has appeared EVERY time the Dora Milaje have appeared and she gets a big upgrade for this film. Michaela Coel is another great addition but they don’t use her nearly enough, hopefully we get more of her soon. Tenoch Huerta is an absolutely amazing Namor that works really well with Wright! He delivers a great performance and delivers on all of his action sequences. Martin Freeman returns for a small bit but a good bit it is. Alex Livinalli and Mabel Cadena needed some more screen time for me but they are great with action. Trevor Noah would have been my last guess for the voice of Griot, Shuri’s AI, but he does great with it. The question of how they would kill T’Challa was a big one for everyone going in and they not only answer that question right away in Marvel’s most devastating cold open but they handle it very well. Chadwick’s gentle presence and legacy is felt around every corner and is felt in every performance. Everyone delivers career defining performances and the production delivers at every level. From the costume design, the set design, the visuals, the special effects, the writing, the score, the soundtrack the action and everything in between. The entire sequence on the boat in the third act is full of some unique action stunts and the new Black Panther handles their action scenes so well. The Black Panther vs Namor fight is brutal and handled so well in such a unique location for a Marvel third act fight. The use of several languages is a great choice and all of the locations look stunning. The Wakandan world building was great to see, so much lore building was done and so many threads were left open for not just Black Panther 3 but for the rumored Black Panther Disney+ shows. I know a lot of people are disappointed in this movie for different reasons but having stayed away from the dumb rumors, not making my own wild theories, and being easily pleased with Marvel, I loved every single second of this film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has made its way into my MCU top 10, coming in at number 7, Ryan Coogler and team pulled off what seemed impossible and I’m so glad I never lost faith in this production team. At this point I don’t think it needs to be said that I’m giving this movie a 10/10, a perfect way to close out Phase 4 of the MCU. However I need someone at Marvel to answer where the Guardians Holiday Special falls. It’s been said this is the end of 4 and Antman is the start of 5 but that leaves the special phaseless so what’s the answer here? Anyway, go see this movie and decide for yourself, I for one can’t wait until I get to see it again. -Tyler.
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