Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I admit that I am giving it the fifth star mainly for how touching it is, and in memory of Chadwick Boseman. Objectively, the second Black Panther is slightly worse than the first, and it's not because T'Challa is missing, but because something is superfluous. The running time seemed to me too generous (read excessive) for what actually happened. Yet a few dozen minutes (and some not so good CGI) less would have made for an excellent action film with a believable political plot and memorable scenes such as the Queen's speech at the UN. Nevertheless, the production design is a feast for the eyes, the music is a feast for the ears, and the new characters certainly have a lot to offer the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future. (11/12/2022)

This return to the more traditionally constructed Marvel films of yesteryear is certainly welcome. It's nice Black Panther, except for a few moments, tries to look serious – within the confines of a superhero movie, of course – and doesn't make idiotic jokes like Thor. It probably wouldn’t been fitting, since mourning for Chadwick Boseman, or in this case T'Challa, is supposed to be one of the pillars of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And it's a bit of a problem. Because as we are mourning, we are introduced to quite a few new characters and an undersea civilization whose city we also have to look into. And while it's all nice and visually imaginative, the first half seems to forget that the film has to have a plot. The second Black Panther doesn't really get going until about an hour in, and unfortunately it comes too late, because by the closing credits Ryan Coogler doesn't have time to properly involve the new (and often old) characters in the plot and there's just too much going on. The moments when the film turns into a fine political thriller, at least for a while, or when the characters start to deal more with their emotions and traumas, are interesting. But having to deal with a huge amount of stuff and build up to the big finale, or rather the big finale and even bigger invasion of Wakanda in the middle, results in even the two and a half hours being simply too little to serve up everything they wanted to cook up. Not to mention that Letitia Wright unfortunately doesn't have the talent to pull off the lead role in such a complex story, and that Riri Williams, the future driving force, has so far profiled herself as more of a whiny sidekick than someone I'd want to see on screen more often. (11/09/2022)

A modest, sensitive, and respectful tribute to an icon, who for inexplicable reasons appears in a movie that lasts three hours. Sometimes less is truly more, and I could have done without several of the action scenes. Whether it was due to budget constraints or the difficulty of filming, the first half of the film practically takes place in darkness, shadow, or underwater every time there's a fight or something particularly dramatic happening. I can't explain how a last farewell to Chadwick Boseman, a therapeutic guide to coping with the loss of a loved one, a political thriller, a battle of empires, and an effort to overcome one's own shadow can all work together, but somehow it does. Maybe thanks to the phenomenal Angela Bassett, maybe thanks to the long-awaited, but inevitable, appearance of the titular suit. 70% (07/07/2023)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is spectacular and colourful – the characters, the production design, the costumes and the excellent arrangements by soundtrack composer Göransson. But it’s also inordinately long, with repetitive dialogue rehashing the same things, a mighty villain with a weak personality, an underwater world that’s not nearly as sophisticated as the one in Aquaman, and the borrowing of ideas from other Marvel movies that don’t fit here (e.g. Iron-Man costumes and flying in them). The first Black Panther was surprising with its distinctive soul and the compelling African mystique of the ethnic roots of a new, superbly functioning superhero movement. This is still a respectable Marvel formula, but altered only for effect. (03/06/2023)

A boatload more cinematic, lavish, and epic than the first Black Panther. Thankfully, Marvel has returned to the concept of a complete story at the very edge of its universe, which also appealingly pays Chadwick Boseman about the greatest possible tribute. Wakanda Forever is an utterly wholesome piece of filmmaking that has fully fleshed-out heroes and isn't afraid to show their limits and pains. This time around there really isn't another theme park and altogether this is one of the best Marvel sequels, which definitely has its place among the top ten best things that have been made in the MCU so far. The parallels to the modern world are eerily timely and for the first time in a very long time I felt like all the political proclamations actually made sense. Ryan Coogler has shown that even in the very established and now even somewhat sterile Marvel setting, it's still possible to make a damn good flick that confronts its characters with much more civil themes instead of all the often excessive references and multiverses of its heroes. [85%] (11/12/2022)