Directed by:
Ryan CooglerCinematography:
Autumn Durald ArkapawComposer:
Ludwig GöranssonCast:
Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Tenoch Huerta, Lake Bell, Michaela Coel, Florence Kasumba (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. (Walt Disney US)
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Reviews (11)
Black Panther died from COVID and his mum and sister have to look after Wakanda. Coogler presents a sprawling project with many supporting themes in a very terse way. He jumps from scene to scene and the plot rushes instead of flowing. T'Challa's absence is especially noticeable in the moments when the film needs to breathe. The lighthearted jokes and would-be catchphrases of the girls during Iron Heart's introduction, in the context of Bossman's death, feel like a caress against the grain. Everything of course is saved by Namor and his Atlan... Mayas. Tying the new empire to Central America and their rich culture was a very cool idea. Huerta is awesome and I'm really looking forward to his next stint at Marvel. The final scene, where Kukalkan explains that those dickheads will eventually antagonize Wakanda, and then the fun will begin, is very impressive. The sister's scene from beyond the grave is chilling, and the action and the one-to-one fight works quite well. So it's a shame about the inconsistent introduction. The music is a chapter unto itself. Goransonn outdoes himself, the theme of the new Panther is unexpectedly brutal.
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Flamboyant costumes, set design, make-up, dancing, performances, and all this over and over and over again. The plot begins as simply, unnecessarily and built on scripted crutches as it is resolved in the finale. And it doesn't really matter, because Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is nothing more than another padding link that has no significance to the franchise other than introducing new characters that can be used in the future. The 160 minutes are a total blowout, because Ryan Coogler practically got a blank check to do whatever he wanted. To its credit, it doesn't try to throw in a joke every 5 seconds like Thor: Love and Thunder, but even so, the little bits of humor here are embarrassing to the point of sticking out like a sore thumb over the rest of the film. Visually it's nice and it can entertain the audience, but for me it's a largely useless film, or nothing more than the essence of the whole lame Marvel Phase IV. Useful note: There’s no post-credit scene, go home.
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Compared to the first one, the second film really falls short in many ways. First, the positives: the opening sequence emotionally shreds you, and the tribute to actor Boseman in the credits is a touching gesture. However, after that, it turns into a somewhat bland mix of various elements. The first film drew me in with its unique African atmosphere, but that didn’t resonate here. There’s also a lack of realistic action sequences (the only effective one was the bridge scene). It seemed to me there was an overuse of CGI clutter, especially towards the end. Additionally, the subplot with Namor didn’t work for me; the underwater world felt like a copy of Aquaman (I know that’s DC, but it didn’t fit). The ending was rather laughable. On the plus side, the post-credit scenes were enjoyable. I rate it 5/10.
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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%
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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.
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