“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is yet another visually stunning Marvel film. Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyongo, Angela Bassett and Tenoch Huerta, the film is a sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther.”
This sequel opens with the death of the first film’s Black Panther, T’Challa, a decision made in the wake of T’Challa actor Chadwick Boseman’s death from colon cancer in August 2020. T’Challa’s sister Shuri, played by Wright, and the rest of his family are left to mourn his untimely death while a new threat arrives to wreak havoc on the Marvel universe in the form of Namor, played by Huerta. The family must rise above their difficulties to save the world and become the heroes that Wakanda needs now more than ever.
The most outstanding quality about “Wakanda Forever” is the manner in which the theme of grief is grappled with. It isn’t just an explosive, action-packed comeback for the Black Panther, it’s a gut wrenching tale about having to endure through hard times when life keeps taking what you love the most. Wright, who plays Shuri, and Bassett, who play T’Challa and Shuri’s mother, Ramonda, carried the film to glory with their powerful acting in deeply emotional scenes, and were able to translate their sadness for Boseman’s passing into breathtaking scenes of pure sorrow. Over the course of the two-hour feature, it became clear that Coogler aimed to make a concrete story about humans dealing with loss which helped “Wakanda Forever” stand out from all the other CGI-infested Marvel flicks with dry plots.
“Wakanda Forever” also made Shuri, who up until this point was a forgettable side character, into a brave heroine during a time of reckoning. As a leading actor, Wright delivered the same intensity and star power that Boseman did in the first “Black Panther.” Given the amount of growth she’s had, I can’t wait to see what Marvel does next with her character.
Newcomer Huerta offers a terrifying portrayal of the villain Namor. Each time he appeared on the screen was chilling, and to say that Namor was a formidable opponent is simply an understatement. Huerta portrays his character with the exact divine sense of antagonism that Namor is known for in the Marvel comics, and many fans were genuinely pleased with his performance.
“Wakanda Forever” didn’t disappoint with the level of action sequences it delivered, rife with excellent stunt work. The only flaw of the sequel is its two hour run time. Half of the film goes nowhere, and at some point, the plot seems to slow down.
Nevertheless, “Wakanda Forever” is an emotionally charged, action-packed adventure, abundant in eye-popping visuals. In the first film, Boseman’s T’Challa says that “death is not the end.” Whether we realize it or not, Boseman is still here with us. In his absence, Wakanda is left with many heroes in his image.
