BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER - NON-SPOILER REVIEW

PLEASE NOTE - THE FOLLOWING IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW OF THE MOVIE. I WILL NOT REVEAL ANY MAJOR PLOT POINTS FROM THE MOVIE.

It goes without saying that the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman took us all by surprise. He was a charming and likeable actor on-screen, fully embodying every role he was in, whether that be Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up or, of course, T-Challa in the MCU. Black Panther has an immediate impact on pop culture and worldwide audiences; believably bringing to life a great superhero, as well as exposing the world to African culture. When the decision was made not recast the part (something I still personally think was a mistake) Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige really had a mountain to climb with the follow up movie. Did they succeed in giving us another great entry into the MCU? Will Chadwick’s passing be a cloud over the movie? And, as seen in the trailers, who is it taking up the mantle of Black Panther this time round?

THE STORY
With the passing of King T-Challa, various nations around the world believe Wakanda is weak enough to have their resources of vibranium plundered. However, the search is on around the globe to find another source. This search brings the world and Wakanda under threat from the inhabitants of an undiscovered underwater kingdom.

OVERALL OPINION
Wakanda Forever is a very different Marvel movie, for obvious reasons. There is no getting over the fact that Chadwick Boseman is a massive loss as he was so perfect as T-Challa. The loss of T-Challa very much plays a role in the story here, but fortunately, the movie is not indulgent in the grief of this loss. Instead, it manages to balance that part of the story while once again expanding the MCU with the introduction of fan favourite character Namor.

As DC have already released Aquaman, Marvel were wise not to call Namor’s underwater kingdom Atlantis. Instead, it is Talokan and its inhabitants are descendants of the Mayan culture, a change that works fantastically well. Throughout the movie, the parallels between Talokan and Wakanda are very obvious, probably intentionally so. Visually, the underwater city is just as fantastical as what we got in Aquamanm but somehow actually more believable. Also, there was a nice little nod for anyone who has been watching Moon Knight and Thor: Love and Thunder with a blink and you’ll miss it shout out to their god.

The conflict between Namor and Wakanda is, sadly, very believable. The Namor we get on screen isn’t the egotistical, quick to anger royalty we get in the comics. He is the leader of his people and deeply cares about them and keeping their nation a secret from the surface world. But, when he decides to act, as with Killmonger in the first movie, we fully understand his point of view even if we do not agree with it. Tenoch Huerta is fantastic in the role, in both the quieter moments as well as the fight scenes, where it is a joy to witness the speed and strength of the submariner (never once called this). The Talokans look amazing on screen, their blue skin when out of the water giving them a recognisable as human, but creepy vibe. There are fantastic fighters too, more than a match for the dora milaje.

The main crux of the film is to do with how the passing of T-Challa has affected those left behind. We get a blistering performance from Angela Bassett reminding everyone who may have forgotten just what a powerhouse actress she is, All the returning characters are used well and the new characters introduced are fleshed out nicely, especially Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams.

For obvious reasons, my emotions were very different coming out of this movie than coming out of the first one. However, as a way of progressing the story of Wakanda, acknowledging T-Challa’s passing as well as honouring the legacy left behind by Chadwick Boseman, this movie succeeded. And there were enough seeds planted and unanswered questions that make this a really solid entry into the MCU.

THE PERFORMANCES
Angela Bassett - Queen Ramonda
The Oscar nominated actress has always been amazing in every role and this movie gave her a chance to shine once more. A Queen in every sense of the word both on and off screen.

Letitia Wright - Shuri
Previous events in the MCU have obviously changed Shuri. Gone are the quips and jokey nature she displayed in the first movie. The passing of her brother just adds more emotion to her journey and Letitia Wright gives a very strong performance.

Lupita Nyong’o - Nakia
Given a lot more screen time this time round, with a surprise or two up her sleeve, Lupita gives another great and nuanced performance.

Danai Guria - Okoye
General of the Dora Milaje, once again Dana does not disappoint. She is clearly having fun in the more comedic scenes, but really impresses in the more heartfelt and emotional scenes too.

Winston Duke - M’Baku
His tribe is no longer isolated from the rest of Wakanda, but are still trying to figure out how best to move forward and integrate with the council of elders. Duke is still funny on occasion, and takes up a bit of a surprising advisory role that suits the character well, showing there is more to him than just the warrior king.

Michaela Coel - Aneka
A new character and member of the Dora Milaje. Not given as much screen time as others, but is enjoyable whenever she is on screen.

Dominique Thorne - Riri Williams
She will eventually go on to become Ironheart and is slated to have a key role in the upcoming Armour Wars movie alongside Don Cheadle. This was a great introduction to the character; smart, funny, sassy and similar to Peter Parker, has seen enough in-universe movies to recognise their tropes.

Tencoh Huerta - Namor
King of Talokan, winged-feet, pointed ears and all. Namor in the comics can sometimes come across as a bit one-note, no matter how badass he can be. Here, Tenoch gives balance and dimension to the character. A excellent screen debut for this character

Martin Freeman - Evertt Ross
CIA operative and occasional ally of Wakanda, Freeman is still very likeable in the role, trying to balance his loyalty to the CIA with exchanging information with the African nation.

OTHER STUFF
The CGI
Comic book movies these typically have great CGI and Wakanda Forever continues to make Wakanda look as gorgeous as ever, while making Talokan equally as stunning and aesthetically beautiful.

The Score
I’m not usually one to notice the score in films unless it is truly stand out and memorable. And nothing here really stood out to me.

The Action
The fights scenes we had were good, but not quite as enthralling as what we got in the first one. Well thought and well executed though the set-pieces were, there was nothing that really stood out as memorable cinema. Not saying it was bad. Just did it’s job before moving onto the next scene.

The Pacing
Despite the long run time, at not time did the movie drag or have me looking at my watch.

Other Stuff
There is only one mid-credit scene.

FINAL VERDICT
Time will tell how this movie will play in a few years time, after the passing of Chadwick Boseman is less prominent in the mind. However, as a tribute to him and a continuation of the story of Wakanda, it was a well told story and packs a lot in for the run time.

Run time - 2h 41m
Rotten Tomatoes critics score (at time of writing) - 85%
My Score: 8/10

MY MOVIE RATING SYSTEM
10- Citizen F*%king Kane (A+)
9- Bloody Great (A)
8- Really rather good (A-)
7- Pretty decent (B+)
6- Definitely above average (B)
5- Middle of the road average (C)
4- Mediocre (D)
3- Meh (E)
2- Crap (F)
1- Why the hell did I waste my time and money on this abomination (Unrated)