"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (Movie) Review - An Emotionally Raw Bridge Movie to Marvel's Future

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Hello Fellow Journeyers,

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the last Marvel movie of 2022 and the final film of the long and arduous Phase 4 is one that comes with equal excitement and sadness. Chadwick Boseman was a great T'Challa and Black Panther and their decision to recognize his passing as part of the MCU canon was honorable and necessary. 

What's the story about: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever finds the nation of Wakanda and its inhabitants struggling in the wake of King T'Challa's unexpected passing. With the emergence of a new world power, Wakanda's leadership scrambles to figure out how to best handle many shifting pieces. This movie is an ensemble movie compared to the first entry riding on primarily Chadwick Boseman's character. 

I was very trepidly excited forWakanda Forever because Boseman left such an astonishingly powerful legacy on the character that I worried they would be unable to move forward after his passing. Having to rely on the remaining cast members was a daunting task but fortunately, it paid off gloriously. Instead of this film using the traditional three part structure, it was more of a first half, second half film with a lot of plot and progression to get through. It's honestly one of the slowest Marvel movies, but Coogler directed this entry with focus and effectiveness by diving deeper into the characters. No one character is at the forefront of this blockbuster and all the side characters from the first entry share the burden of moving this story of loss forward; it plays out brilliantly. This works surprisingly well as it allows for the next Black Panther to come into the fold more naturally than if it had been introduced too soon. Since this movie has the burden of being an introduction to a new Black Panther, a new long-term Marvel character in it's antagonist, and respectfully paying tribute to Chadwick Boseman, it isn't the popcorn flick that so many people rely on Marvel to produce and that's a good thing.

Which leads to one of the defining aspects of the movie that was so good, the antagonist: Namor. I don't know much about his comic book history, but what I do know is that he is considered an anti-hero who is neither a force for good or evil. He's truly an antagonist rather than a villain, and his character is handled perfectly. He's brutal and loyal, ferocious and passionate, and he's a broken leader who tries his best in a situation that is hard to handle in the black and white of superhero morals. Like Killmonger from Black Panther, Namor permeates this story similar to Thanos in Infinity War (except better) and I honestly think the growth of the heroes in Wakanda Forever shines brighter because of his place of opposition. 

When it comes down to it, producing a movie that relies on a lead actor that has tragically passed away shouldn't work. As is the case for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, you can only do so much when a main character is not able to be featured in the story. This story suffers from the lack of not having Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa and all his gravitas, but it maturely embraces this difficulty. My biggest complaint with the film as a whole is that it simply has so much transition and movement to actually contribute an actual arch of a story in terms of plot. It has a lot of character growth, but the actual story is a little underdeveloped. But truthfully, this can be seen as a more realistic storytelling avenue than what we normally get. It's astonishing that Coogler and his team developed a superhero movie, that usually requires action and reaction, to work on a natural progression rather than bombastic action scenes and big hurrahs. The other three minor detractors from the overall enjoyment of this story is the shoehorned inclusion of some characters that felt pointless, the final battle's overreliance on animation rather than practical stunts and choreography, and a disbelief in the new Black Panther's abilities to go head to head with Namor on the battlefield. All that being said, it's a powerhouse of a movie that has me thinking of it constantly since I saw it.

Final Verdict: ★★★★★ 4.5 Stars - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever again took the comic book/superhero movie and subverses it with wonderful effect. With the focus on the lives of those left reeling from T'Challa's death, there is a true feeling of grief for what's been lost and fear of what will happen if another doesn't take up the mantle of Black Panther. Added in is the introduction of an amazing antagonist with a fully realized motivation for the story's tension, this movie is as gripping as it was emotionally difficult. Boseman's death was the focal point of this entry and it was all the better for it. Because of this, we were given a slow, methodical tale of what losing a King unexpectedly would be like to an incredibly powerful nation. This is honestly the best movie is could have been considering the difficulty of making it work. And apart from that, it is definitely the most emotionally visceral and raw of all the Marvel movies. Marvel should definitely continue with stories like this going forward; they're worth more than just watching a film. This is storytelling at its finest.

Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this movie, other reviews, or talk movie recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.