Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
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.
- Released: 2022-11-09
- Runtime: 120 minutes
- Genre: Action, Adventure
- Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Michaela Coel, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Isaach De Bankolé, Dorothy Steel, Gigi Bermingham, Shiquita James, Curtis Bannister, Jarrell Pyro Johnson, Tejon Wright, Adam Freeman, Marlon Hayes, Babatunde Oyewo, Danny Sapani, Mabel Cadena, Josué Maychi, Alex Livinalli, María Mercedes Coroy, Richard Schiff, Zach Andrews, Manuel Chavez, Kamaru Usman, Michael B. Jordan, Lake Bell, Robert John Burke, Connie Chiume, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael B. Jordan, Zainab Jah, Sope Aluko, Trevor Noah, Shawn Roberts, Zola Williams, Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, Jemini Powell, Marija Abney, Keisha Tucker, Ivy Haralson, Maya Macatumpag, Baaba Maal, Jabari Exum, Massamba Diop, Magatte Saw, Gerardo Aldana, Rudolph Massanga, Judd Wild, Amber Harrington, Michael Blake Kruse, Justin James Boykin, Anderson Cooper, Mackenro Alexander, T. Love, Floyd Anthony Johns Jr., Jermaine Brantley, Granger Summerset II, Luke Lenza, Alan Wells, Bill Barrett, Lieiry J. Perez Escalera, Sevyn Hill, Gavin Macon, Skylar Ebron, Taylor Holmes, Angela Cipra, Faya Madrid, María Telón, Sal Lopez, Irma Estella La Guerre, Leonardo Castro, Juan Carlos Cantu, Shawntae Hughes, Corey Hibbert, Zaiden James, Aba Arthur, Délé Ogundiran, Kevin Changaris, Valerio Dorvillen, Don Castor, Jonathan González Collins, Divine Love Konadu-Sun, Chadwick Boseman
- Director: Ryan Coogler
Comments
- bjorngrip - 6 April 2024
Good movie but soo wrong story
So...all u know story. Wakanda meets new enemy. Thing is. The powers to be took a story and made it wrong. The enemy is wrong for wakanda. That is all.
Why? Well wakand finds a new race hidden from all others in the world. And what do thay do? The writers makes them enemies. Why? They should fight the real thruth. The rest of the world. And thats how the movie starts. The other nations tries to invade wakanda and get hold of the vibranium. So...why divert and make the fight about the 2 nations with vibranium? What they should do with the movie is to make them come together and be a force to be reckon with against the surface countries. But no...the make the fight between 2 countries with no beef outher then they make the story tell you. Sooo wrong! And not a good pleasing story. Basically...the went the wrong way with this story...for no reason. What a shame! Still a good production, hence my 7 star rating. But oboy if they would team up the ones with vibranium agains others. So much a better movie and a force to root for. - fernandoschiavi - 8 January 2024
"Black Panther 2" is beautiful and emotional, but it is not able to dedicate the necessary attention to developing each one of the several plots with ideal efficiency
"Black Panther 2" divides its (ambitious) priorities in such a distant way, the film ends up not being able to dedicate the necessary attention to developing each of them with ideal efficiency, making certain key elements of the narrative sound weak and superficial - and it is no surprise that, when the time finally arrives for the protagonist and antagonist to face each other in the third act, the emotional effect caused by that fight never seems to result from an emotional escalation that had been building cohesively throughout the two hours and previous half, sounding, instead, like a technically efficient confrontation, but lacking in dramatic support. To make matters worse, if the 2018 film became an undeniable cultural phenomenon thanks to its surprising thematic ambition and its ability to articulate well the issues it addressed (and which it discussed with remarkable awareness and density), this sequel barely finds time to develop any political topic that it raises with a minimum of depth, collapsing under the weight of its own pretensions - which culminates in a terribly hasty and lazy resolution to the clash between Shuri, Namor and the people they represent (without spoilers, suffice it to say that the script simply decides to throw all the dualities he had been building under the carpet in order to quickly reach an outcome for all that).
In this aspect, even as a "film about grief" Black Panther 2 does not fully work, since, instead of establishing the feeling in question as a central (or, at least, constant) piece of the entire narrative, the film only finds opportunities to develop the characters' pain here and there, in specific - and very limited - moments of the projection. That doesn't mean, however, that Coogler doesn't achieve moving results, and if there's something that certainly helps put "Wakanda Forever After" above the average of recent Marvel productions, it's the fact that most of the emotions the film attempts provoke sound legitimate, resulting from those that those responsible for the work felt in the first place. Thus, when we see Shuri, for example, crying when remembering her brother, the scene is recorded by Coogler with an introspective and melancholic delicacy that manages to bring the viewer to tears (or a lump in the throat, at least) without ever sounding manipulative or schematic - and, speaking of Shuri, it is important to highlight that Letitia Wright does what she can with great competence in both the scope of the action and the drama to give grandeur and dramatic dimension to a character who, until the previous film, was thought to be almost as a comic relief, being successful in embodying the heroine's suffering and doubts in the face of the role she now assumes, while Angela Bassett, even without starring in any action scenes, establishes herself as the most powerful and intense figure in the entire narrative, evoking Queen Mother Ramonda's pain as she deals not only with the sudden loss of her son, but with the threats made to the people she defends.
Still, the highlight of this sequel isn't even a resident of Wakanda, but rather the underwater Namor, who takes on the role of the story's real antagonist even without ever becoming a villain. Presented by Ryan Coogler as an individual who, at first glance, does not exude any trace of intimidation (which is interesting, as it creates in the viewer the expectation that that character will be portrayed in a more "stripped down" way than the film eventually comes to believe). Portray, making his radical actions even more surprising than they already would be), the king of Talokan is played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía as a suitably unpredictable figure, being efficient as well as demonstrating a legitimate affection for the people he defends ( notice the pain that takes over his face when witnessing the loss of a subject), he also conveys intransigence and threat by vowing to exterminate those who get in his way - or harm him in any way.
Obviously, one of the reasons for this change was to distance the character from DC's rival, Aquaman (Jason Momoa). Although Aquaman was inspired by Namor in the comics, the DC character debuted on the big screen before. So, to avoid criticism and accusations from those who don't know the stories, this distance from each other is quite logical. Furthermore, betting on Talocan instead of Atlantis is even a matter of coherence in the MCU, since Greek myths and legends were justified by Eternals (2021). And since they didn't even mention the existence of Namor, it makes sense that they move away from this mythology and focus on an underwater kingdom inspired by Mayan traditions. While Atlantis in "Aquaman" was excessively bright and colorful, Talocan has more sober and dark lighting, replicating the feeling of diving into an underwater cave. Not that it bothers you, but after building so many vibrant and colorful magical worlds, it's a brief disappointment that they don't explore the vibrant colors of Mesoamerican art as much to create this kingdom. On the other hand, the water movement of the people is more visually interesting than that proposed by the DC rival. In fact, this society's approach is much more credible. The customs, traditions, and activities of the people on a daily basis. The entire concept of the existence of this population is very well constructed and believable, exploring marine elements and animals as a functional part of this civilization. And as this is just the introduction of this nucleus, there is a colossal expectation for what could be shown in the future.
What's more: the fact that he is the leader of a civilization of Aztec origins is fundamental to establish him as a counterpoint to the warriors of Wakanda, since, while this is an African nation that stood out precisely by resisting European colonization, Talokan is an civilization that (literally) succumbed due to the barbarities committed by the Spanish invaders, positioning one fictional country as a distorted reflection of the other - and, therefore, it is appropriate that costume designer Ruth E. Carter brings elements of Aztec culture to the costumes of the Talokanians and that production designer Hannah Beachler portrays the underwater kingdom as an abandoned, uncomfortable environment that only seems to endure thanks to its occupants' persistence in clinging to every scrap of past life they have left, sounding radically different from the hidden paradise that is Wakanda. (That at a given moment a North American agent sees some Talokanian soldiers and, without understanding who they are, deduces that "They must be the Wakandans" is something that exposes an obviously racist and generalist view on the part of that person towards foreign peoples - in a comment subtle but effective social-political aspect on the part of the film.) On the other hand, not even this justifies the excessive darkness that takes over most of the night and/or underwater sequences - and there are moments when it is almost impossible to see what is happening in the scene, even when that clearly wasn't Ryan Coogler or cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw's intention.
The biggest issue to be addressed in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" comes from the title itself: if, on the one hand, it takes too long until, finally, a new Black Panther is presented (and, finally, it only appears two hours after the beginning of the film, which in total is more than 180 minutes long) - and, when it happens, it is more due to the conjuncture of events than the result of a natural process of awareness and calling - little attention is also given to the continuity of Wakanda as a state - and cultural phenomenon. After all, since the object they possess, coveted by so many, will not be shared, these others try to divert their attention elsewhere. The clash, therefore, is between the USA and Talokan, without the former, in fact, even being aware of the existence of the latter. Wakanda was just unlucky enough to be in the middle of this dispute. All Namor would have to do was defend what is his, and that's it. What is the need, therefore, to go into confrontation against the only people also in possession of the same benefit? Watching Wakandeans and Talokeans face off is not only disappointing, it's manipulative. After all, there are two oppressed peoples - in an extra-filmic spectrum, it is Latins against Africans - killing each other, while the explorers (North Americans) remain at a safe distance, waiting for the first casualty to collect the remains. Of battle, like profiteering hyenas.
As entertainment - it is important not to forget that, after all, it is a superhero film based on comic book characters - "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is a delight to the eyes, right from the action scenes (Namor demonstrates a strong which deserves to be better utilized in the future), as well as the composition of new scenarios (the underwater world of Talokan is stunning). However, the very points highlighted in this paragraph make the best of the set clear: the newcomers from the bottom of the sea, and not the palace intrigues in a kingdom in the heart of Africa, which would be expected. Both Bassett and Nyong'o could have been explored better, and in the end, there are so many loose ends - what is Okoye's future? What does M'Baku want? What is Martin Freeman doing in the middle of all this? - that what is certain is that only one of the original intentions was achieved. Boseman is gone, and the grief at this unexpected departure is felt from beginning to end. However, not in a way that takes the whole thing forward, as seen in "Fast and Furious 7 (2015)", for example. On the contrary, it was made like an anchor, preventing such progress. And as it turned out, it's good not to play with what comes from the depths. - TheNamelessCzar - 26 November 2023
Good start, bad finish
Obviously picking up the franchise f After the unexpected deaths of Chadwick Bozeman was going to be a big challenge. The opening sequence was brilliant and did justice to his memory. The story itself started out strong and had great potential. Then things devolved with a bizarre plot and an obvious ripoff of Avatar. The bad guys don't seem that bad, and the climactic final scene wasn't that climactic. It was actually quite anticlimactic. Plot holes were everywhere the eye could see as well. Overall, it was good but could have been so much better. In retrospect, they should have ended this series with the death of Boseman. There really can only be one Black Panther. - dummiejo-90918 - 6 January 2023
Had picked it up to watch it on Christmas with family..
Really liked the first movie and was hoping it would be a good enough successor. Pretty underwhelming though and everyone in the family was happy it was over when it was. Actually only those ones who didn't fell asleep during the movie.
The story started out well, but lost any meaning as the movie went on. The war could have easily been avoided and some things didn't make sense at all. Like, the bad guy kidnaps an unknown girl and it's reason for Wakanda to risk everything, even a World War. But then the mother and Queen of Wakanda dies because of the "bad" guy and all is okay, let's forget about everything and have peace.
Also that blue underwater tribe beat the heck out of Wakandians and the War was almost lost and everyone knew, but then their Leader raises the white flag and surrenders, lol.
I actually started to root for the bad guy in this movie, haha.
Then, it was all about girl power in this one. Women forever could be a more accurate subtitle for this movie. To my surprise my sister and cousin didn't like it at all and thought this movie went overboard with it. Well, I agree...
Will not watch the sequel of Black Panther. Neither will I watch any other characters who were introduced in this movie, if they get their movie. I will never watch this one again either. Rather would watch a total failure of movie like Titanic 2 for the laughs of it.
That's why the one star. Some time has past since I watched it and no review it. It's a forgettable movie and that's the only silver lining. - Johnny-the-Film-Sentinel-2187 - 2 January 2023
Umm...
**Spoilers Ahead**
Black Panther 2 was bound to happen give or take whatever would happen to Chadwick Boseman; it was a cynical approach to an impossibly bold undertaking to cinema's most successful black superhero and have a sequel... without the main star at all.
Wakanda Forever doesn't feel like a film that's gonna be immortalised like some of Marvel's previous entries, but feels like ANOTHER film to fulfill that sweet yearly content quota for Disney. Yes the story was interesting, yes it paid homage to Chadwick well, but the film feels like an empty tribute piece that... undermines ALL of its respect with THAT twist at the ending of the movie.
Long story short: T'Challa has a kid, who was willed into existence between this movie and the first Black Panther. Okay, not really, but when Chadwick was still alive, the film was gonna be a father-and-son centric story. But the way the film uses that plot strand as a tease for future movies felt like it was a well-intended homage that ended up coming off as tone-deaf 'sequel insurance' that doesn't do Boseman any posthumous service.
Anyway, Black Panther 2 isn't bad, but the circumstances of THIS film and The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy after Carrie Fisher died when The Last Jedi was completed but never lived to see Episode IX done: it's a weirdly frustrating dilemma filling the void of a widely beloved, and passed, talent and pressing on with a fully completed sequel regardless. Loss of movie characters are hard, but losing the actors is SO MUCH harder; for all of us.
It seems like Marvel is still trying to figure out its mojo post-Endgame, and it's gonna keep trying to find it even if a lot of this stuff seems too 'pre-determined' as escapism goes in the cinema these days.
P. S. We REALLY miss you, Chadwick. Gone too soon, but never forgotten. - joshisn-97319 - 27 December 2022
Bad writing
In today's world where a new action movie and series comes out every month you have to do better than just good vfx. The story writing was sloppy and painful to watch. They had great cast, good characters yet they failed to make a good movie. The whole time Wakanda royals were either doing battle cries or shouting at people rather than coming up with strategy to protect their nation. There were many points where they could have done the conflict resolution with words. The opposing nation reached out to Wakanda twice and WARNED them. Also why not explore Talukan technology? Except the water grandes they did not have as good weapons as Wakanda. So were they really powerful as they claimed in the movie? That's why the win wakanda had against the Talukam seemed like adult winning against a kid. - qkpzvf - 23 December 2022
Great tribute; entertaining movie
I'll just come right out and say it, I truly enjoyed this movie. Now, I'm not exactly the type to go see a movie based on its "film-quality," I'm more of a "was it entertaining?" kind of gal. For me, this movie was very entertaining.
It addresses loss and grief in such a real way that it was easy to empathize with T'Challa's family. It was also a touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman.
The storyline seemed a little fractured, but I think people have to remember that when the first phase of the MCU started coming out there were a lot of things that didn't make sense either. They only make sense now that you've seen all of the movies and have gone back to watch them again.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't the best film in the MCU or even in phase four, but it's still a good movie. Marvel set the bar very high for its fans with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, so I think it will just take time for viewers to readjust expectations and for the creators to adjust their views as well. They need time to take a step back and stop trying to outdo the final two Avengers films and get back to just making good, cohesive movies. - leegotti - 20 December 2022
Boring and rushed stupid movie
This movie sucked. I'm not sure why I'm reading reviews that say it sucked but are still giving it 6 stars but this earned every bit of that 1 star. I get they're giving respect to Chadwick, but do the funeral in the movie and move on. Call me insensitive or whatever but everyone loved the man we don't need to be dragged through the mud watching a 3 hour snore fest.
I'll try not to pick this thing apart to bad but this story was stupid. Namor did an alright job acting but it was distracting seeing a dad bod fly around throwing space ships into the ground while using his feet wings to fly around like a fairy.
Shuri becoming black panther was rushed because they were focused on iron heart and iron heart was rushed cuz they were focused on shuri. Ironman is done... Move on. Nobody can top rdj being Tony Stark. No point in trying to bring in a new iron woman to do nothing compared to iron man.
Namor has a 1 billion foot deep city or whatever that they tried to make different than Aquaman except it was stupid. Then the chic (whatever her name is) snuck in and just grabbed shuri like she was hidden in Jeffrey dommers basement in Ohio. At least make it entertaining and give us something that isn't easy enough for a crippled to roll in there.
Shuri went from being able to throw an awkward punch to becoming a 40th degree black panther belt and got STABBED IN THE CHEST..... Just to defeat namor. Oh yeah... Spoiler alert. Who cares. This movie sucked. I would compare it to the Batman with the dude that twinkles in the sunlight from twilight. Stupid.
It's so crazy anyone enjoyed this stupid movie. I would rather watch lion king 2 1/2 if that's even a thing. Idc what ANYONE says. If you can honestly watch this movie with me and at ANY part of that movie say, "that was awesome" then you were born in a cave without television and are just getting put into civilization. - ObsessiveCinemaDisorder - 18 December 2022
An emotional Marvel's meta-eulogy to the late Chadwick Boseman that also sets up future Marvel shows on DisneyPlus
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, at its heart, is a meditative film about loss and grief that acts as a meta-eulogy for late actor Chadwick Boseman.
Writer-director Ryan Coogler fully commits to the premise and directs in full cinematic glory, energizing this sequel with brightly-paletted cinematography, elaborate costume designs, an awesome soulful soundtrack, and a standout performance from Angela Bassett.
Unfortunately, Wakanda Forever runs overlong from being jam-packed with too many side characters in subplots doing the contractually-obligated setup of future films. The franchise obligations end up muddling the sincerity of what Ryan Coogler is artfully saying.
The unexpected passing of T'Challa leaves Wakanda vulnerable as other nations are pressuring them to share vibranium. As Wakanda mourns, Queen Ramonda, Shuri, and Nakia fight to protect their nation at the arrival of the Talokan, an ancient Mayan underwater nation, led by Namor.
"Everybody mourns in their own way" was a recurring thought I had throughout Wakanda Forever. This film was how the Marvel producers chose to mourn Chadwick Boseman's passing.
There's magic in Ryan Coogler's films that has the audience always rooting for his protagonists. Whether it is Creed or Black Panther, Coogler viscerally pulls you into his heroes as the underdog in every frame, and the whole world is against them. For this reason, out of the solo Marvel movies, the Black Panther movies are consistently the most emotional to sit through. Coogler earnestly carries the themes of grief and loss from beginning to end, giving a solid emotional through line that anchors the film.
With her towering air of regality, Angela Bassett commands the screen and carries the film on her shoulders. When the first X-Men film was announced in the 90s, the first fan casting I made in my head was Angela Bassett as Storm. It's easy to picture her god-like, possessed, and summoning lightning from the sky. Bassett naturally carries power and that is on full display as Queen Ramonda.
When it came time for Letitia Wright's Shuri to carry the film, she came up short of matching Angela Bassett's dramatic weight. It's not for lack of trying as Wright gives a good performance. I can't put my finger on whether it's the lack of pathos or Letitia Wright herself or the fact that there's an undeniable vacuum at the film's center, but the Shuri character works better as a supporting character.
Tenoch Huerta Mejía's Namor was an intriguing antagonist that deserved more time devoted to development. Danai Gurira's Okoye is short-changed from having to wear an unfortunate costume.
I didn't care for the Ironheart stuff. There's a kid character that is in line to replace every major Marvel hero now, most likely for building a future Avengers roster. I suspect I'll stop caring the day that transition happens.
Admittedly, I was for Marvel recasting the Black Panther role. A person's life is infinitely more than the part they play in a superhero movie. The power was in the producers' hands and despite how unfathomable they say it was, they could have recast and instrumentally make it less of a deal. Even Chadwick Boseman's brother reportedly said Chadwick would have wanted T'Challa's story to continue.
I can't help but imagine an alternate universe where Kevin Feige recasted the T'Challa part and the Black Panther story went to new places and perhaps an emotional silent title card for Chadwick Boseman in the credits.
In a film predominantly occupied with mourning its lead actor, setting up an upcoming TV show on DisneyPlus just undercuts the sincerity of its tribute. It's such an odd way to mourn someone's memory. But that's just me.
The heart of the film, or the eulogy, is all in the soundtrack, featuring Rihanna, Nigerian singer Tems, Fireboy DML, and many other African musical artists. The African-themed playlist is a dynamic, soulful search for meaning after loss. Some songs are crying, some are mourning, and other tracks are celebrations of life.
The soundtrack made me want to dance; something I do not ever do. In my theater, two kids got up in the aisle and danced over the end credits.
Rating: 7.5/10
#marvel #wakandaforever #BlackPanther #moviereview #filmreview. - gardianx-33670 - 15 December 2022
Messy
The way they went with the movie is interesting really but the execution didn't live up to the hype that was advertised. In this movie you can tell in many scenes that it was supposed to be tchalla not Shuri. There should have been a significant amount of rewrites or a completely new script. The design choices in this movie is not that good really as Namor wasn't looking great and the same with iron heart. There are too many plot holes in this one and many open stories that would mention the 1st movie was abruptly closed and that overall experience was bland and boring to a fan and to the general audience this movie is something u only need to see once to understand the bigger picture.
