On a $200 million budget, Black Panther broke tons of box office records, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide. Not only was it the second-highest-grossing film of the year, but it was also the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time. Naturally, Marvel Studios immediately wanted a sequel and announced it mid-2019, with Ryan Coogler agreeing to return as director. Sadly, plans were put on hold when actor Chadwick Boseman passed away on August 28, 2020, due to colon cancer. Marvel and Disney agreed not to recast the actor or create a CGI double to avoid fan backlash. The filmmakers chose Namor the Sub-Mariner for its central villain, who debuted in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939. Filming commenced in June 2021 at Trilith Studios and, due to various factors, wrapped around March 2022. While initially scheduled for a mid-2022 release, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiered in October before releasing nationwide in November 2022.
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Synopsis
Following the death of King T’Challa, the world is turning its attention to Wakanda to share its resources. Despite pressure from foreign governments, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) refuses since she knows what these people can do. Meanwhile, Shuri (Letitia Wright) is still mourning her brother’s death, believing she couldn’t save him despite all her technology. Ramonda tries to help her heal when they’re visited by Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), king of the underwater city Talokon. He comes with a request – Wakanda will be destroyed unless they find an American scientist who designed a vibranium-detecting machine. The scientist in question is MIT student Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), who gets kidnapped with Shuri by Namor’s soldiers. Ramonda recruits Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) to rescue them, leading to Talokon going to war with Wakanda. With the threat of their home’s destruction, only one thing can stop Namor: the Black Panther!
Review
It could not have been easy for the filmmakers to make this movie, given Chadwick Boseman’s untimely death. That said, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a great sequel that honors the original while doing its own thing. First, the performances all across the board are phenomenal, with every actor having their moment to shine. Angela Bassett, in particular, delivers some heartfelt monologues about what her family has lost, and she sells it. I also have to commend Letitia Wright, who’s in an unenviable position of going from supporting player to lead actor. She carries the movie through and through, and her growth as a character is well done. While most MCU villains have been forgettable, Tenoch Huerta Mejía’s Namor is one of the better villains recently. He’s the kind of villain where you disagree with his methods, but you understand his motivation. He’s a very complex character.
Returning actors Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, and Winston Duke do exceptionally well, with Duke delivering most of the humor. Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus do a good job, but they’re not given much to do. On the flip side, Dominique Thorne is an excellent addition to the MCU, and I’m excited to see her grow. There are fantastic action sequences between the more dramatic moments involving car chases, sea battles, and desert fights. Ryan Coogler does a great job setting up these sequences, making them thrilling and easy to see. If I have any complaints, the biggest would be the runtime, which clocks in at two hours and 40 minutes. Usually, I don’t mind a longer movie, but some padding could’ve been trimmed to make this a good two hours. Overall, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is another fantastic MCU film that pays tribute to a fallen icon.
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