Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Takes on New Foes and Loss

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BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Review
A scene from Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

The much-awaited sequel to Black Panther is finally hitting theaters this weekend. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever works to bring fans closure on the loss of the original Black Panther, start a new path for the franchise and character, and introduce new foes into the MCU. It’s a lot to fit into one movie, and that’s probably why the movie is almost three hours long, but also why at times, it feels like there may be too much going on in the movie.

Opening with the loss of T’Challa, the nation of Wakanda is not only mourning the loss of their King and protector but is under attack from several nations who want Vibranium for their own. Facing attacks on multiple sides, Wakanda is blamed for an attack on a ship that was trying to mine Vibranium at sea, only to be tossed into another conflict with an aquatic nation that may be more powerful than they are.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Review
Winston Duke as M’Baku in Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2022 MARVEL.

The Movie is a Tribute From The Start to the End

From the opening Marvel credits and throughout the whole movie, the weight of the loss of Chadwick Boseman is felt. The loss of The Black Panther actor to cancer in 2020 most likely directed the story of this film, but also the mood overall of the story and the actor. Throughout the MCU, characters have died and fans have mourned their losses, but Boseman’s death was the first of the actors that had been lost, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gives fans of Boseman the opportunity to grieve his loss. Using former footage from the first Black Panther film,

Like many other MCU films, this movie doesn’t just deal with one loss. There are other losses throughout the movie, and an over-arching theme is grieving and healing after loss. The movie tries to hold the hands of the fans throughout these losses, even as they keep doling them out throughout the whole movie.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Review
(L-R): Danai Gurira as Okoye and Angela Bassett as Ramonda in Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2022 MARVEL.

The Power of Science and Wakandan Women

Much like the first Black Panther film, the strength of science, technology, and the women of Wakanda are what really drives the movie. The sequel brings in another young woman scientist, who helps the nation of Wakanda fight to protect themselves from King Namor and his Mesoamerican Submariner people the Talakon. The intelligence of the scientist and Princess Shuri work well together to highlight how science and technology can be used for good and to help protect the city.

Wakanda, of course, is still protected by Dora Milaje, and even other agents they have in different nations working for Wakanda to keep them safe. Queen Ramonda rules the nation with a strong set of rules and continues to rely on her warriors to protect her, her family, and the nation. The strength of the women of Wakanda is not downplayed or minimized, instead, it’s used to continue the progress of their nation and keep them safe.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Review
Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

Post Credit and End Credit Scenes

At this point, a true Marvel movie fan knows to sit through the credits for the extra scenes that are added on to give you hints for the next or future releases. But this time, they did something a bit different. There is one pre-credit scene that appears after the main cast credits roll, but nothing at the very end of the movie. The pre-credit scene will give fans a satisfactory ending to a part of the story, but also will give them hope for the future of the Black Panther franchise. An additional scene may have taken away from the movie that ended up being a large tribute to the character and the actor the MCU lost before his time, but it also leaves the franchise open for more possibilities as they continue on.

Coming in at 2 hours and 41 minutes, get yourself some snacks and get ready to go on a new adventure. Black Panther: Wakana Forever will be in theaters everywhere on Friday.

Overall Rating:

Four Star Review

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About BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

Black Panther Wakanda Forever Poster

In Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba) 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 (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livinalli. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, opens in U.S. theaters Nov. 11, 2022.

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