Black Panther : Wakanda Forever

Introduction
The most well acted MCU film to date in my eyes, Black Panther : Wakanda Forever manages to land its emotional punches, but unfortunately sometimes lacks excellence in its action sequences and over-convoluted plot. Ryan Coogler tries to pull off a delicate balancing act, having to produce a worthy sequel to one of the most successful MCU films while tributing the late Chadwick Boseman. In my opinion, he certainly succeeds in making the best out of this situation because I had loads of fun with this one.

Well-written Characters

The biggest question on everyone’s mind will undoubtedly be, How does this film fare without Chadwick Boseman? The answer is simple - it does pretty well. Ryan Coogler has mentioned that he intends to make the film focus on Wakanda as a whole rather than focus on one character, and he does that to a certain degree. The world building that Coogler develops in this film is mind-boggling. Not only is Wakanda and their stand as a nation presented very well, but Talokan is beautifully well-realised as well. By far the best scene in the film is an exploration of the underwater empire, which felt ethereal and heavenly, sending chills down my spine. Coogler does a great job with bringing the characters that we know and love to the forefront of the film, and giving them more development. 

Our characters come to the forefront in Wakanda Forever

I’m really glad that this film focuses this much on its characters and adds a layer of nuance that the audience understands on a deeper, more personal level. While the characters in the film mourn King T’Challa, we understand how they feel because we are mourning Chadwick Boseman. As a result, we understand their actions, their thoughts, their emotions. It really is a different level of connection between the audience and the characters, which results in the whole film feeling really emotional. I teared up 2 minutes into the film, that’s how well the film gets you in your feelings. At the core of this film is Shuri, and I would be lying if I said that I was not worried about how the film would work with Shuri as its lead. Luckily, her character is handled pretty well. Towards the end of the film, I was afraid that her character would be ruined, but the film reeled her back in before she strayed too far away. Her arc in the film is a well written one, and I honestly can’t ask for a better development of her character. The other big character here is our antagonist, Namor, who soars high in the film as one of the best villains that the MCU has seen in recent times. His motivations are made crystal clear, and actually gives the audience a reason to care about him. He is sinister and badass, but also just wants the best for his people. This balance that exists within his character is what makes him so great. He isn’t just some evil dude who’s evil. He is written like a real person with real motivations. 

Namor is one of the MCU's most compelling villains

Strong Performances

I mentioned earlier that this is the most well acted film in the MCU in my eyes. This film demands top quality acting, and top quality acting is exactly what shows up on the big screen. I have to start with the best performance in the film, given by Angela Bassett. Playing the mourning Queen Ramonda who has to take control of the country, a lot is demanded from her in the film. She gives a powerful, genuine performance, which sucked me into the film even more. Tenoch Huerta as Namor also excels, he really does have a villainous aura around him that makes Namor so menacing. Letitia Wright is also expected to step up to the plate, and she gives a great performance too. Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o and Dominique Thorne were also great in the film. At this point, I honestly find it impossible for Winston Duke to miss as M’Baku. 

Angela Bassett shines as Queen Ramonda

Missed Opportunities & Unnecessary Characters

I want to use M’Baku as a segue into what this film fails to do, which is to take advantage of its stellar supporting cast. Characters like M’Baku, Okoye and Nakia with charismatic actors behind them are painfully under-utilised in favour of other characters that didn’t necessarily have to be in the film in the first place. In a film where the main tension is between Wakanda and Talokan, I thought it was great to bring in a secondary point of conflict, which was between Wakanda and the rest of the world. But where it got too much was when characters like Ross and Veronica were focused on way too much. Riri Williams kind of falls under this category too, but I was alright with Riri for the most part. Details that are not integral to the story are chucked in, and the time taken to present these details could have been better used elsewhere, be it setting up Wakanda or Talokan. 

Riri Williams was alright, but was she really needed in the film?

Action Feels A Little Flat At Times

The action sequences also felt a little flat, not quite hitting the high standard that its predecessor set. Black Panther had amazing action scenes with equally amazing visuals. The visuals in this film are there, but the action choreography just doesn’t hit quite as hard as it did in Black Panther. I’m glad to see that they deviated from the typical MCU CGI fight though, the final fight scene was quite a nice one to sit through as it solely relies on the actors and the choreography. 

Conclusion

All in all, I think that this film was a really refreshing watch due to the recent drop in quality of MCU projects. With this film and the MCU’s first special presentation “Werewolf By Night”, I am quite interested to see where the MCU goes from here, because it seems like the MCU is finally getting its shit together. Some areas still need a little bit of work, but at least they are heading in the right direction. I thoroughly enjoyed Wakanda Forever and had a great time at the cinema, it is definitely worth a watch! To end off, I want to share my appreciation for the amazing score and soundtrack of the film. Con La Brisa by Foudeqush, the song which plays over the Talokan scene, has been on replay ever since I saw the film.

Con La Brisa plays while Talokan is presented to us