Synopsis

The country of Wakanda and its royal family must pick up the pieces after a tragic loss and rise to battle a new enemy in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) are still mourning the loss of (respectively) their brother and son, King T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman), one year after his untimely passing. However, their grieving period is forced to take a pause when the mutant Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) – a being hundreds of years old who can breathe underwater, fly, has super-strength, and leads the secret underwater nation of Talokan – arrives unannounced on Wakanda’s shore, demanding that Ramonda have Wakanda assist in securing the protection of his people. Shuri and Ramonda are unable to oblige Namor’s request once they discover the true extent of his ambitions, and the film becomes an epic battle of nations as the Wakandans and Talokanils fight not only for the fate of their peoples, but also for the fate of the world.

Analysis

Coogler and company do a fantastic job immersing the viewer in the world of Wakanda Forever. The kingdoms of Wakanda and Talokan are majestic in terms of scale and design; going through the capital skyscrapers, ornate throne room, and city streets of Wakanda, contrasted with the Mayan architecture and more communal environment of Talokan, gives the impression that you’re exploring the umpteenth wonders of the world. Both kingdoms’ armies are equally impressive looking: they're composed of physical rather than CGI combatants, their units are distinguished by attire, and the armies have a bevvy of unique weapons and vehicles (e.g., Talokanils have whales, Wakandans have dragonfly-esque helicopters) at their disposal. Costume designer Ruth Carter deserves to be in awards contention for making each costume vibrant in color and unique in design, representative of the wearer’s culture, and appropriate for every scene. Composer Ludwig Göransson also breathes life into the film by going loud during epic scenes, and in more intimate scenes having instruments gently mimic the sounds of nature and reflect the emotional energy.

Everyone in the cast clearly came to play as well. The standout performance is easily Angela Bassett’s turn as Queen Ramonda. Ramonda commands the room when playing the role of firm ruler, but you also see her at her most human when expressing her love and concern for Shuri. Bassett also carries one epic scene towards the middle of the film where she simultaneously plays both sides of her character, leaving both the Wakandan throne room and us the audience shook. You get similar shades of strong ruler and sympathetic human being in Huerta’s Namor. However, this combination is paired with a disturbing amount of calculated ruthlessness that shines during the latter half of the film. You come to truly despise Namor towards the end of the film, but Huerta avoids going full arch and allows the viewer to still see the humanity in his character. And last but certainly not least is Letitia Wright’s strong performance as Shuri. The movie puts Shuri through an emotional rollercoaster and has her carry the bulk of the third act, and Wright’s stellar acting makes it easy for you to buy into and care deeply about the character. This is an even greater feat when you consider how Shuri has pretty much been a side character up until now. And acting aside, I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: the amount of melanin on display here is extremely enjoyable and refreshing.

[***SPOILER WARNING FOR NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS***]

However, I had several problems with the way the plot was structured. For one, the films spends too much time on Riri Williams’s (Dominique Thorne) and Everett Ross’s (Martin Freeman) storylines, who could’ve been removed from the film entirely and it would’ve ended the exact same way. Second, for the third time we have Black Panther go up against an antagonist who has been consumed by revenge, and then realize they can’t let the same thing happen to them. Third is the significance of T’Challa’s and Queen Ramonda’s deaths. Regarding the first death, it was obviously difficult for Coogler and his team to know what to do with the character of T’Challa in the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s death. While I think they handled the character’s passing beautifully, positioning his death at the very beginning of the film fails to leave a big impact on the viewer. As for Ramonda’s death, it detracts from the significance of T’Challa’s death and needlessly puts Shuri through more emotional turmoil just so she’s pissed off enough with Namor. There’s no reason why the same effect couldn’t have been achieved had Ramonda been seriously injured, or if Namor had been responsible for T’Challa’s death – which wouldn’t have required any harm to be brought upon Ramonda. And finally, there’s the somewhat disappointing Marvel third act. Reasons I didn’t enjoy the third act included Namor not thinking twice before leading his troops into an obvious trap; Wakanda choosing to put all of their troops on just one boat while going up against a seafaring army; there being not one, not two, but three Iron Man-esque characters flying around; and the heavy use of CGI throughout the battle. That being said, I really enjoyed Shuri’s/Black Panther’s battle with Namor because of how surprisingly brutal and emotionally charged it was. And though I felt Shuri’s pivot wasn’t exactly earned – which I go into greater detail in the next paragraph – I still found it a surprising yet logical decision for her to negotiate a truce with Namor.

Additionally, the plot fails to serve the characters of Shuri and Namor effectively. For Shuri, the movie doesn’t give her a definitive arc until the very end. This is partially a consequence of the film trying to juggle so many storylines at once. Unnecessary plot points aside, it’s nearly impossible to draw a line from the Shuri we start the movie with to the Shuri we end with; for most of the film, Shuri is just reacting to things that are being thrown at her rather than evolving. And though her character “develops” in the third act, it being facilitated by her simply recognizing the similarities between herself/Wakanda and Namor/Talokan makes her development more plot- than character-driven. So, we leave the film still not fully understanding who Shuri is. As for Namor, I was disappointed by how the movie turned him into a pure antagonist halfway through by having him demand that Wakanda help Talokan take over the surface world. Up until that point, his entire M.O. had been to protect his people, so this drastic escalation in his intentions came straight out of left field. Additionally, Namor later murdering Queen Ramonda and then coldly telling Shuri that she was now queen read much more psychopathic than justified. This villainous turn in no way advanced the character, but instead made it easier for the audience to figure out who to root for in the third act. The movie thus turned a character who could’ve been a nuanced antagonist into a Mayan version of Black Panther’s Killmonger.

Conclusion

I ended up being pretty mixed on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Despite the awesome setting and fantastic acting on display, these elements are severely hampered by a plot rife with holes and that doesn’t service its two main characters well. I still think this movie is an epic that deserves to be watched on the big screen, but you’ll have to avoid digging too deep below the surface to not be disappointed.

Rating: 7/10