Wakanda Forever Review

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, directed by Ryan Coogler, re-enters the beautiful futuristic world of Wakanda. Its predecessor, the 2018 film Black Panther, starring the late Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa, was not only an incredibly successful Marvel film (grossing over $1.8 billion worldwide), but also a cultural sensation as the first Marvel Studios film with a Black director and a predominantly Black cast. Since Boseman’s passing in 2020 from colon cancer, Wakanda Forever has faced many difficulties, including having to live up to the original film. Despite this, Wakanda Forever is a unique story that places Black women on its forefront and pays a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman. 

** WARNING: This review contains spoilers below! **

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First and foremost, the world-building of Wakanda Forever is just as magnificently done as the original. After the opening scene which depicts the death of King T’Challa (who died from an unspecified illness), the audience is shown a montage of the world of Wakanda past the futuristic buildings and infrastructure we see in the first film. During the mourning period for T’Challa, we follow a vibrant ritual in the streets of Wakanda. The colorful scenery and strong soundtrack set the tone for the film, living up to that of its predecessor. 

Three stand-out performances that I personally noticed came from Letitita Wright as Shuri, who takes on the lead role of the film, Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, and Danai Gurira as Okoye. Although she has a smaller role, Guriria effectively portrays the heartbreaking scene in which the beloved and dedicated General steps down from Dora Milaje. Queen Ramonda, who is still in mourning, steps up on the political scene and delivers an incredibly strong performance, contrasting her smaller role in the first movie. On the UN stage, she valiantly protects Wakanda, which is under threat from other countries stealing their vibranium (the most powerful metal in the MCU) and from a new secret kingdom, Talokan. Finally, Wright takes on a completely new tone for her character Shuri. Unlike the light-hearted & joking younger sister that is depicted in the first film, Wakanda Forever explores Shuri’s grief following her brother’s death and the guilt she feels from not being able to save him. Becoming the new Black Panther, Wright’s performance is iconic, alluring, and somber as Shuri faces the new challenge of rebuilding the nation of Wakanda. 

The major conflict in Wakanda Forever is between Wakanda and the underground kingdom of Talokan. Emerging during the destruction of the Mayans during the 17th century, Talokan is a beautiful underwater city that also holds an abundance of vibranium. Although the king of Talokan, Namor, initially shows Shuri hospitality and kindness whilst showing her his kingdom, it is later revealed that he plans to wage war on the entire “surface world”. Coogler’s choice to introduce Talokan is definitely an interesting one, and I personally think it plays out well. The conflict between Talokan and Wakanda ultimately represents the conflict and tension between minority groups despite their similar struggles and missions. Moreover, Talokan is also beautifully made, with prominent ancient Latin American influences in its design and artifacts. 

Wright delivers a powerful performance throughout the film, but I personally think it is greatly highlighted by her scene in the Ancestral Plane. Instead of seeing her brother as she desires, she converses with the late Killmonger (the antagonist from the original film). I was thrilled to see Michael B. Jordan making a return to the Black Panther franchise, as I personally believe that Killmonger is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, antagonists written in the MCU. Killmonger, who urges Shuri to take revenge on Talokan, ultimately adds to the effect of her strength when she shows kindness to Namor despite Killmonger’s temptations. However, TikTok user @kahihligreene brings up an interesting critique regarding its depiction of revolutionary groups (such as Killmonger and Namor). In his video, he argues that, “these movies push the idea that leaders of decolonization movements always end up becoming genocidal and violent towards innocent people.” He critiques the “pattern or trope of having an anti-colonial villain who are villains that we can sympathize with but still unambiguously villains within the narrative.” Although this critique does not attempt to undermine the beauty or impact the Black Panther movies have had in the past years, it is important to recognize the potential perceptions it is sending to young kids. Greene states that he would counteract this by teaching youth about “anti-colonial revolutionaries like Thomas Sankara, Angela Davis, Comandanta Ramona, and Claudia Jones… which prioritized the protection of all oppressed groups.” He also brings up educating youth on the human rights abuses that the CIA has made against figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, as well as the intentional undermining in classrooms of revolutionary groups such as Malcom X and the Black Panthers who were “too violent for their anti-colonial strategy to be taken seriously.”

Additionally, there were other parts of the movie that I did not particularly find perfect. The pacing wasn’t amazing, especially near the beginning of the movie. Although the new character Riri Williams (a prodigy at MIT) brought much of the comedy to the movie alongside returning character M’Baku, her presence felt more like a sloppy introduction to a later project than a thoughtful articulated development. Finally, though this is a more niche critique, the Avatar: Way of Water trailer was shown right before I saw the film in theaters. With both movies having blue humanoid characters submerged under water, I spent much of the movie drawing parallels between the two franchises. 

Despite all of this, a sequel will always have to fight the expectations of its predecessor; Wakanda Forever faced the unique challenge of following the performance of the captivating Boseman. I will always have a special place in my heart for Black Panther, but I truly believe that Wakanda Forever will age well with time and grow better through each watch. All in all, Wakanda Forever, despite all its flaws,pays a heart-wrenching homage to Chadwick Boseman whilst delivering a strong sequel to the iconic Black Panther. For a second time, the wonderful cast and crew delivered a visually and sonically stunning film that explores the sorrowful process of grief and rebirth. Regardless of any reservations you may have, it is definitely a film worth going to theaters and watching. 

BY KATHY LIM