Spoilers ahead; you’ve been warned.
Let me make it clear that I was not ready for this movie at all. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for what was coming when I entered the movie theater. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever blew my mind, and literally had me sitting there with a shocked expression the entire time. It was so good that I am going to go watch it again. With this in mind (and an extra spoiler warning!), let’s get started with the movie review!
Summary Of The Movie (Spoilers)
If you have seen the first movie, Black Panther, then you know it ends with King T’Challa (Black Panther) revealing the resources and powers that Wakanda holds. He also agrees to share Wakanda’s knowledge and resources with the rest of the world. But the second film doesn’t exactly pick up from there.
Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played Black Panther in 2018, was meant to be part of this film. But all was changed when he passed away from colon cancer in August 2020. At that time, Ryan Coogler was working on the script for the second film. The filmmakers had to rethink the film and consider whether they would cast another Black Panther or leave his character out of the film. I would say they did a great job in choosing to respectfully leave out King T’Challa instead of casting someone new because if they had, it probably wouldn’t have been well received by Marvel fans. In the end, they decided to start the movie off with King T’Challa passing away because of an illness (emotionally echoing real life). After the funeral for Black Panther, the movie takes off.
The film is about Wakanda having to protect its resources and knowledge from the world. Now that their protector is dead, they need to make sure the world knows not to mess with them. Queen Ramonda makes it clear that if any nation strikes against Wakanda then there will be consequences. While Wakanda is making sure the outside world doesn’t attempt to steal their vibranium, a new nation arises: Talokan. This nation is in the depths of the ocean, where a whole population exists down there. Their ruler is Namor, a mutant who has immense strength, can breathe water, can fly and has been alive for a very long time. Their nation holds vibranium as well, making them equal in power with Wakanda. Both nations are more alike than they think but have different goals for how they want to use their resources. Wakanda now has another threat that they have to deal with to make sure vibranium doesn’t get in the hands of the outside world.
The Review
I rate this movie 10 out of 10. That’s how good I thought it was. I am definitely going to go watch it again to process everything that happened. I thought it was great how they incorporated King T’Challa, giving him a final goodbye within the film. I am happy to see that the new Black Panther was his sister, Shuri, and no one external. I think the whole movie has a strong message of women’s empowerment, especially with how Queen Ramonda led the nation. Despite having lost not only her husband but also her son, she still kept her head held up high.
The film is filled with lots of actions, emotions and a new nation that you just would not have seen coming (unless you read the Marvel comics then you had an idea). So much happens in the movie that the only solution is for you to watch it.
However, there were little things that I felt were off about the film. In some parts, I felt like Shuri was behaving out of character, but then again, it’s understandable for her to change after losing her brother. Perhaps her inconsistency showed how grief can really change a person, and it’s not always for the better.
Honestly, this was an amazing movie. I highly recommend seeing the first one before checking this one out. At least so it can be fresh in your mind again (that’s what I did!). Also, bring a box of tissues just in case because your emotions will be all over the place!