Disclaimer: if you haven’t seen “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” please go see it, then come back and read this article!
The new Black Panther movie came out on Nov. 11, 2022. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was filled with sentimental moments incorporating action moments that were expected. However, a missing piece that felt uncertain was who was going to fill the place of the Black Panther. Since the actor who played the Black Panther in the first movie, Chadwick Boseman, passed away on Aug. 28, 2020. No one knew who the new Black Panther was going to be.
Walking into the movie theater knowing that the Black Panther in the first movie was not going to be in this one left me uncertain of what I was walking into. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was in remembrance of King T’Challa. This movie meant more to the public and the community surrounding it because of this aspect. Not only was it in remembrance of the Black Panther and what it represented in the first movie but the actor Chadwick Boseman as well.
It was very evident that this movie and the community around Chadwick Boseman were not going to just pretend he was never the Black Panther. I think that was an important aspect of why I loved this movie. He was a big part of the first movie and I think the producers did an amazing job of keeping him a part of this movie even though he isn’t in it. They had to fight for Wakanda and they needed a new Black Panther to help them fight. Since the first Black Panther was a huge loss in this movie, it focused on the impact and conflict that loss had on all of the characters, especially his sister, Shuri.
The movie had a perfect blend of sentimental moments to remember the Black Panther in the first movie and also action aspects to keep that part of the first movie in it as well. The action was a huge aspect of the first movie and I do think they brought that aspect into the second movie. I believe that since the remembrance of the first Black Panther was the biggest aspect of this movie, the action scenes were shadowed behind that. However, I do like how they incorporated action scenes at the perfect time and they were great scenes, at that.
This movie shows his mother and his sister overcoming and becoming leaders for Wakanda. This meant a lot to the public and the Black community as well. With this aspect of the second movie, the public can see a shift in how movies as a whole are changing for the better. A Black woman as a leader shows representation that I have not seen in a lot of movies. My hope after seeing the representation in this movie is that it will have an impact on highlighting representation in many movies in the future.