Black Panther - Wakanda Forever [dir. Ryan Coogler]

While watching the new Black Panther film Wakanda Forever (WF) I could not help but think back to the 2018 predecessor. At the time this is what I had thought of it:

"Black Panther is another fun action-packed superhero movie that holds its own, managing to mostly avoid the cookie cutter feel of other Marvel adaptations. The first half feels more like a James Bond adventure (if Bond had access to a Crysis-style exosuit). Second half has family intrigue and some standard Chosen One yarn, but done efficiently enough to not be boring. In fact, this is one movie that went by without my feeling any urge to check the time. The depiction of the fictional Wakanda with its mixture of African art and fashion motifs with futuristic design makes for a production and costume designer's wet dream. Chadwick Boseman delivers charisma and substance for the title part, and all the women are badass and sassy. Definitely recommended for superhero action movie fans."

Fans of Black Panther will of course be aware that work on the sequel had been brought to a halt by the tragic early death of lead star Chadwick Boseman from cancer. Undoubtedly a hard act to pull off after the sudden death of its mascot, the sequel is a thoughtful expansion of the narrative, very respectful of the actor's impact with the character of King T'Challa / Black Panther. Instead of recasting T'Challa, the story passes on the role to his sister Shuri (Letetia Wright - this is not a spoiler because the trailer itself shows Shuri in the Panther suit).

But WF takes a long while to get there. Beginning with the funeral of T'Challa, it soaks in the grief of the characters, mirroring the real-world tragedy of Boseman's passing. Queen Ramonda (a commanding Angela Bassett) holds the throne while Shuri is still struggling with T'Challa's death and her conflicts with Wakanda's beliefs (she considers the Panther an outdated relic). But tragedy or not, the struggle for power is an unceasing one. After rebuffing attempts by real-world countries like France and the US to steal their Vibranium, Wakanda must now face the threat from the undersea nation of Talokan.

Talokan is a Mesoamerican culture inspired civilization occupying the ocean depths. They are a mirror to the Wakandan way of life, having their own vibranium resources, as well as a herb that gives superhuman strength to its users. The Talokans are led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), a mutant with pointed ears and wings on his ankles which give him flight. Namor wants Wakanda to join with Talokan against the other nations, who have in the past been oppressive colonizers. Initially, it seems like an alliance to protect their combined vibranium resources from the rest of the world, and there is the difficult moral choice of whether or not to kill a teenage prodigy (Dominique Thorne) that has built a device to locate vibranium ores. But soon Namor shifts to a vengeful "I wanna burn the world" mode and issues Wakanda with a "You're either with us or against us" ultimatum.

Whether Wakanda is able to overcome this threat, and whether Shuri is able to get over her grief and take on the responsibility of Wakanda's protector forms the rest of the film.

There are somber threads of loss and grief running through WF, always in a moving and dignified manner. The interaction between Wright, Bassett, Danai Gurira and Luptia Nyong'o makes for some of the film's best moments. But this is also where its spirit clashes with the Marvel Movie Template - the number of jokes may be a fraction of those thrown at us in the last Spider-man movie, but each time they land they jar with the tone of the film.

Namor is an interesting character and the film has a gorgeous, even when indulgent, flashback detailing his backstory. But he is soon converted to a boilerplate villain with his plans of global destruction. Shuri's wearing the Black Panther mantle also comes too easy. T'Challa was trained as a warrior, and his taking of the herb and suit only enhanced his innate combat abilities (as that of rival Killmonger). Shuri is primarily a tech genius. Having her fight her way out of peril as easily as him makes the transformation a cheap gag.

WF's biggest achievement is in how it embraces the death of the franchise star and moves forward while paying tribute to his contributions. I didn't have a huge problem with the 161 min running time, and the film was certainly more interesting than the last couple of Avengers movies for me, but it undercuts its own potential for a richer narrative and leaves one dissatisfied at the conclusion.

As could be expected, the production design has a ball, showing new sides of Wakandan life (with detours to Haiti) and exploring the Talokan's submerged realm. Ludwig Göransson, who scored the first film, continues with a distinctive blending of tribal and synth rhythms identified with the Black Panther films. At the cinemas, least in 3D a large part of the film is quite dark, so I would suggest either trying for a 2D screening or going to the best 3D venue you can find (where they don't skimp on the projector brightness). The 3D is decent in most part, although in mid and long shots it doesn't escape the "cutouts in a diorama effect".

Official trailer below: