Film Review: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
“Will it work without T’Challa?” is something we all asked when thinking about Black Panther 2 after Chadwick Boseman’s heartbreaking and untimely passing in 2020. The answer is a resounding yes.
Wakanda Forever is a film about grief, and really that’s the only way they could have approached it that would work. The different ways we process grief, the way grief changes people, the legacy of loss, those are the threads that are woven to make this film. It’s heartbreaking, it’s poignant, and it’s beautiful.
It also of course, is still an action film. If you want big fight scenes, car chases, and explosions, you’re going to get them. Much like the first film, it builds its plot around the long lasting consequences of colonialism and colonial violence. Where Black Panther gave us Killmonger and the generational trauma he carried as a result of slavery and it’s legacy in the USA’s treatment of its Black citizens, Wakanda Forever shows us this is a global problem. We meet the Talokan’s - ancient Mayan’s who were forced to adapt shall we say, as a result of the Spanish Conquistadors and the destruction and disease they brought to South America - and their leader Namor.
His anger towards, and distrust of, the surface world is a direct result of seeing the way colonisers treated the colonised. Much like with Killmonger, whilst his feelings are ones many can understand, his actions less so.
The stand out performances came from Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright. The palpable shift in Shuri from a young princess, to a grown adult woman in this film is beyond moving. And as for Angela Bassett, someone call the Academy and let them know she’s the winner.
And let me just take a moment to shout out Dominique Thorne. In all honesty, this film felt bigger than Marvel, I almost forgot it was part of this huge and ever growing cinematic universe. But her as Riri Williams not only reminded me, but had me excited to see what’s to come.
My one criticism of the film, and the only reason it’s not a full 5 stars, is that there was perhaps too much focus on the Talokan’s and Namor. Audiences really craved Wakanda, so many of us carrying our own grief, and this film felt like a chance to truly connect, be together and allow a moment of healing. And this film absolutely offered that, but I would have liked more in Wakanda.
But ultimately, even without being there, Chadwick Boseman was at the forefront of my mind watching this film. It was the honour of his career to bring Black Panther, King T’Challa, and the world of Wakanda to screens. And when it ended, all I could think was “Yes. They did him so proud with this.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in cinemas now.