The Movie: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Director: Ryan Coogler
The Cast: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence
Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Martin Freeman,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Angela Bassett
The Story: The people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening
world powers as they mourn the death of King T'Challa.
The Review:
The original
Black Panther
changed the course of Marvel movies, it changed the course of comic book
movies, it changed the course of blockbuster movies, and it changed the course
of movies so yeah, no pressure on creating a follow up, especially when the
man who played the lead and title character is no sadly longer with us.
Director and co-writer Ryan Coogler's story was already going to be about loss
and grief thanks to the fallout of everything that took place in the Avengers
movies, Infinity War and Endgame and then that was taken to a completely
different contect with the passing of Mr Chadwick Boseman.
I honestly don't know if this could have been a better cinematic experience.
It's a fitting tribute to Boseman that honors both the man and the character
he portrayed and it is a cathartic experience for all of us both in the
context of our relationship with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and in the
context of what we have collectively dealt with as human beings over the last
couple years. The experience may not match some of the more fast paced and action packed
entries from the Marvel franchise but it does hold its own within the boundaries of
what the story has to offer so I don't feel like it's less than any other
movie although it is very different.
Aside from the primary themes that I mentioned, there is a heck of a lot more
going on in this movie as Coogler and company are also responsible for
introducing new characters and moving the overall MCU story forward in
meaningful ways. Fans of Namor have been waiting for his MCU arrival for some
time and the payoff has definitely been worth it as Tenoch Huerta Mejía
delivers a strong effort as the film's primary antagonist. Where the story
gets a bit muddled is when more and more existing characters are added into
the mix, not going to name names so this can stay spoiler free, but at times
it feels like the need to integrate so much of the MCU bogs down the story and
pulls you out of the heavier, more impactful themes.
It was great to see Letitia Wright as Shuri, Lupita Nyong'o as
Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, and Angela Bassett as Ramonda all returning and
getting significantly more screen time than they did in the first movie as
each of them could carry their own Marvel movie if given the opportunity. The
evolution of their characters each took huge steps forward both as super
heroes and as emotionally damaged human beings and for me, that's where the
real heart of the story came through in very powerful ways, even moreso than
the big action sequences or good versus evil type struggles.
Just like with the first film, the look and feel of the entire movie is so
brilliantly colorful and textured, it is just begging to be watched on the big
screen just for all of that let alone the bigger spectacle aspects of the
movie. I don't think there was ever any doubt that Ruth E. Carter would be
returning as the costume designer after the award winning work she turned in
with the firt movie. Everything in this movie is just as stunning to look at
if not even more so with the addition of the Aztec influenced designs brought
to life for Namor and his people.
Composer Ludwig Göransson also returns to the production and his work fits in
and progresses the storylines and themes perfectly in conjunction with the
magic he created with the first movie's score. Also on board is Rihanna with
her brand new song Lift Me Up which had already quickly become my new favorite
song and then, adding it to the context of this movie and wow. Yeah, I shed a
few tears around those moments and probably a few others.
As a matter of fact, here's the video for Lift Me Up:
Overall, I feel like this movie is a better emotional and structural companion
to The Eternals than any other film or series in the Phase four roster of
content as Coogler takes his time and lets the audience sit with the story, he lets every emotion marinate to it's full potential, and he lets every character have the proper time for their individual stories to play out. This isn't what we typically have come to expect from MCU movies and comic
book movies in general and that's perectly okay. This story needed that level of depth and
attentiveness to properly honor the material, the characters, and the man
himself, the dearly departed Mr. Chadwick Boseman.
Maybe some people won't connect with the movie because it doesn't fit neatly
into the MCU box we are all used to and that's perfectly okay. Over time,
Wakanda Forever will be appreciated more and more for how well it honors what
it needs to honor while delicately setting up the characters we love for what
the future may have in store for them. For so many different reasons, this is
the movie we needed right now so thank you to Ryan Coogler, the cast, the
crew, and every single person who had anything to do with putting it together,
the love, compassion, and reverence all come through in the most appropriate
of ways.
The Verdict:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the best movie of the year, it is the best movie of the MCU's phase four roster of films, and it is the best way to honor and pay tribute to a fallen legend.
RIP Chadwick Boseman
Wakanda Forever
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