Spoilers ahead...
King T’Challa’s Sudden Death Shakes Up Wakanda
It's been
a year, and Wakanda is still mourning the loss of King T'Challa (Chadwick
Boseman) when they learn about a new civilization, Talokan—blue-skinned
people living underwater, ruled by Namor (Tenoch Huerta). T'Challa's mother,
Ramonda (Angela Bassett), his sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), and General Okoye
(Danai Gurira) are ready to fight Namor rather than accept his offer of being
allies to destroy the surface land, which he feels is after the vibranium that
Talokan possesses, much like Wakanda.
Chadwick Boseman Gets a Deserving Tribute in the Movie
The
movie's start and ending both have some heart-wrenching scenes paying tribute
to Chadwick Boseman, and if you are his fan, then it will most likely make you
very emotional. The unexpected death of King T'Challa and a well-executed
funeral set the tone for this movie, which you might expect to explore grief
and loss further, especially as another key character dies halfway through the
film. Even the Marvel logo animation pays a brilliant silent tribute with
images of Chadwick in the Marvel Universe before.
Why Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Falls Short?
I don't
understand what made this film a mess. Was it the decision not to bring a new
actor to play Black Panther, resulting in the death being shown in the first
scene? Or because they made Namor so identical to Killmonger (from the first
part, whom T'Challa killed in the final battle)? Or did the pressure of being
the first Marvel movie to get an Oscar nomination get to them? For me, the
movie appeared as confusing as Shuri felt throughout the film.
I enjoyed
Letitia Wright more when she was at her humorous best in previous movies. The
idea of Shuri becoming the new Black Panther felt absurd, especially for the
long time it takes to get there. Watching her explore the already tried theme
in Captain America: Civil War by T'Challa himself felt like nostalgia
that wasn’t really worth repeating. When Shuri visits Talokan, which showcases
glorious-looking underwater visuals, it seemed for a moment that she might not
be keen on going to war, but sadly, she does the opposite.
Tenoch
Huerta, on the other hand, is great to watch. He gives a believable
performance, even if it resembles Killmonger. His introduction scene is very
well staged, using the right background music to create the mystery surrounding
who he really is. The mutant features of him flying or taking oxygen through
the sea, despite not having the build of Hulk or Thanos, show how tough it is
to beat him. There's never a better sight in any movie—superhero or not—where
it takes immense effort to defeat the villain. If only the motives were
different, it would have made for a much better watch.
General Okoye: The Most Lovable Character
Danai
Gurira, for me, was the most enjoyable character. She has great comic timing,
and her camaraderie with Shuri as Okoye throughout provides some good laughs,
especially in a movie that deals with loss and grief for the most part. I loved
the wonderfully executed runaway sequence that involves another new key
character, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). It's a pity that first, we see
Okoye unreasonably removed from her duties as a General, and thereafter, we see
very little of her.
Another Average Marvel Movie
When a
movie isn't working, the last thing you want is for it to be as long as 2 hours
and 40 minutes. As always, there's a reveal at the end credits, giving hope for
a new, better movie. But you feel it's high time Marvel got their act together
and made the movie we are watching worthy, too. After Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Widow, and DoctorStrange in the Multiverse of Madness, this is the fourth movie in a row that has turned out to be average at best. It
worries me for the upcoming Ant-Man movie. Also, since Avengers:
Endgame, there's been one sad common trend: how the final battles have been
lackluster.
Verdict on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Overall, Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever works for a few action set-pieces and, mostly, the
tributes to Chadwick Boseman. However, the new story is never engaging, and the
confused narrative, along with the choices characters make, does this film no
justice.
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