09 Nov REVIEW – ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ valiantly attempts to move forward without its enigmatic leader
The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 left Marvel Studios in an unenviable position without an easy answer. Boseman was the very heart and soul of their gargantuan 2018 critical (seven Oscar noms, three wins) and commercial (over a billion dollars worldwide) hit, Black Panther. Given a sequel was already greenlit, how could they possibly continue this franchise without the man who was now synonymous with the titular role?
Recasting T’Challa felt like an affront to Boseman’s memory. Nor would you be likely to find many actors willing to take on such an impossible task. Cancelling the follow-up didn’t make financial sense. As such, co-writer/director Ryan Coogler has made the only plausible decision; incorporate Boseman’s death into the film. A valiant attempt to move forward without the predecessor’s enigmatic leader, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever beautifully honours Boseman’s memory but is damaged by a bloated screenplay and an underwhelming narrative that never reaches the heights of the previous film.
As expected, the film opens with the unexpected (off-screen) passing of King T’Challa from an undisclosed illness he kept hidden from his family. As the nation of Wakanda grieves the loss of their leader and protector, Queen Ramonda (a typically commanding Angela Bassett) and Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) mourn the death of their son and brother. Despite her mother’s assurances T’Challa’s spirit is still with them, Shuri rejects this notion and begins to become consumed by rage and remorse, blaming herself for failing to use science to save her brother.
One year after T’Challa’s death, Ramonda is dealing with the political fallout of her son’s decision to announce the existence of Wakanda and, more importantly, its endless supply of vibranium to the world. With other nations seeing Wakanda as a potential threat, Ramonda is now faced with French invaders attempting to enter her homelands and get their hands on the powerful metallic ore.
The American government has other plans in mind. Utilising a machine built by brilliant young scientist Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), they’ve detected a large mass of vibranium deep under the ocean floor. Their attempts to access the material induce the emergence of powerful mutant Namor (Tenoch Huerta), ruler of the hidden underwater Mesoamerican kingdom of Talokan, whose people have lived in peaceful secrecy for generations.
Flush with their own supply of vibranium, the Talokanil are naturally threatened by the Americans poking around the covert entrance to their submarine world. They’re also not exactly thrilled with the idea of a machine that can detect their invaluable mineral resource. Given the Wakandans share their love of vibranium, Namor offers Ramonda the chance to join forces against the rest of the world and retaliate immediately. If she fails to agree, Wakanda will be the first nation to fall.
Co-written by Coogler with Joe Robert Cole, the screenplay somehow feels both overstuffed and undercooked at the same time, particularly when you throw in underdeveloped subplots involving Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the dull-as-dishwater Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman). The narrative thread centred on Ramonda’s issues with the United Nations and the complications of Wakanda revealing itself to the world could have made for fascinating political fodder. But Coogler frustratingly tosses this aside in favour of focusing on the weak setup for Wakanda vs. Talokan.
These two mighty nations have too much in common to give true believability to their motivation for battle. In a similar vein to previous antagonist Erik Killmonger, Tamor is shrewdly critical of Wakanda and its misguided loyalty to those outside its borders. But his hasty switch to all-out villain feels disingenuous to someone so seemingly measured and calculated. The comparisons to Killmonger will be inevitable. While Huerta can’t best what Michael B. Jordan delivered, he’s wonderfully charismatic and menacing as he gleefully plays with Tamor’s light and shade with deft skill. He’s a fascinating character and Huerta all but steals this film away.
Where Black Panther: Wakanda Forever truly soars is in its exploration of unimaginable grief and the complicated path to acceptance. The audience is mourning the loss of T’Challa (and, of course, Boseman) as equally as the film’s characters and Coogler knows it. While the film thankfully doesn’t drown in constant misery, Boseman’s legacy hovers over the entire project. Tributes to T’Challa booked this sequel, creating moments of genuine emotion that are only heightened by the heartbreaking parallels to reality. It’s still hard to see Boseman’s beaming face in the role he was born to play and not break down in tears, but Coogler delivers a deeply touching homage to his fallen brother and an icon taken far too soon.
Pushed to the forefront of this franchise by default, Wright inherits the lead mantle with impressive gusto, even if this never inherently feels like her film entirely. The emergence of a war with Tamor provides an avenue for Shuri to channel her grief-stricken anger. It’s the catharsis she needs to finally accept T’Challa’s death. Bassett is sublime as the usually stoic Ramonda finally unveils the fury that’s bubbling beneath the surface. After sacrificing everything for her nation, she’s done playing regal, offering Bassett the chance to unleash as only she can. There are already calls for Bassett to receive a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Frankly, she deserves it.
Williams is a fun addition to the crew, but her inclusion here feels dreadfully forced. There’s a narrative purpose to Riri’s skills and the threat they pose to Tamor, but you can’t help but feel she’s given so much screen time for no other reason than to set up her upcoming Disney+ show, Ironheart. It’s a shame Nyong’o and Gurira aren’t given all that much to do this time around, even if there’s eventually an explanation for Nakia’s noticeable absence during the Infinity War saga. And I’m baffled Coogler would cast someone as glorious as Michaela Coel as a new member of the Dora Milaje and underuse her so criminally. Still, this kind of representation is another major step forward for Hollywood and it demands to be celebrated.
On a technical level, this sequel is every inch as stunning as its predecessor. Oscar winner Ruth. E Carter returns with another cavalcade of spectacular costume designs, especially those of the Talokanil tribe that pays majestic reverence to the traditions of Mesoamerican culture. Production designer Hannah Beachler crafts numerous dazzling sets for Coogler to stage his numerous thrilling set pieces within. And Ludwig Göransson is back with another thunderous score that takes sublime inspiration from the music styles of both Africa and Latin America. The action sequences feel rather reminiscent of everything we saw in the first film, but they’re still entirely entertaining.
With a running time of more than two-and-a-half hours, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever begins to overstay its welcome before a rousing finale that left my audience wiping more than a few tears from their eyes. While it’s true this sequel simply can’t recapture the magic of its predecessor, we knew that was always going to be an impossible task after Boseman’s passing. He left an enormous hole in the heart of this franchise. Try as he may, there’s nothing Coogler could do to fill it. But he has delivered a beautiful, emotion-drenched eulogy to everything Boseman gave us and an earnest attempt to find a path beyond grief and into acceptance and renewal. Without the need to look back, perhaps the inevitable third film can truly move forward.
Distributor: Disney
Cast: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel
Director: Ryan Coogler
Producers: Kevin Feige, Nate Moore
Screenplay: Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole
Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Production Design: Hannah Beachler
Costume Design: Ruth E. Carter
Music: Ludwig Göransson
Editor: Michael P. Shawver, Kelley Dixon, Jennifer Lame
Running Time: 161 minutes
Release Date: 10th November 2022 (US)