Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

You can really feel the tribute to Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and that's truly touching. However, the storyline itself feels weaker, almost unnecessary when you consider where it ultimately leads. It's also the second-longest Marvel film, which doesn’t help, especially with moments that drag and nearly put me to sleep. There are some beautiful scenes, showcasing how far Marvel has come in recent years, but it's not quite enough by today's standards. The film lacks a central hero and a compelling reason to invest in the conflict between two nations driven by inflated egos. (2023-02-07)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is spectacular and colourful – the characters, the production design, the costumes and the excellent arrangements by soundtrack composer Göransson. But it’s also inordinately long, with repetitive dialogue rehashing the same things, a mighty villain with a weak personality, an underwater world that’s not nearly as sophisticated as the one in Aquaman, and the borrowing of ideas from other Marvel movies that don’t fit here (e.g. Iron-Man costumes and flying in them). The first Black Panther was surprising with its distinctive soul and the compelling African mystique of the ethnic roots of a new, superbly functioning superhero movement. This is still a respectable Marvel formula, but altered only for effect. (2023-03-06)

I admit that I am giving it the fifth star mainly for how touching it is, and in memory of Chadwick Boseman. Objectively, the second Black Panther is slightly worse than the first, and it's not because T'Challa is missing, but because something is superfluous. The running time seemed to me too generous (read excessive) for what actually happened. Yet a few dozen minutes (and some not so good CGI) less would have made for an excellent action film with a believable political plot and memorable scenes such as the Queen's speech at the UN. Nevertheless, the production design is a feast for the eyes, the music is a feast for the ears, and the new characters certainly have a lot to offer the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future. (2022-11-12)

I've always considered Black Panther to the most boring Avenger, and thus was skeptical of this film. The trailer was boring, the running time of 160 minutes put me off and I wasn't entirely sure what it would be like. But I have to say that the result is more than good, and just as Eternals was compared to a regular Marvel movie, that goes double for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There's a noticeable drop in cringe humour and CGI action for the visual gratification of teenagers, and the addition of dense emotions, a thorough look into the system of Wakanda and an adult style that fits perfectly. I also liked the music, which literally beats on the ears and adds noticeably to the whole experience. The first act is second to none (the Queen's speech at the UN and the attack of the new underwater world on the American ship were tense scenes that had me glued to my seat), and is mightily complemented by the excellent musical score and inventive ideas – sirens beckoning enemies into the sea, the background of the underwater race from Talokan, the suits from Wakanda. The second act stepped off the gas a bit, but it skillfully portrayed the motivation of the villain and the whole underwater system, and in the last act we got to see the final battle. I'm surprisingly very excited about the end result, and even though it has its flaws and isn't perfect, the whole film worked unexpectedly well and consistently, and brings in some fun characters that will show us quite a bit in future Marvel movies (enjoy the post-credit scene) (2022-11-13)

This return to the more traditionally constructed Marvel films of yesteryear is certainly welcome. It's nice Black Panther, except for a few moments, tries to look serious – within the confines of a superhero movie, of course – and doesn't make idiotic jokes like Thor. It probably wouldn’t been fitting, since mourning for Chadwick Boseman, or in this case T'Challa, is supposed to be one of the pillars of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And it's a bit of a problem. Because as we are mourning, we are introduced to quite a few new characters and an undersea civilization whose city we also have to look into. And while it's all nice and visually imaginative, the first half seems to forget that the film has to have a plot. The second Black Panther doesn't really get going until about an hour in, and unfortunately it comes too late, because by the closing credits Ryan Coogler doesn't have time to properly involve the new (and often old) characters in the plot and there's just too much going on. The moments when the film turns into a fine political thriller, at least for a while, or when the characters start to deal more with their emotions and traumas, are interesting. But having to deal with a huge amount of stuff and build up to the big finale, or rather the big finale and even bigger invasion of Wakanda in the middle, results in even the two and a half hours being simply too little to serve up everything they wanted to cook up. Not to mention that Letitia Wright unfortunately doesn't have the talent to pull off the lead role in such a complex story, and that Riri Williams, the future driving force, has so far profiled herself as more of a whiny sidekick than someone I'd want to see on screen more often. (2022-11-09)