The original ‘Black Panther’ is one of best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so much so that even the Academy had to acknowledge this by giving super hero films their long overdue ‘Best Picture’ nod. ‘Wakanda Forever’ not only lived up to the original but matched it, if not exceeded it, in many ways, which is impressive considering the tragic loss of Chadwick Bosman who portrayed the original Black Panther.
The cast new and old deliver award worthy caliber, tour-de-force performances, which elevates this film as it is a character driven one. Newcomer Tenoch Huertta infuses gravitas into the exceptionally scripted villain Namor.
‘Wakanda Forever’ is the apex of production design. The film contains stunning architecture and brilliant costume design. While there is a lot carried over from the film’s predecessor’s award winning production design, whole new worlds and landscape were created that were equally as breathtaking.
'Wakanda Forever's narrative is looser and more uneven than its predecessor which seems to be one of the biggest problem that plagues the MCU phase four films. Whereas ‘The Multiverse of Madness’ was buckling under the weight of narrative threads, this film juggles a lot of ideas and is uneven in pacing. Regardless, Director Ryan Coogler is such a skilled writer/director he still makes everything work almost effortlessly. While there are many themes at play, including the destruction of culture by colonization and capitalism, the major motif is on coping with grief.
Regardless of its few shortcomings, ‘Wakanda Forever’ is an all-around great film that only adds emotional heft as well as sense of moving forward in the MCU.
MY STAR RATING 4/5 STARS
More of Ryan Coogler's award garnering works are available to check out at The Brown Deer Public Library.
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