Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Heavy is the head that inherits the crown
Letitia Wright’s Shuri must shoulder the burdens of a nation in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
As her brother lay dying, Shuri (Letitia Wright) worked in her lab, frantically hunting for a cure to his condition. The lab continues to be her refuge in the year that follows, a place where she can focus on helping Wakanda move forward without their Black Panther protector and beloved king.
And there’s a lot to worry about in Wakanda. Now that the global community knows about Wakanda’s technological advancements, and the uses for vibranium, they all want a piece. They see T’Challa’s death as a way to exploit Wakanda and gather precious resources. So far, the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s elite female warriors, have been able to fend off foreign government mercenaries sent to steal vibranium.
Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) fears that these attacks will only get worse if Wakanda doesn’t present a strong front. But while she’s demanding decency from the U.N., she’s also worried about what’s left of her family. She sees that Shuri refuses to grieve and the toll it’s taking on her daughter. Shuri won’t take comfort in the idea of the ancestral plane and only begrudgingly allows her mother to get her out of the lab and into the bush.
There, Ramonda wants to lead Shuri through a grieving ceremony and help her heal from all the losses she’s suffered. Too bad a flying man emerges from the water at that very moment.
The man is Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the king of Talokan, an underwater nation that isn’t happy with Wakanda. It seems Talokan is also rich with vibranium, and now that all the governments of the world are searching for it, it’s led them to his people. This is a problem because Namor and Talokan want nothing to do with the surface world. In fact, they happily kill any witnesses to their existence. He offers Ramonda and Shuri a deal: Bring him the head of the American scientist who invented a vibranium detection machine, or he’ll decimate Wakanda before he wipes out the rest of the surface world.
Grieving will have to wait.
After the devastating death of Chadwick Boseman, writer/director Ryan Coogler was left with a challenge — continue the story of Black Panther while honoring the legacy of an actor who left an indelible imprint on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Coogler answered that challenge with a film that is both more brutal and more mature than most MCU fare. This is a movie about grief, and the knots it can twist into your humanity if it isn’t dealt with.
Coogler begins the movie with T’Challa’s death and funeral, a relatively short sequence given the running time of this movie is two hours and 41 minutes. This isn’t a mistake. Coogler rushes you through the emotional beat because he’s not ready for you to grieve. Like Shuri, you must wait. You follow her on her journey of acceptance. It’s a painful choice, but also a brilliant one, as Coogler puts you on the same path Shuri must walk. You earn your release with Shuri, which offers both the audience and the princess of Wakanda a well-deserved moment of transcendence.
But emotional journeys aren’t the only thing Coogler is contending with, he’s also got a miniseries worth of plot that must fit into a film that’s just under three hours. It’s a tight fit, but he does it well, keeping the plot quick and the action exciting. Unlike Black Adam, which felt like three movies cobbled into one, there is a definite throughline and theme to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This helps keep the plot engaging instead of feeling cumbersome.
The other thing that keeps Wakanda Forever feeling fresh is the dive into Talokan. Coogler is always at his best when he’s exploring a new world, and the scenes of Talokan are both ethereally beautiful and mesmerizing. Drawing inspiration from Mesoamerican art and architecture, the world of Talokan is visually arresting as we explore the culture Namor is so desperate to protect. Costume designer Ruth Carter embraces the new culture with some stunning costume creations, headpieces, and jewelry while continuing to craft exquisite Wakandan wardrobes.
Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw also works overtime to distinguish Wakanda from Talokan. While we’re now familiar with the colors and architecture of Wakanda, Arkapaw creates crisp visuals that fully display the beauty of the nation. This is contrasted with the gauzy blues and soft focus in Talokan, giving Namor’s world an ephemeral, almost delicate quality. It helps outline Namor’s fear that his world’s existence is tenuous, dependent on its anonymity.
And yes, Namor is in many ways aquatic Killmonger, but as with Black Panther’s original antagonist, there’s a lot of truth in his fears and proclamations. Wakanda is finally experiencing the colonizing pressures that other nations have had to deal with — colonizing forces demanding resources from them while offering nothing in return. It’s hard to argue that Namor doesn’t have a point in wanting to drown those that will definitely attempt to exploit his people.
This protective impulse also means that the Talokan people are ready for war. Unlike many MCU films where we see explosions and lots of hits that result in little collateral damage, Wakanda Forever makes it very clear that Namor and his people will kill to protect what’s theirs. They leave no witnesses, they are brutal fighters, and you will see bodies drop. Keep this in mind for younger fans who might not be ready for frank depictions of killing (though don’t worry, there isn’t any gore on Kevin Feige’s watch).
Still, even with violence and themes of colonization, exploitation, and grief, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a rewarding, crowd-pleaser of a movie. It honors the memory of a great actor and screen presence while helping to move the story he loved so dearly forward in a satisfying direction. Wakanda has suffered a great loss, but its people and its fans are resilient. Ryan Coogler offers you this chance to grieve and celebrate the beauty to come.
Incidentally, there’s one post-credit sequence in the movie, so if you make the mistake I did — downing a large water during a three-hour movie — feel free to run to the restroom after that.
