REVIEW: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

There are few films I’ve been looking forward to this year as much as I have the sequel to Black Panther. It follows the kingdom of Wakanda after the unexpected loss of King T’Challa, mirroring and drawing inspiration from the real-world passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 after a secret bout with cancer.Overall, Wakanda Forever is a good sequel to the Best Picture nominee from 2018, with stellar performances, an intriguing story and powerful visuals and music. And it’s while it certainly packs a heavy punch, and offers extensive catharsis for cast, crew and audience, the film at times gets too lost in the minutiae of its expanding world.The emotions are raw and real, and while the feelings of that loss—both losses—are sprinkled throughout, as something of a journey of grief, the heaviest and most serious moments are essentially bookends to the film; a small detriment, in my view.Angela Bassett is incredible in her role as Queen Ramonda, and so too is Leititia Wright. Both actors were used effectively throughout, and understandably so—it’s a tale of loss from their perspective. But other would-be major players like Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira—and to an extent Winston Duke—felt underused and at times out of place.Tenoch Huerta as newcomer Namor was excellent, both in his delivery and his demeanor. But that performance suffered dragging dialogue and exposition. When this film is underwater, it’s slow; it runs about 15 minutes too long.People loved Chadwick Boseman’s performance as T’Challa—I loved it… I loved him as an actor, as a human. So I was tepid heading into this film and didn’t know what to expect, despite all my excitement for it. I generally felt Marvel was honoring Boseman by not recasting T’Challa, though I understood why others might feel differently. But at the end of the day, I think Coogler and Co. did an excellent job of moving the story forward while also honoring Boseman and his legacy.The bottom line: A worthy sequel with a journey through grief that’s well worth taking. 8/10