THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Sometimes, a sequel for a blockbuster might never happen for personal reasons making the time never right. As for Marvel’s Black Panther, nobody expected a sequel for the said film especially after its own set of tragedy. On top of that, no one expected it to be just as great upon release.
PLOT
The sequel dubbed Wakanda Forever takes place one year after the shocking passing of King T’Challa who succumbed to an illness he kept secret. Ever since then, his mother Queen Ramonda has refused to share vibranium with other countries upon discovery that some parties intend to take it by force. On the other hand, she has urged her daughter Princess Shuri to recreate a new heart shaped herb to create a new Black Panther that’ll protect Wakanda. The garden was originally destroyed by N’Jadaka/Erik ‘Kilmonger’ Stevens during his brief reign as king. The Princess has refused as she finds no point in it, originally not being able to make one in time to save her brother. One night, an underwater expedition orchestrated by the CIA goes awry when attacked by blue skinned people from the underwater kingdom of Talokan. Their mutant leader Namor shares this to Ramonda and Shuri, explaining that he attacked due to their use of a vibranium detecting machine. He gives them an ultimatum to either bring the scientist responsible for the machine or he will attack Wakanda. Shuri and General Okoye reach out to CIA agent Everett Ross if he knows. He ends up sharing that the prototype was made by a 19 year old MIT student named Riri Williams. When they meet her, she shows them her garage where she has built a prototype of an Iron Man inspired suit. She uses it when all three women get chased by the FBI. Instead, Shuri and Riri get captured by Namor’s forces. Disappointed that her daughter was not protected, Ramonda strips Okoye from her her position as General of Dora Milage, appointing it to Ayo (Florence Kasumba). She then goes to former War Dog spy Nakia to find Shuri and Riri. Everett would be arrested by his ex wife, CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis Dreyfus), for withholding information of Wakanda’s intentions and exchanging them classified information. At Talokan, Namor shows Shuri his civilization that is enriched with raw vibranium. During their time together, he shares the origin of his mutation. In 1571, his mother and her tribe consumed a blue plant laced with vibranium to survive smallpox. This would alter their anatomy & biology, making them the first Talokanils. But for Namor, he was born with pointed ears and winged ankles. When his mother passed and he chose to bury her on land as she requested, he became an isolationist ruler when seeing conquistadors enslave others. He was adopted the name of Namor by conquistadors as it translated ‘A child without love’, while his kingdom refers him as “K’uk’ulkan” which means ‘Feather Serpent God’. His immortal hatred for the surface has wanted him to attack above, making Riri an excuse to do so. He wants Wakanda at his side, but threatens to attack them first if they refuse to join him. Eventually, Nakia would find Shuri and Riri and rescue them, but her decision to kill Talokanils would spark war. By the time all three women arrive in Wakanda, Namor would attack the capital by flooding it. He also floods the throne room that drowns Ramonda who saves Riri from the same fate. As Shuri grieves for her mother, the mutant vows to return within a week’s time and attack with his entire army. After the queen’s funeral, the population of Wakanda takes residence in Jabari Land to hide from another Talokan attack. Isolated, Shuri is able to recreate the heart shaped herb with the same remnants that granted Namor his abilities. When she ingests it, she briefly enters the Ancestral Plane. Rather than encountering the spirits of her parents or her brother, she sees the spirit of her cousin Kilmonger. This encounter only riles her up with the intent to act vengeful. Upon waking up, she gains the same durability, strength, agility and speed past Black Panthers had. Once she dawns a suit of her own, she rallies Wakanda’s forces to prepare for a counterattack. As she allows Riri to build a new suit for herself, she recruits Okoye and fellow Dora Aneka (Michaela Coel) with enhanced suits dubbed ‘Midnight Angels’. When they board a vessel to the ocean to lure out Talokanils, Shuri is able to capture Namor via fighter aircraft to dry him out, which weakens him. His cousin Namora is able to lead the fight against Wakanda by damaging the vessel. Namor causes the aircraft to crash after damaging it, resulting in him and Shuri to continue their fight in a desert beach. The mutant and the Black Panther wound each other, but the latter gains the upper hand, convincing the former to yield in exchange of keeping Talokan secret. As both leaders stop fighting, Namor commands his army to stand down. Namora considers this cowardice as they were at brink of defeating the surface country, but her cousin assures her that it will be beneficial in the long run. With the battle over between both sides, Shuri returns Riri to MIT, but keeps her second suit to prevent her tech from getting in the wrong hands. Okoye would even break Everett out of imprisonment during a transfer. Shuri would also miss her coronation ceremony and instead allows M’Baku to watch over the throne. The Princess would visit Nakia in Haiti, making the time to traditionally burn her funeral ceremonial robe to allow herself to grieve over past loss. The film would end with a shocking mid credit scene, with Nakia revealing Shuri a son she had with T’Challa before the Blip. His name is Touissant (Divine Love Konadu-Sun), Haitian for T’Challa, and was raised in secret to be away from the pressure of the throne.
THOUGHTS
With the 2018 predecessor having triumphant success, surpassing a billion dollars and winning 3 of 7 Oscars, expectations were very high for a sequel to be made. So it blows my mind again that this follow up was able be a generally great film as well. This one hits the same checkmarks that made the last film a great superhero film: Beautiful costumes designed Ruth Carter, an epic score by Ludwig Goransson, masterful cinematography by Rachel Morrison. With a genius mix of production design and visual effects, not only does Wakanda look intriguing, but the same can be said with Talokan, the MCU's equivalent of Atlantis. And when both worlds collide, each fight scene throughout is edited perfectly. Up front, this is a superhero movie but in reality, Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole are telling a story of grief and the decisions we choose to make during such a time. This is the case due to the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman who originally played T'Challa four times in live action form and voiced him in four different episodes of What If. When he died of colon cancer in 2020, it broke my heart as much as it broke the hearts of other fans and those who knew him personally because like the character, he taught to give back to others. Whenever he was onscreen, it felt like he was always there for us and we weren't ready to be without him. Nevertheless, I will never forget the humble presence he had and I wish there were people like him. With that being said, the mix of returning and new characters show us the dos and don'ts when loss affects you deeply. When we first saw Letitia Wright as Shuri in 2018, we always admired the joy she embraced with her contribution to her country, giving back like her brother wanted to. But now with him gone, she is lost and buries herself with work to find a new path for herself. I wept as she did in the opening funeral not because of Boseman, but because I understood what it feels to lose someone you love and it stings so much. And when she would later lose her mother during a crisis, her mindset was far from the right place. Even though she thought she was broken, she remained a courageous figure by looking out for others. With Boseman gone, it was clear he wouldn't have a scene in the Ancestral Plane, but I didn't think it would mean it would pave way for Kilmonger to return. Even in death, Michael B Jordan reminds audiences how he was a man who lived with hate his whole life when everything was taken from him. Of course Shuri never intended to see him again, but she had to in order to see what she could become. She didn't tell Nakia who she saw to avoid judgement. And had she not seen him, she wouldn't be any better than him. It was important for him to spare Namor in order to end the cycle of violence. In spirit, she was able to follow her brother's footsteps to not be consumed by vengeance. It made sense for her to not go on with being coronated because she doesn't need that pressure when she could be a protector by exploring the world. Seeing her carry on tradition by burning the funeral robe was sweet relief as it implied she was ready to move on. Had she not, I would worry she wouldn't have accepted her nephew. Hearing both songs by Rihanna, 'Lift Me Up' and 'Born Again,' bring satisfaction because the former is about the feeling of said loss our main protagonist went through, reflecting the process of life & death, feeling free to let go. The latter explores the feeling of starting a new chapter in life after a moment of struggle. Hearing them both, it's safe to say that Shuri is on the path she wants to be, one where she'll continue to carry on her family legacy positively. I think the most uncomfortable position for a parent to ever be in is to remain headstrong after burying a child. That is exactly what Angela Bassett was in the returning role of Ramonda, which got her deserving attention during awards season. We gained a newfound set of love for this character because she chose to put others before herself when she didn’t have to, proving to be a mother to everyone in need. Due to her own set of grief and her only daughter choosing to be distant, the pressure she had to look over Wakanda was surreal. She definitely had the right to fire Okoye because she was not willing to bare losing another loved one. This is part of the hard will a leader must have and if she didn’t have that, her children wouldn’t either and the world would be much different. It was definitely hard watching her die due to how sudden it was, reminding us how sudden it was when we discovered the passing of Boseman. However, I don’t mind realizing she died a courageous hero by saving Riri. Knowing that, there is no doubt how proud she is that her daughter carried on the nobility her brother had. Okoye definitely had a lot on her plate as well as Danai Gurira showed her to be one who remains a fierce, but is vulnerable as well. T'Challa was a brother to her and with him gone, she was struggling to be at her A game until she wasn't. There was no way for anyone to guarantee what would happen to Shuri, yet seeing it blow up in her face was saddening because she definitely didn't deserve it. However, dawning the Midnight Angel armor gave her newfound motivation to still be a helping hand to those in need. Whether she'll be in Wakanda or elsewhere, the next chapter in his life will be exciting. It was pretty cool noticing how fast of an evolution that has paid off for Winston Duke's M'Baku. At first, he was a ruthless leader but now, we appreciate his presence as an honorable ally. In his brief time here, he gives the wisdom Shuri needs to stay strong. Even when he had no idea how strong the threat was, he still stood his ground as a fearless leader/warrior would. Considering that he will be king now, I hope his good intentions don't get out of control. Considering that the main cast of Black Panther were present in the fight against Thanos, it was odd seeing Nakia miss out on the action. But it all made sense once Lupita N'yongo made her long awaited return. She remains the most empathetic of the main cast because she knows exactly how everyone is feeling without T'Challa. She always loved him because of the heart he carried for everyone he cared about, not for heroic leader everyone else knew him as. I think it was a good decision for her to keep her son away from Wakanda because he deserves to enjoy his life before reality kicks in. When the time is right, he will be a great leader and hero like his father. It was also nice to see Everett Ross again as well because Martin Freeman still makes him a likable character for remaining loyal to the country that had his back. He does his best to be cautious in his predicament because he wants the best outcome possible. He was right to put himself at risk because he knows that Wakanda ain't selfish like the other countries, they have a good reason to not share their tech. After seeing him again in Secret Invasion, we know his journey is only getting more exciting the more we get to see it. I did say it was great to see Shuri become the Black Panther, but this reminded us that heroes can come from anywhere. Dominique Thorne made us love Riri real quick for portraying her as one who puts good use of her intelligence, never really wasting it. Obviously, she never thought she would be a McGuffin that would start a war, but that doesn't mean she wasn't gonna miss the chance to take a stand. So seeing her suit up as Ironheart for the first time was a delight. Seeing her enjoy what she makes just echoed the joy Tony Stark had. I also enjoy how humble she is to understand she couldn't take her vibranium suit because now, it only motivates her to work hard enough to get to that level. So it won't be surprising to see how advanced she would get by the time we get to her own show. Last but not least, with the world gaining new heroes, it is a given there would be new threats. For years we have been so aware that they could come from above, it can make it easy to forget they can come from below as well. I always knew Namor the Submariner would make a big splash upon his MCU debut and boy was it big. You want to think of him as a complicated figure, but Tenoch Huerta Mejía makes it clear what kind of man he is. This is a man who is solely focused on protecting his people the way others have protected Wakanda. Knowing how much brutality the surface can do, he has to unleash it ten times over to ensure his people are safe, not to be a dictator. Like Kilmonger, you get his motives but it can't exactly condone his actions. So when he chose to kill Ramonda to prove how far he'll go to succeed, we are definitely in a neutral position on if he can be redeemed or not. He does have a point that the Avengers will need his help when new threats come around but by then, he'll have to understand that Wakanda isn't the only other place that cares for people. We're already intimidated on how strong he is, since his wings give him such agility and his skin is almost impenetrable, but the most exciting thing about his debut is that declaring him the first mutant in MCU's Earth 616 sets up another door to reintroduce the X-Men. When that happens, the wait will indeed be worth it. Considering how determined of a warrior he is, he definitely passed that on to his brethren who made their own personal impact. Attuma and Namora were indeed his most loyal, yet each approached things much differently. Alex Livinalli made a menace out of Attuma for having a desire for combat, hence enjoying his fights with Okoye. On the other hand, Mabel Cadana makes a living threat out of Namora for being the most stern, preferring to not waste any time when there is a goal to achieve. If they're still around by the time Talokan aids the Avengers in The Kang Dynasty, we got this win in the bag. I loved this movie a whole lot, but there were a few moments that make me prefer the first film. Like for starters, how is it that no one other than Klaue has been able to succeed in stealing vibranium? Yes it comes to show how in control Wakanda has been with the situation, but it's not like they're everywhere. The fact that no one has been able to pull it off is a far fetch at this moment. It is cool for Shuri assure that her personal AI Griot (Trevor Noah) is not like the movies we've seen, but did she ever hear about what happened with Ultron? We're not gonna pretend like that didn't happen, so it's odd how she doesn't say it's nothing like that. Im even wondering how did Shuri not know about the Wakandan tradition to burn funeral garments? You can say it's a moment to imply that the smartest of people still have much to learn, but you can't act like Shuri hasn't been gone through loss before her brother since she lost her father first. I honestly respect Okoye for being against the Midnight Angel suit because she's used to just the spear. However due to knowing how formidable Talokanils like Attuma are, she should've been quickly onboard to have a better chance to win the fight which she does. Also, how did Attuma know where to find Shuri in the first place? She was on the surface the whole time and it wasn't like she was telling Namor where she would go, which makes it a weird way for Talokan to remain involved with the story. And if the government wanted more vibranium detectors so bad, why didn't they recruit Riri to make more? If they were so desperate to have vibranium for themselves, that would've been their smartest move in the long run. Having said that, it makes no sense for Namor to kill her she likely wouldn't be the only one to make the machine. His moral compass would only vanish if he keeps choosing to kill people who make it. I want to say I'm impressed when Talokanils put the vibranium detector right behind Shuri & Ramonda without being detected, but then I call bullshit because for a machine that heavy there's no way they'd do it so quietly. I respect M'Baku for putting up the fight when Talokan invaded Wakanda, but let's be honest, he didn't really do anything when he threw the Talokanil back into the water. He breathes underwater, so you're just giving him an advantage. It was cool seeing Nakia again but there were two moments that confused me the most. The first of which has to be why didn't she tell Okoye she had a son? Okoye was basically part of T'Challa's inner circle, so it wasn't like she would gossip. And on top of that, why didn't she have a stun option with her gun? If she really wanted to be smooth about it, she should've not left a casualty behind. Lastly, why the hell do we need Valentina in this movie? I know we need a buildup for Thundebolts, but this ruins the isolation the story needs to be its own thing. It's arguably just as pointless as knowing she was married to Ross. What made it dumber to see Valentina is that she really assumed Wakandans used bullets when we know they don't. On top of that, no shots were even fired so she doesn't even know what she's talking about. I know she's trying to get info out of Everett but this is a weak ass attempt when he could look over the crime scene if he wanted to. Other than that, this remains one hell of a superhero epic. In conclusion, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a great entry to Phase 4 for giving a powerful perspective of how to handle grief, which ultimately creates an incredible tribute in the process. If you are a fan of the MCU and loved the first film, I hope you're satisfied with this one as well.Chadwick, Thanks for the memories.
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