BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman was one of the most shocking news from 2020 because nobody, apart from his close family, knew that he was battling colon cancer. Two years earlier, Boseman delivered an outstanding performance as the heroic T’Challa in Black Panther. Following his death, there was a lot of questions surrounding the Black Panther sequel. Many fans thought that Marvel Studios should recast Boseman and have a different actor portraying T’Challa, however, in my opinion, any other actor would have felt like an imitation and it would have been difficult accepting them in the role that Boseman owned. The sequel was also delayed following the outbreak of coronavirus which had a major impact on lives worldwide. Four years after the release of Black Panther, the sequel, Wakanda Forever, has finally been released.


Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M'Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba) fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.


Black Panther was a crowd pleasing, action packed blockbuster that was successful at the box office, making over a billion dollars. At the 91st Academy Awards, it received seven nominations, including Best Picture, and won three Oscars for Best Original Score, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Although the tone for Wakanda Forever is more serious than its predecessor, it still works as an action packed blockbuster that also explores grief in a profound way. T’Challa’s death has an impact on his family and his home of Wakanda. A year after his death, Wakanda is threatened by Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the king of an ancient civilization of underwater dwelling people known as the Talokan. 
The majority of the film focuses on the growing conflict between the people of Wakanda and Talokan, with Shuri trying to remain peaceful and prevent a war between the two civilisations. This aspect of the narrative is where Wakanda Forever is at its weakest as it follows the plot formula that has featured in almost every superhero film and focuses on the protagonist trying to stop the antagonist. 

What’s most surprising about Wakanda Forever is that, for the majority of its lengthy 161 minute runtime, the Black Panther is absent from the action. Following Boseman’s death, the biggest question was who was going to take on the heroic role of Black Panther. During the action packed climax, Shuri becomes the Black Panther. I think that she was the perfect choice as her brother was the legendary superhero so it only makes sense that she continues his legacy by becoming the Black Panther. In the previous film, Shuri’s role was small and was simply T’Challa’s sister who provided him with useful and powerful gadgets. In the sequel, she is given a lot more to do and she goes from being a supporting character to leading the film. Wright handles the role really well and develops Shuri into a true hero. 

Wakanda Forever represents one of the most thematic films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it explores grief in an effective way. It shows how people grieve in different ways with Queen Ramonda and Shuri trying to move forward and heal peacefully, however, Namor, who lost his mother when he was a child, seeks war with Wakanda as he blames them for a recent invasion on Talokan by a team of central intelligence agents seeking vibranium. As Namor, Mejía delivers a fierce and intimidating portrayal. 

It’s easy to understand why audiences are experiencing superhero fatigue, especially films set within the MCU. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the third film from Marvel Studios to be released this year, alongside Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. Of the three, Wakanda Forever is the stand out as it balances the exciting action with a moving story that effectively explores significant themes. I think that a problem with most of the films in the MCU is their limited appeal. Fans of the blockbuster franchise will, most likely, enjoy Wakanda Forever, however, the average cinema goer will be more confused than entertained.

Making a sequel to Black Panther was always going to be challenging, however, I think that director Ryan Coogler has mostly succeeded with his follow up to Black Panther, Wakanda Forever as it provides them with the exciting action that fans have come to expect from films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, it is also a moving tribute to Chadwick Boseman.

8/10