Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

[Eric the Fall Guy]

Discuss!

[Potiki]

Somewhere between a B and B+ for me, not as strong as the first film for me personally.

 

They could have cut out 10-15 mins and not lost much in terms of the story/themes, the acting was great from everyone, a couple of nice surprise moments, action was solid and it had a very nice ending. 

[Webslinger]

With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, director and co-writer Ryan Coogler faces a Herculean task: not only is he following up the most critically and financially successful standalone installment of the industry’s biggest current cash cow franchise, but he is also doing it without the presence of the star who made the titular role his own. Rather than pretend as though the massive real world context doesn’t exist, Coogler instead swings for the fences with a film that fully acknowledges the absence of the late Chadwick Boseman and functions ver effectively as a study of grief, vengeance, and healing as filtered through the lens of a superhero film. There’s a whole lot happening at any given moment in the film’s lengthy 161-minute running time, and while some decisions resonate more powerfully than others, it’s mostly a very entertaining affair that takes its characters and setting in genuinely exciting new directions. Particularly, Coogler’s decisions to examine a society trying to preemptively defend itself from colonization and centering the action for the protagonist and her allies almost entirely on female characters make the film feel like it’s taking chances and exploring possibilities that many other blockbusters – including those of its own cinematic universe – would never consider. There is perhaps too much plot even for such a long running time – and it does come at the expense of some of the types of character moments that made the first film so special – but it’s tough to deny the payoff of the film’s big action and emotional beats, which feel more personal than they probably should as a piece of major intellectual property. Though Boseman’s absence is most definitely felt, the cast once again boasts inspired work. Letitia Wright makes the shift from razor-sharp comic relief in the first film to a more serious, affecting performance in this film without missing a beat; she nails many of the film’s biggest emotional moments and makes the most of her expanded screen time. Fellow returners Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira also make the most of their opportunities to flesh their characters out and – like Wright – explore how their grief has transformed them. There’s also some stirring work from Angela Bassett, who commands attention every time she’s on screen. Among the newcomers, Tenoch Huerta follows in the footsteps of Michael B. Jordan by giving the MCU one of its more memorable villains; he’s not at Jordan’s level, mind you, but his portrayal of the villainous Namor is compelling and lends heft to the proceedings. While there’s no denying that it ultimately sits in the long shadow cast by its predecessor and doesn’t quite replicate that film’s exact alchemy, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever succeeds in advancing its franchise’s aims in rousing fashion while somehow also feeling like a personal and poignant effort from its director. 

 

B+

[filmlover]

This is a slight step down from the first movie, definitely runs too long at 161 minutes, and some of the writing is really clunky (the scenes between Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus seem to have crawled out of a completely different movie and should've been cut) and more convoluted than it needed to be (in particular, the muddled motivations behind Tenoch Huerta's Namor). Also I thought the action scenes here were a bit on the "competent but been there, done that" side. But there's no denying that it hits all the right emotional notes, and given that Ryan Coogler and co. were saddled with the seemingly impossible task of both following up the surprise success of the previous movie and creating a movie that would honor Chadwick Boseman's legacy, I think they pulled it all off about as best as they could.

 

All of the returning actors bring their A-game, and it's apparent that they're channeling their grief for Boseman through their characters. Angela Bassett in particular absolutely crushes it in all of her big dramatic moments.

 

It all adds up to a rather exciting follow-up that manages to continue the story in a satisfying manner and delivers a worthy sequel that one has to imagine would've made Chadwick proud.

 

B

[jedijake]

Instead of seeing it as a step down (or up)from the first one, I see it as a clear step away from the first one while keeping a long string attached. It was very different. It was a sequel, but I saw it as its own story more than most sequels.

 

I was a bit overwhelmed at my viewing, but the more I think about the story and character arcs, the more I like it and its themes. I thought some of the performances were better than any of the performances from the first. The only WOW performance from the first was when Chadwick scolded his father and the other elders in the astral plane for turning their backs on the world and causing the Killmonger debacle. MBJ had some highlights of course, but never as passionate as some were in the sequel.  In BP2, there were several tremendous performances. Angela had about 3 or 4, as did Leticia and Denai. Lupita's were not as dramatic, but you could also see her emotion. And you could really feel Tenoch's passion.

 

The acting was superior. The script was powerful. The editing could have used a bit of polishing, but I attribute that to the short post period (this movie was ONLY delayed 6 months from the original release date despite Chadwick's passing, COVID, and all of Leticia's injuries and controversies). THAT is an amazing feat! To get this kind of product with so many obstacles and hardly a delay (hear that SW producers!).

 

The mid-credit scene was great and it's what I wanted them to do more than anything BEFORE I ever read any spoilers this past summer.

My score is an A (first one was a clear A+)

[solaris]

I really didn't expect to like this as much as I did. This works as both a gorgeous tribute to Chadwick, and as an A grade MCU movie. The best phase 4 film by a long distance. A touch too long but I wasn't bored at all, and the performances are perfect across the board.

 

A

[avensis]

I retain from this film the beautiful tribute to Chadwick. Otherwise this film does not have many qualities: no stakes, an untapped scenario, situations seen and reviewed, a length that sometimes causes boredom, secondary characters without charisma.

 

 

 Tutuapp

Edited September 28, 2023 by avensis

[SpiderByte]

SAG awards sounding like they're gonna confirm that Bassett is locked to win the Oscar.

 

[ChipDerby]

Most disappointed I've been in an MCU film since MoM. Mainly because of how much I love the first. Yes, it had many bright spots, and I thought the overarching story was done well. But I didn't like a lot of little decisions, the lack of Nakia for most of the film, the weird additional of Riri (and her bad CGI), and the strange decision on how to portray the underwater city/people.

 

A mixed bag for me. And it honestly made me feel like they should've just recast T'Challa.