As the people of Wakanda mourn the death of King T’Challa they find themselves under attack from World authorities and a new enemy in Namor, ruler of Tālocān.
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I almost didn't goto watch it because Rotten Tomatoes put out reviews when it wasn't even out yet and no one had watched it! I will never trust that website again. I even checked with Disney, "..no copies or version of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were sent to the press or media, nor could it be watched digitally on Nov. 10 2022. Anyone, or entity, providing a review prior to Nov. 11 2022 should not be taken as 'factual' unless they were present at the Oct. 26 Premiere at either the El Capitan Theatre or the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA."
Anyway, for a Friday morning, and even though it was really busy I thought it was really good. Lot's of good action and very typically Marvel. Go watch!
Released today, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wasn't all it was cracked up to be although Marvel did get more things right than wrong, which, in the grand scheme of things is 'job done'.
With Boseman's tragic death this was always going to be about trying to respect the actor and fans of his, and you quickly see that a lot of work has gone into that aspect of the deceased actor, and it's a great visual mark of respect to him.
The majority of characters you will recognise from the MCU's other films like the first Black Panther, Infinity Wars and End Game, and there are a few some won't. It's the old characters that the focus is really on. How they deal with King T'Challa's death individually and as the nation of Wakanda goes deep, with each dealing with it in their own way. We also explore feminism, which was an obvious sideline given the number of females in their respective roles, and race also plays its part.
When a King dies it is not just his ruling country that is affected and this is expanded upon as enemies believe Wakanda and its tech could be up for grabs. It would have been unrealistic to have a ruler die and the powers that be simply turn a blind eye.
Our new 'enemy' Namor, and his underwater subjects is interesting. His back story is sharp and doesn't drag on and we find out he's pissed that the Black Panther had revealed Wakanda to the wider World, which he feels has put his ancient underwater civilisation of Tālocān at risk.
He's an odd character but I think fans of the original comics should be happy with how he has turned out aesthetically. He is what I would call on the streets of Britain "a bit of a dick" with his attitude although he can do the lovey-dovey thing when needed. I personally couldn't argue with him anyway as you will be able to judge for yourself, he is pretty powerful, even by Marvel standards.
Action-wise, with FX and CGI going all out for the war scenes Wakanda Forever is packed to the rafters. We see new heroes emerge (particularly one who loves Iron) and new threats arise, and for the most part it's quite a predictable final hour or so in which you could randomly choose two super heroes and get them to fight each other.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a good length on paper and it flies by. Blink, or like some in the cinema did this morning, goto the toilet, and you'll miss enough to have to watch it again.
I won't be spoiling anything about the film, least of all the end credits but suffice it is to say that the buildup to the new Avenger films truly has begun.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pays homage to Chadwick Boseman in a respectful fashion whilst easing through to a new chapter in everyone's lives and exploring how they can possibly move forward in what essentially is a new World for everyone. You will be entertained, you'll watch it more than once, and you will be looking forward to more like this from Marvel Studios.
As far as film reviews go, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, or Black Panther 2 as some will prefer to refer to it, is yet another Marvel action flick that is easy to review.
Whereas Avengers: Endgame was focused dominantly on the males and the futures of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever does a full flip and features the female heroines very strongly. There is however a certain nod to Wakanda's former Panther, in actor Chadwick Boseman. It's a respectful goodbye and thank you but they move on very quickly.
No sooner after we hear the woes of the women in Wakanda do we meet a new, and perhaps anti-hero in Namor, leader of an underwater civilisation much like Aquaman and his family. You could argue Namor is an old Cornish fisherman who fell into the ocean and was made younger by all the seaweed. He's also quite a grumpy person, not least because Wakanda, and now his underwater sandcastle are on the World map.
The fight scenes in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are repetitive from any Marvel film of the past, only the costume and voices are different. Don't misunderstand me, it's great watching hero versus hero, it's just nothing new nor highly imaginative. You could have stuck Kevin Costner in the Panther suit and called it Waterworld II in some instances.
Moving away from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever there is the inevitable cash cow that is Marvel's Avengers as their latest outing will be upon us quicker than we think with the building blocks having had another layer added to the buildup.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wasn't worth the hype and my answer to anyone wanting to watch it for fear of missing out would simply be 'wait'. It will be on the Disney Channel soon enough, there is no need to become a box office statistic for this one.
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