Film Review: BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (2022): Ryan Coogler’s Sequel is Overlong But Keeps the Momentum Going For the Series

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Ryan Coogler, written by Joe Robert Cole and Ryan Coogler and starring Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, Winston Duke, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Alex Livinalli, Mabel Cadena, Isaach DeBankole, Danny Sapani, Zainab Jah, Sope Aluko and Connie Chiume.

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens with the off-screen death of Chadwick Boseman’s character from the first film, T’Challa. There is a funeral procession and his sister, Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) is heartbroken. Since Boseman died in real life, the filmmakers decided not to replace him but rather to write the script for the new film based on events that would transpire after the character’s death. That decision works for the most part but Coogler’s sequel is lengthy, and has so much going on that it sometimes gets a little heavy-handed as opposed to being the type of entertaining spectacle the first film was. The first movie received an Oscar nod for Best Picture for the year it came out. The second film is a serviceable piece of film-making but lacks some of the story-telling competence the first picture possessed.

Angela Bassett is back as Queen Ramonda, Shuri’s mom. Bassett brings humor and integrity to her role here. She encourages Shuri to do everything in her power to continue moving forth with life after T’Challa’s death. In short order, the CIA becomes involved in the story line when Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and a group of underwater dwelling people with blue skin kill some agents searching for vibranium. The action shifts to Boston in the area surrounding MIT where an extraordinarily smart student named Riri (a well-cast Dominque Thorn) sells her knowledge to her fellow students as a side hustle. Shuri and Okoye (the very entertaining Danai Gurira) enlist Riri’s help in trying to clear Wakanda’s name for the deaths of those who were killed. The FBI shows up and some terrific action ensues through a chase sequence as the underwater dwellers appear and take our heroes to meet Namor who has a lot on his agenda.

There is a lot of plot development in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and that’s admirable since the film is well over 2 1/2 hours long. However, the action scenes are what make the movie all the more entertaining in-between the talky scenes of characters like Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) of the CIA and the always interesting Julia Louis-Dreyfus who is back again as the director of the CIA. Richard Schiff even has a role in the film as well as the U.S. Secretary of State. Michaela Coel also appears as an offbeat character known as Aneka.

The story line certainly moves forth with very interesting developments. A key character is killed off and a new person will become the next Black Panther but it’s hard to discuss these revelations without giving away major spoilers. Lupita Nyong’o makes her re-appearance in the series as Nakia who will figure into the plot at given intervals within the picture. Winston Duke, always reliable, plays M’Baku who is trying to keep the peace when others want there to be change that will depend on conflict. There is a “Midnight Angel” costume too which will certainly come into play in the picture.

Some of the strongest moments in the new film come from the interaction between our heroic characters and the villainous Namor. The underwater scenes are most certainly impressive to behold and the movie crackles with fierce emotions and character development. Huerta is perfectly cast as Namor. We question how the characters will all coalesce in the movie’s plot and the character of Namor is a very integral part of the action sequences and his motives help bring the themes of the movie into light.

Bassett once again proves to be superb as Ramonda. She gets to make insightful remarks about her daughter and Ramonda is the driving force behind the plot’s major revelations. Wright is more than effective as the central character here. She, in essence, is the one who keeps the movie together and if not for Wright’s fine work, the movie could have collapsed into just a series of action scenes. We need the strong characterizations to make the action worthwhile and Wright doesn’t disappoint as she is more or less taking over for Boseman.

The funniest scene in the film is when a central character shows signs of having great new super powers due to a special ingredient and the response by another character here will have the audience roaring with laughter. On the other end of the spectrum, there is a mid-credits sequence that will be sure to garner applause (and possibly tears) from movie-goers who remember Boseman’s work in the original film and want to see the fine actor honored accordingly within the confines of the Black Panther series.

It’s hard to compare this sequel to the original Black Panther from 2018 because by doing so, the second movie pales a bit in comparison. It’s not right to compare the pictures because the death of Boseman propelled the series in a different direction than it may have gone had the actor been able to return for the new film. Surprisingly, enough, however, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever eloquently honors Boseman’s memory by the story and the action within the film. As long as you stay put for the mid-end credits scene, you’ll be perfectly satisfied by the way Coogler has done justice to the series. Without that scene, the film just isn’t as good.

Rating: 7.5/10

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