Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The highly anticipated and somewhat controversial follow up to the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther film Black Panther Wakanda Forever has finally hit the big screen.   I’ve been quite anxious to see this one, both looking forward and dreading seeing it.  I’m still processing this one but here’s my take so far.

In regard to the whole should they or shouldn’t they have recast the roll of T’Challa/Black Panther after the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 I’m not even engaging in that noise.  Honestly that besides now being a moot point is/was the Kobayashi Maru test of the MCU.  Didn’t matter which way the decision makers went sadly there was going to be blowback, outrage, and a lot of bitching within in the fandom.  That’s just the nature of things.

Period.

Moving on.

I just wanted a film both worthy of its predecessor and world building.  For my money (and I had little doubt this would be the case) Ryan Coogler has done both masterfully in Wakanda Forever. 

Coogler (the entire production actually) have threaded the needle and delivered a two-hour forty-one-minute saga that pays a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to Boseman and T’Challa without being morose, honors and develops the characters we already know and love, while introducing and expanding the worlds of the MCU in an organic manner that has been rather hit and miss throughout Phase IV.  

Thank you, Ryan Coogler and company.  

Bravo.

Black Panther Wakanda Forever goes beyond the first trailer in terms of tone, thankfully. Yes, I choked up and cried on several occasions, yet there’s also plenty of joy to be had.  A nice blend of laugh-out loud moments. Keep things from getting too sullen often through Dominique Thorne’s Riri.  Loving her and look forward to seeing more of her character, hoping before Avengers: Secret Wars in 2026.  As for the culture not only does Coogler “go there” but slapped hard leaving me snorting with laughter. 

Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, and Martin Freeman reprise their roles and bring all the texture, richness, and character driven action I hoped for.  Newcomers Tenoch Huerta, Michaela Cole, Alex Livinalli, and Mabel Cadena also bring fresh excitement.  

Wakanda Forever delivers on action, cinematography, costumes, direction, and soundtrack.   There’s also some surprises and twists that had me on the edge of my seat as well as a few things that quite frankly pissed me off (all for the good of the movie, but still...).

Black Panther Wakanda Forever has/had big shoes to fill on every level and no doubt haters gonna hate on this one, no surprise there.  Is it a slam dunk perfect 10?  No. But few films are in my book.  However, Panther Wakanda Forever delivers a quality, enjoyable, satisfying movie experience and that’s nothing to take lightly under the best of circumstances.  Given the nearly insurmountable task before it with the unfortunate loss of Chadwick Boseman, such an integral part to the storytelling, makes the fact that Wakanda Forever achieves so much that much more impressive in my book.  I definitely need/want to see this one again and again.  

My immediate response?  Black Panther Wakanda Forever is well worth the effort and needs to be seen on the big screen. 

A solid 8.5 for me.

Oh, as usual, don’t forget to stay for the mid credit scene.  There’s only one, but you know the drill.