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Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 after privately battling cancer for four years. During that time, he worked on around 7 or 8 films including Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, a Thurgood Marshall biopic, and his Oscar-nominated role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. But no other role of his left a more indelible mark than his performance as King T'Challa, the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follows the aftermath of T'Challa's death as his family and country try to process the grief. The main focus is on T'Challa's sister, Shuri (Wright) who's guilt-ridden for not being able to help his brother while Ramonda (Angela Bassett) has to put up a front as the new queen as different factions seek to take advantage of Wakanda's seemingly weakened state. This is all complicated by the arrival of Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the king of an underwater civilization that is indirectly threatened by people looking for Wakanda's vibranium.
But the film is as much about that as it is about the cast and crew members, as well as the audience processing the grief of Boseman's death as well. Director Ryan Coogler, and cast members Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira have been open about how they struggled to move on with filming as it was too "emotional" for them. I can't imagine how hard it might be to lose a co-worker/friend and still find the strength to take care of business, scratch everything you had done up to this point, and start anew, so big props to Coogler for taking up that fight.
The film does a pretty good job of balancing its story while also serving as a sort of send-off or homage to T'Challa and Boseman. The first two acts give us enough contemplative moments where our characters have to cope with the loss and I think it is handled extremely well. It is in these more pensive moments that the film shines, with Bassett and Wright in particular having some strong dramatic moments.
The character of Namor is another asset. Huerta's performance is really strong, and his character motivations feel genuine. The film still falls prey to the "big bombastic", CGI-fueled MCU formula in the third act but it's still handled better than other films in the universe and the very final confrontation between Shuri and Namor has emotional weight, even if the resolution feels a bit too convenient.
There are other loose strands that feel like they could've been executed better, or maybe even reworked; especially the introduction of young inventor Riri (Dominique Thorne) which felt just like a set-up for something else (which it is) and the subplot between Everett Ross and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) which felt massively underwritten and ultimately unnecessary.
Despite those flaws, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pulls the impossible task of putting forward a coherent story with both gravitas and action, full of characters that struggle with real pain and grief but without losing the entertainment angle, all while honoring Chadwick Boseman's legacy as a character and as an actor. At one point towards the middle of the film, Shuri is faced with the above question, after which she decides to "take care of business". I'm glad that everyone involved in this film did too.
Grade:
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
(2022, Coogler)
(2022, Coogler)
"Are you gonna be noble like your brother… or take care of business… like me?"
Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 after privately battling cancer for four years. During that time, he worked on around 7 or 8 films including Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, a Thurgood Marshall biopic, and his Oscar-nominated role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. But no other role of his left a more indelible mark than his performance as King T'Challa, the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follows the aftermath of T'Challa's death as his family and country try to process the grief. The main focus is on T'Challa's sister, Shuri (Wright) who's guilt-ridden for not being able to help his brother while Ramonda (Angela Bassett) has to put up a front as the new queen as different factions seek to take advantage of Wakanda's seemingly weakened state. This is all complicated by the arrival of Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the king of an underwater civilization that is indirectly threatened by people looking for Wakanda's vibranium.
But the film is as much about that as it is about the cast and crew members, as well as the audience processing the grief of Boseman's death as well. Director Ryan Coogler, and cast members Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira have been open about how they struggled to move on with filming as it was too "emotional" for them. I can't imagine how hard it might be to lose a co-worker/friend and still find the strength to take care of business, scratch everything you had done up to this point, and start anew, so big props to Coogler for taking up that fight.
The film does a pretty good job of balancing its story while also serving as a sort of send-off or homage to T'Challa and Boseman. The first two acts give us enough contemplative moments where our characters have to cope with the loss and I think it is handled extremely well. It is in these more pensive moments that the film shines, with Bassett and Wright in particular having some strong dramatic moments.
The character of Namor is another asset. Huerta's performance is really strong, and his character motivations feel genuine. The film still falls prey to the "big bombastic", CGI-fueled MCU formula in the third act but it's still handled better than other films in the universe and the very final confrontation between Shuri and Namor has emotional weight, even if the resolution feels a bit too convenient.
There are other loose strands that feel like they could've been executed better, or maybe even reworked; especially the introduction of young inventor Riri (Dominique Thorne) which felt just like a set-up for something else (which it is) and the subplot between Everett Ross and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) which felt massively underwritten and ultimately unnecessary.
Despite those flaws, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pulls the impossible task of putting forward a coherent story with both gravitas and action, full of characters that struggle with real pain and grief but without losing the entertainment angle, all while honoring Chadwick Boseman's legacy as a character and as an actor. At one point towards the middle of the film, Shuri is faced with the above question, after which she decides to "take care of business". I'm glad that everyone involved in this film did too.
Grade: