Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ten Second Review: A touching handover with another empathetic villain, this is a sequel that knew why it was loved and built on that.
It’s a short list of celebrity deaths that brought a tear to my eye, but Chadwick Boseman is on that list. It was a combination of the suddenness and the power that I felt resonated from his performances. Watching the montages of young kids in Black Panther costumes and my friends posting what he had meant to them, it may be a fictional mantle, but he wore it for a very real world.
I had talked with friends about how they might address it. How do you celebrate his influence without it becoming a gimmick of a new film. By the time the trailer dropped I was hopeful that it was going to be done right and having now seen it, I’m glad to say it was the tribute everyone had hoped for.
…but where is that world now? As Wakanda grieves, Sheri (Letitia Wright) and her mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) must learn to move their country forward. On the other side of the world, another ancient civilisation has awoken. When their land is threatened, they will seek either help from, or war with, Wakanda…
This was another strong showing from the Black Panther series. There is lots to love and discuss but off the bat, the music and the styling deserve top billing for praise. The fashion and costume design is just continuously phenomenal. There are moments where it looks practically editorial and they are not few and far between. It is one of the few Marvel films that demands an art book so the concept design (and discarded ideas) can be seen.
The music again is a lesson in how to put together a soundscape. From the score to the soundtrack and the choices of how different musical styles are employed, there are essays to be written about the use of music here. It reminds me of the missed opportunity of the music for James Cameron’s Avatar and how this can instead act as a masterclass for introducing multiple cultural styles into one coherent and anthemic final product.
On the performances, the cast as a whole shines with notable standouts including (Bassett, Nyong’o, Duke and Huerta). If I was being picky, I think Letitia Wright is lucky that (Riri Williams) makes her look a little better than she maybe is, but it is a lot to shoulder in donning this mantle, especially when surrounded by such strong performances.
I recently said to a friend that my engagement in the MCU was waining and that I needed Black Panther to reinvigorate my interest in the world. I can safely say that it has and I’m excited to see where the characters go next.
