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To put it bluntly, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a movie which concerns itself with loss. There’s a lot of it running throughout director Ryan Coogler’s latest Marvel offering and for good reason: Chadwick Boseman, who died at the age of 43 has left us but, thanks to this film, he will not be forgotten. And that is one reason why this film works as well as it does: honoring the character.

Putting strong emotion up front, the sequel to Black Panther takes audiences on quite the journey as we move from the technologically advanced mourning country of Wakanda to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean as Namor (Tenoch Huerta) makes both his mutant presence and his secret underwater empire of Talokan known to the grieving Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Shuri (Letitia Wright) who are reminded of King T'Challa/Black Panther’s absence everywhere they go.

Will their tears stop long enough to hear him out? Will yours? Namor is an antihero of sorts and his rich backstory makes understanding his point of view very easy. This is part of the movie’s strengths as new alliances are formed and old ones challenged in Marvel’s 30th movie outing.

Back in the United States, we have the UN making moves to get their hands on Wakanda’s prized possession: vibranium. And they aren’t taking Wakanda’s resounding GET LOST for an answer which makes things really awkward for Ramonda, especially when Namor’s armies stop one of their secret missions to score more vibranium. Now, he seeks an alliance with Wakanda, but the grieving nation is not so easily charmed by the wings on his feet or the blue skin of his empire.

Once emotion gives way to political intrigue, the action sequences follow and they don’t disappoint. We hop from US locations involving Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to MIT where a genius MIT student Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne, who is introduced here and will be seen again in her Ironheart Disney+ series) is sought after by Shuri and warrior leader Okoye (Danai Gurira) because she designed the submersible vibranium and is a target for Namor’s aggression.

For anyone tired of the comedy at play in the MCU, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever offers a respite from the laughter. The adventure is fun, sure, but this film puts an emphasis on character development as a new Black Panther emerges from the political turmoil and sides are drawn as the world grasps for power plays in the absence of Wakanda’s benevolent king.

The film stands as a testament to the memory of Boseman and what he was able to do in the role and, as written by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, it pays respect to that fact in poignant ways, including an opening Marvel scrawl which will take your breath away and a post-credits sequence which will do the same, though for different reasons.

Wakanda forever indeed!

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action and some language.
Runtime: 161 mins
Director: Ryan Coogler
Writer: Ryan Coogler; Joe Robert Cole
Cast: Letitia Wright; Lupita Nyong'o; Danai Gurira
Genre: Action | Adventure
Tagline: Forever.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You have two choices: you can come to Wakanda conscious, or unconscious."
Theatrical Distributor: Disney | Marvel
Official Site: https://movies.disney.com/black-panther-wakanda-forever
Release Date: November 11, 2022
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: In Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba) fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.