Wakanda Forever - A Terrific Tribute To A Terrible Tragedy
DescriptionA review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel's newest film that delves deep into ideas of leadership and grief, while also masterfully dealing with the unfortunate passing of its main actor.
MessageWe recommend watching Black Panter: Wakanda Forever to form your own opinions about the movie.
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Disney/Marvel StudiosIntroductionOn November 11, 2022, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever came out, marking both the final theatrical release of Marvel Studios this year, but also the end of Phase 4. And to say the least, they did it with a bang. Wakanda Forever is likely one of the best features shown in the superhero genre this year, and is right up there with the first film in quality (BP1 made over a billion dollars at the box office, and this one has already seen meteoric success). This fact is strangely surprising, though, as the movie was plagued with troubles during production, the largest one being the unfortunate passing of its lead, Chadwick Boseman, back in 2020. Rest in peace. This meant that Wakanda Forever had tons of expectations, not only in the financial/quality department, but in also how it treated the tragedy that struck it. So, what exactly made this movie so good, and how did they handle the loss of the Black Panther?
QualityTo start things off, just like the first film in the series, it has fantastic cinematography. Between beautiful landscapes, understated water scenes, framing, blending CGI with practical effects, and so much more, it really stands out as a pinnacle of MCU quality. The costume, set, and sound designs are also all on point, leading to an enthralling and immersive experience in the fictional nation of Wakanda.
Its story follows a fairly basic structure, one that we have seen from Marvel many times before. But, of course, it does have one thing looming over it, as the narrative has to deal with setting up a new Black Panther for the film to be about. From the get-go, we start with Shuri (Letitia Wright), the younger sister of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), rushing to make a cure for him. He seems to have fallen ill, and with little time, she tries synthesizing The Heart-Shaped Herb, the thing that gives their leaders superhuman abilities and gains them the moniker of Black Panther. Unfortunately, she fails, leading to the death of the sibling she loved so much. This is how the movie handles the terrible situation at hand, but they definitely do it justice, as they have a large funeral, not only for the character he played, but for Boseman himself. With this, the story of the film is set in place, as Wakanda is now weak. The other nations of the world want their resources, trying to steal the vibranium supply that keeps the kingdom prosperous, rudely taking advantage of them. Now, that is likely an allegory for a million different things, but I'll let the experts analyze that. The point is, a new secret nation (Talokan) that is also vibranium-rich confronts the Wakandans, wanting them to unite under one and take over the rest of the world with the infinitely useful metal. They are led by Namor, a mutant who is part human, part Talokanil. At the end of the day, Shuri steps in as the leader of Wakanda, bringing them towards an armistice with the other kingdom and the Earth.
LeadershipAs mentioned before, the movie has Shuri step into the leadership role after the death of her brother. But the journey to get her there is quite remarkable. Anyone who has seen the first film would remember that her character was nothing more than comic relief, but here, she takes a much more serious and ultimately interesting role, as we see this young woman turn into a powerful figurehead and hero. Her character has always been based on science, being the head of Wakanda's R&D department. But when she loses T'Challa, her mother, Queen Romanda, tries to bring a more spiritual side to the conversation, something that she quickly rejects. To her, it is a bunch of BS, though she will soon regret that. For now, all she wants to do is bury her feelings, distracting herself with other things around her. Though as their fighting with the world (and Talokan) starts, bad things begin to happen. For one, Wakanda gets invaded, leading to many deaths, including her mother's. But there is also a clear conflict within Shuri's mind, as she has to step in and be a leader. But who does she want to be: the kind yet "weak" T'Challa or the villian of the first movie, Killmonger, who was vengeful and looking to burn the world? Ultimately, the answer is left a bit unclear, but she gains a tangibly stronger character. This was a continuous theme throughout the story, and I think Wakanda Forever's writers did a fantastic job and changing such a basic side character into a complex lead, perfectly played by Letitia Wright.
GriefThe largest throughline of the film is one of grief, because, as I mentioned before, there was the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman before filming started. This was hugely effective on the story they could tell, as they decided not to recast him, instead passing the mantle off to another character. But the pain felt by the families and cast members close to him was directly imbued into the film, as we not only got a ceremony celebrating his character, but a Marvel Studios logo decked out with different scenes Boseman was in, showing that it was dedicated to his memory. There are also a million different little references to him, even things as small as numbers on a license plate or a quote from his speeches. And the entire story of Wakanda Forever is about this, as we watch the many characters grieve the loss of their loved one. Shuri, of course, has the aforementioned struggle of accepting/understanding faith, but others go through different things. Queen Romanda, expertly acted by Angela Bassett, has to deal with losing pretty much all of her family. Nakia, the girlfriend/wife of T'Challa has to learn to love again (and also reveals a huge surprise in the mid-credit scene). So many of the characters go through normal feelings of grief, sharing what not only the actors felt, but how the audience feels when watching. And that is the true mastery of this film, working as a terrific tribute to terrible tragedy.
ConclusionBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever is a truly great film, even with such sadness surrounding it. It is poised to be successful financially, and so far audience-wise, they seem to love it. The movie really goes all in with everything it needed to, telling a perfect story and taking care of its heavy backdrop wonderfully. Wakanda Forever is on Disney+ NOW, and I truly recommend that you go watch it, especially if you like good Marvel movies. It is really just that good!
QualityTo start things off, just like the first film in the series, it has fantastic cinematography. Between beautiful landscapes, understated water scenes, framing, blending CGI with practical effects, and so much more, it really stands out as a pinnacle of MCU quality. The costume, set, and sound designs are also all on point, leading to an enthralling and immersive experience in the fictional nation of Wakanda.
Its story follows a fairly basic structure, one that we have seen from Marvel many times before. But, of course, it does have one thing looming over it, as the narrative has to deal with setting up a new Black Panther for the film to be about. From the get-go, we start with Shuri (Letitia Wright), the younger sister of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), rushing to make a cure for him. He seems to have fallen ill, and with little time, she tries synthesizing The Heart-Shaped Herb, the thing that gives their leaders superhuman abilities and gains them the moniker of Black Panther. Unfortunately, she fails, leading to the death of the sibling she loved so much. This is how the movie handles the terrible situation at hand, but they definitely do it justice, as they have a large funeral, not only for the character he played, but for Boseman himself. With this, the story of the film is set in place, as Wakanda is now weak. The other nations of the world want their resources, trying to steal the vibranium supply that keeps the kingdom prosperous, rudely taking advantage of them. Now, that is likely an allegory for a million different things, but I'll let the experts analyze that. The point is, a new secret nation (Talokan) that is also vibranium-rich confronts the Wakandans, wanting them to unite under one and take over the rest of the world with the infinitely useful metal. They are led by Namor, a mutant who is part human, part Talokanil. At the end of the day, Shuri steps in as the leader of Wakanda, bringing them towards an armistice with the other kingdom and the Earth.
LeadershipAs mentioned before, the movie has Shuri step into the leadership role after the death of her brother. But the journey to get her there is quite remarkable. Anyone who has seen the first film would remember that her character was nothing more than comic relief, but here, she takes a much more serious and ultimately interesting role, as we see this young woman turn into a powerful figurehead and hero. Her character has always been based on science, being the head of Wakanda's R&D department. But when she loses T'Challa, her mother, Queen Romanda, tries to bring a more spiritual side to the conversation, something that she quickly rejects. To her, it is a bunch of BS, though she will soon regret that. For now, all she wants to do is bury her feelings, distracting herself with other things around her. Though as their fighting with the world (and Talokan) starts, bad things begin to happen. For one, Wakanda gets invaded, leading to many deaths, including her mother's. But there is also a clear conflict within Shuri's mind, as she has to step in and be a leader. But who does she want to be: the kind yet "weak" T'Challa or the villian of the first movie, Killmonger, who was vengeful and looking to burn the world? Ultimately, the answer is left a bit unclear, but she gains a tangibly stronger character. This was a continuous theme throughout the story, and I think Wakanda Forever's writers did a fantastic job and changing such a basic side character into a complex lead, perfectly played by Letitia Wright.
GriefThe largest throughline of the film is one of grief, because, as I mentioned before, there was the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman before filming started. This was hugely effective on the story they could tell, as they decided not to recast him, instead passing the mantle off to another character. But the pain felt by the families and cast members close to him was directly imbued into the film, as we not only got a ceremony celebrating his character, but a Marvel Studios logo decked out with different scenes Boseman was in, showing that it was dedicated to his memory. There are also a million different little references to him, even things as small as numbers on a license plate or a quote from his speeches. And the entire story of Wakanda Forever is about this, as we watch the many characters grieve the loss of their loved one. Shuri, of course, has the aforementioned struggle of accepting/understanding faith, but others go through different things. Queen Romanda, expertly acted by Angela Bassett, has to deal with losing pretty much all of her family. Nakia, the girlfriend/wife of T'Challa has to learn to love again (and also reveals a huge surprise in the mid-credit scene). So many of the characters go through normal feelings of grief, sharing what not only the actors felt, but how the audience feels when watching. And that is the true mastery of this film, working as a terrific tribute to terrible tragedy.
ConclusionBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever is a truly great film, even with such sadness surrounding it. It is poised to be successful financially, and so far audience-wise, they seem to love it. The movie really goes all in with everything it needed to, telling a perfect story and taking care of its heavy backdrop wonderfully. Wakanda Forever is on Disney+ NOW, and I truly recommend that you go watch it, especially if you like good Marvel movies. It is really just that good!
SourcesCoogler, Ryan, director. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Marvel Studios, 2022. Accessed 15 November 2022
