Ever since the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, fans have been wondering how his death will be addressed in the Black Panther sequel. From a commercial perspective, the obvious solution would have been to recast T’Challa. Instead, Coogler and the creative team decided to kill him off and turn the film into an exploration of the characters’ grief. This was an inspired decision as it lends the movie a unique quality compared to others in the franchise.
Every cast member is utterly fantastic
One of the strongest aspects of Wakanda Forever is its acting. Every cast member is utterly fantastic, and I’d say it’s the best-acted film in the MCU by a significant margin. Returning from the first film are Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and Martin Freeman. They are joined by newcomers Dominique Thorne and Tenoch Huerta, as well as Julia Louis-Dreyfus in her latest Marvel appearance.
Shuri (Wright) and Queen Ramonda (Bassett) were the definite standouts for me. Both channel their grief over Boseman’s passing into their performances superbly, creating a highly emotional viewing experience. Indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an Oscar nomination coming either actor’s way.
Namor (Huerta) is the film’s main antagonist, and he’s swiftly become one of my favourites in the MCU. Huerta’s performance strikes a perfect balance of menace and sympathy, and I hope he materialises in future projects. Riri Williams (Thorne), AKA Ironheart, is the other major character introduced in Wakanda Forever. She was a fun addition to the cast and had great chemistry with Shuri. However, I wasn’t a fan of her suit in the final battle – fingers crossed they change it for the Ironheart TV show.
Ludwig Göransson, a long-time Ryan Coogler collaborator, returned to compose the musical score, and once again, he’s created something magical. The music is very much in line with that of the first movie, and Göransson is quickly proving to be one of my favourite film/TV composers working today. I especially enjoyed his wonderful work on The Mandalorian (2019-).
Now, despite all these positives, Wakanda Forever is not perfect. Its gargantuan 162-minute runtime causes some uneven pacing, and a few long stretches lack any serious action. Also, visually, the film is a mixed bag, and your experience will largely depend on your viewing format. I’ve seen it twice now – first in Dolby Cinema, and again on a regular screen. In Dolby, the movie looked beautiful. The underwater sequences were stunning, and the colours really popped. However, during the second viewing, many scenes were poorly lit, to the extent that it was difficult to make out what was happening on screen. So, bear that in mind when deciding how to see the film.
Ryan Coogler has knocked it out of the park with a sequel surpassing the original – a rare accomplishment. Boseman’s absence is felt throughout, partly by design, as this forges a stronger connection with the grieving characters and allows for some truly award-worthy performances.
4/5
