It’s time for us to give you our opinion on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The film was released in cinemas on 9 November. A spoiler-free review awaits you.
An important film:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever carries the weight of enormous expectations on its shoulders. Long before shooting began, the script had to be revised after the tragic death of its lead actor Chadwick Boseman. So naturally, the film was as much expected for its story and tone as for the expected, and feared, tribute to the actor.
Has Disney managed to blend this tribute with a film that lives up to the audience’s expectations?
The tribute to Chadwick is modest and yet poignant. The first point of this film has been strongly respected, remembering the actor without overdoing it (bring your tissues) throughout the film. Using little winks, it is simply the perfect way to respect this departed king.
Wakanda seeks a new king
As Wakanda mourns its king, all minds turn to the heir to the throne: Shuri. Will the princess be able to carry the weight of her ancestors’ suit? Will she find the strength within herself to lead her country into a new era?
As the world tries to get its hands on Vibranium, an attack leads Queen Ramonda to oppose France at the United Nations. But an attack on a CIA team suggests that Wakanda is responsible for many deaths.
A new villain
While Ramonda and Shuri try to mourn T’Challa. A year after his death, a man with winged ankles shows up for the Queen and Princess. He easily hijacks all the kingdom’s security systems and wears Vibranium armour. He introduces himself as Namor, king of a sea people called Talocan. They too are taking advantage of the virtues of Vibranium and are threatened by the creation of a machine to detect the precious metal.
Namor accuses them of having allowed the world to discover Vibranium and of being responsible for the intrusion of humans not far from their city. He asks them to bring back the young woman responsible for creating the machine.
A road to maturity
While Shuri is an important character in the first film and her relationship with T’Challa will be missed by many viewers. Wakanda Forever also shows the path of mourning, the mourning of a family member, a brother, a best friend. But also the mourning of a symbol, as Shuri no longer believes in Black Panther and thinks that their symbol is simply a thing of the past.
Shuri is not the only one to have a hard time, Queen Ramonda had to mourn her husband in a short time, then her son. The Dora Milaje have lost their king twice. The film deals with grief in different ways, the loss of a loved one but also a part of one’s life that one took for granted.
A country you want to visit
Just like its predecessor, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an aesthetically beautiful film, the sets, the special effects, the technology used by Shuri. Everything that makes up this small kingdom makes you want to be there.
Between valleys and mountains, the shots of the sea people, the costumes, all the details allow us to dive a little more into the story.
Wakanda : Forever
As a whole, the film completely lives up to expectations. From start to finish, we are left holding our breath as several avenues for the new Black Panther open up to us. The story holds up very well, from tender or sad moments to laughter and lightness. The film is beautiful and brilliant, as was Chadwick Boseman.
