RECENT WATCHES: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

There had been superhero movies starring black actors before "Black Panther" but none of them made the impact it did. The Afrofuturism tinged story, with the way it exalted blackness, really spoke to a wide audience. The film made massive money at the box office, was nominated for Best Picture, and turned Chadwick Boseman into an icon overnight. This status was amplified by his unexpected death. Seeing a star in his prime cut down, learning he was struggling with cancer while the world was praising him, was shocking. I'm sure it was shocking to Disney execs too. Because the Marvel franchise machine must roll on and now its newest big series was without its star. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was announced and moved forward with little indication of how exactly this was going to work. As the advertising campaign for the sequel finally ramped up, it became clear that Disney's main strategy for the movie was to lean into the death of its star, the typical superhero shenanigans being overshadowed by the mourning process. How did this work out for them? 

Following the events of "Endgame," King T'Challa dies unexpectedly of an unknown illness. His little sister, Shuri, feels enormous guilt as she was attempting to replicate the heart-shaped herb – which could have saved his life – as he died. Queen Ramonda must lead Wakanda without her son now. The U.S. government discovers an underwater supply of vibranium with a machine designed by college student Riri Williams. The leader of an aquatic civilization, Namor, demands Wakanda brings Riri to him or face all-out war. Shuri races to protect Riri, save her people, and accept her fate as the next Black Panther. 

The death of Chadwick Boseman put "Black Panther 2" in a hard situation. If Marvel simply recast the role, it would make a sequel story a lot easier to write. It might've also been perceived as insensitive towards Boseman's legacy. Kill him off-screen and the sequel is put in the awkward position of writing around its main character in-between movies. Ryan Coogler and his team chose the latter option. "Wakanda Forever" essentially attempts to move the first film's entire supporting cast into the protagonist role. Letitia Wright's Shuri, Angela Basset's Queen, and Danai Guirira's Okoye all appear to be the film's main character at different times. (With heavy supporting roles for M'Baku, Nakia, and Everett Ross.) It's an unwieldy solution, creating an unsteady story that is always shifting focus, centered on an ensemble that is weighed down by grief. 

Eventually, Shuri does emerge as the story's protagonist, with a clearly understood objective and motivation. Up until that point, "Wakanda Forever" is another one of those Marvel sequels that are burdened by having to set-up future adventures. Riri Williams, who will become the superhero Ironheart, is central to the film's beginning. She kicks off the plot and gets plenty of action beats during the climax. Yet she also disappears from the film for long stretches, making you kind of wonder why she's here at all. (Beyond the obvious reason that Disney has big plans for her.) Dominique Thorne is fine in the part but Riri never feels like the heart of the movie, as she should. The film similarly stops for a lengthy sequence devoted to establishing Namor's origins or showing that or showing that Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Contessa de Fontaine is still kicking around. "Black Panther 2" is so choked by grieving Boseman, writing around his death, and establishing characters that'll be important to other, future Marvel projects that the movie doesn't feel like it's actually started until it's halfway over. 

If nothing else, Coogler and his team assemble a strong cast that do their best to act their asses off. Angela Bassett dominates the screen in several of her scenes, imbuing the Queen with the heartbreak and fury she must feel. Letitia Wright has a more complicated arc this time, as Shuri is shouldering a lot more pain and responsibility. Lupita Nyong'a brings a gracefulness to Nakia, a character the sequel similarly uses and discards as it wants. Danai Gurira's Okoye and Winston Duke's M'Baku are the closest things the movie has to comic relief and they do their best. Moreover, all the actors and the movie around them are clearly heartfelt in their desire to pay tribute to Boseman. This is a movie preoccupied with the question of how we move on after our loved ones die and it's clear the creative team were juggling that query themselves. 

Though clearly an uneven affair, "Wakanda Forever" does succeed in doing one thing really well. It gives Namor, one of Marvel's most compellingly complex antiheroes, the introduction he deserves. The character's back story is extensively rewritten, making him and his city of Talokan (not Atlantis) the last remnant of a Mesoamerican civilization. This was probably done to distinguish the character from DC's Aquaman. Yet Namor's grievances with the surface world are still well founded. He's a proud, regal, super strong asshole with extreme measures but he's not wrong either. Newcomer Tenoch Huerta plays him with all the confidence of a seasoned movie star, immediately establishing a compelling screen presence. Namor is a great villain, even if the world he protects never feels fully fleshed-out. Mostly, I'm relieved that "Wakanda Forever" never flees from the ridiculous image of an aquatic Vulcan in a green speedo who flies with little chicken wings on his ankles. Comic book movies should never be afraid of their own silliness. 

Despite its many strengths, I just can't escape the feeling that "Wakanda Forever" is a movie that was rushed through production when more time was needed to finesse it. You see this in the cinematography and action choreography as well. Coogler and D.P. Autumn Durald Arkapaw do occasionally replicate the splendor of the first film. Such as when Namor introduces Shuri to his underwater world. Yet the film's photography is often way too dark, making many sequences hard-to-follow. The action scenes, all throughout, are also needlessly muddy. The camera work is shaky, the editing is too quick, and slow-motion "ramping" is overused. The result is big budget action spectacle that is never satisfying to watch or even easy to follow. 

Despite the praise that greeted it, the first "Black Panther" was a film whose parts were greater than its whole. The same is true of its sequel, which is further conflicted by Marvel double-stuffing it with set-up for future franchise opportunities. Mostly though, its the Chadwick Boseman-shaped hole in the center of the movie's heart that it can't overcome. "Wakanda Forever" is without its hero and every attempt it makes to get around that feels hopelessly awkward, no matter how heartfelt its tribute to the fallen star might be. At least Namor is badass though. That matters. [6/10]