Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the second installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther franchise, has a lot going for it. Nearly two and three-quarter hours long, and with multiple sub-plots and new character introductions, maybe a bit too much going, at times.
Still, it has dazzling visuals, the costumes and sets are outstanding and Ludwig Goransson’s music is a perfect accompaniment to the mélange of symphonic, pop and authentic African music motifs.
The storyline begins with the death of T’Challa, the Black Panther and King of Wakanda, from some unspecified disease that has baffled even his brilliant scientist sister, Princess Shuri. The acknowledgment of the loss of their beloved king echoes the same feelings of loss around the gifted actor who portrayed him, Chadwick Boseman. This sets the tone for the entire movie and imbues it with a pall rather than the unbridled excitement and joy of the first Black Panther film. Shuri would rival Hamlet with her grief-stricken brooding, the Queen Mother faces challenges from which not even she cannot recover, and the awe-inspiring Dora Milaje warriors are fractured.
But wait, there’s hope with the introduction of a new character – Riri Williams, a student at MIT who just happens to be the most brilliant person in the world and builds her own Iron Man-like suit of flying armor in her dorm room. And yes, you guessed, it, she is – or will very likely become – the Marvel comics superhero Ironheart.
Almost immediately we find out that Wakanda is not the only place on earth that has the coveted Vibranium metal. Part of the asteroid that crashed into what would become the kingdom of Wakanda broke off and landed in the ocean near the Yucatan Peninsula, giving a race of aquatic people access to what may be the most valuable and useful stuff in the universe. In short, Wakanda is no longer the sole Vibranium superpower in the world. Led by Namor, a.k.a. The Submariner to Marvel fans, sets out to take on Wakanda and become the dominant power on the planet. Luckily for everyone except Namor and company, Riri Williams has managed to create a Vibranium detector that levels the playing field a bit.
The action scenes are truly amazing. There are plenty of chases, crashes, and explosions to thrill audiences. The characters are strong, both in mind in spirit, and the loss of King T’Challa gives essentially the entire cast an opportunity to show more emotional range than superhero films usually afford. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has all the hallmarks of its predecessor and has managed to bridge the loss of the great T’Challa/Chadwick Boseman and set things up for the next Black Panther film. It packs a visual wallop and keeps the MCU fresh.
It’s not easy following in the footsteps of one of the highest-grossing superhero films of all time. It’s not remotely possible to replace Chadwick Boseman. But I did come away with the feeling that Princess Shuri, the Kingdom of Wakanda, and the Black Panther franchise are all in good hands.