My Review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever · 9:08pm Nov 12th, 2023
Rating Scale:
12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made
Greetings, everyone! This is Mr. J back with another movie review for today! This afternoon, I will be reviewing “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, the final installment of the MCU’s fourth phase. I first watched this movie a few months ago on Disney+, and I thought it was pretty much decent. Nothing spectacular about it; just overall a decent experience. Then I decided to re-watch it again just last Thursday to refresh my memory thereof. To be quite frank, this is honestly a good superhero movie.
I still think it isn’t as perfect or amazing as a lot of people say it is, but I consider it as fairly entertaining and enjoyable for the most part. Plus, it was a good way to commemorate the legacy of the late Chadwick Boseman. He left such an impact on the MCU and on the character of Black Panther, leaving Letitia Wright with heavy shoes to fill.
This movie starts with the unfortunate passing of T’Challa, the late King of Wakanda which left the entire nation with no protector—no Black Panther to look after them. With a new villain arising from the depths and threatening their country with an ultimatum, Shuri must find a way to restore peace. Little will she realize that she’ll eventually become the new Black Panther.
So here is what I enjoyed about this film: it has a decent storyline that makes plenty of room for Shuri to grow as a character and as someone who inevitably takes upon the Black Panther mantle. We see how the death of T’Challa emotionally affected her and how she was determined to honor his legacy. And I liked the approach the filmmakers took with this movie; instead of making a CGI T’Challa, they made someone who was very close to him become the new leader, the Protector, the Black Panther of Wakanda.
This shows that the Black Panther isn’t limited to only one person no matter how iconic or memorable he/she is. The character is a concept—a legacy that embodies anyone who embraces it and the responsibility that comes with it. This applies to any man or woman who wishes to carry the torch or wear the mantle. So I appreciate the authenticity of this storyline and the respect they gave to the character.
The acting was pretty amazing. Most of the actors/actresses put so much heart and soul into all their performances. I’d say both Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, and Danai Gurira were the biggest standouts of the whole cast. Props to them for their solid acting.
However, I am not a big fan of the villain. Namor is honestly the most uninteresting character in the whole film. First of all, his overall personality is practically nonexistent; he doesn’t look or sound threatening at all, and he seemed rather dull in contrast to Killmonger. Secondly, the writing behind his character felt incredibly shallow. He grew up with no love for the surface world (hence, the name) and tries to negotiate an alliance with Wakanda against the surface world but of course, they refuse.
When Shuri kills one of their own in self-defense, of course he will declare war on Wakanda. Then when Shuri showed him mercy during the final battle, he’s like, “Oh wow, you’re not so bad after all!” It felt so predictable and corny, in my opinion. It seems like they were going with the “misunderstood villain” route for him, but they did a poor job trying to make him compelling and interesting. He’s a boring character that spends too much time in exposition dumping and monologuing.
The choreography and soundtrack were both hit and misses, in my opinion. They were okay but not something spectacular or memorable.
But I will admit that Ramonda’s death scene was really well-written and emotional. It came so unexpectedly and suddenly that it drove Shuri to the edge—her breaking point. It motivated her to seek vengeance against her foe as she was just about to seek guidance from her mother in the Ancestral Plane.
Speaking of which, it was cool seeing Killmonger again even if it was a cameo. It made sense why Shuri would see him there due to her growing thirst for revenge and using her power to destroy instead of rebuilding. It was a really powerful scene that needs more attention and praise.
Overall, I think this was a pretty solid movie. It was entertaining and fun to watch, but it is far from amazing. I think the first movie is a lot better in many ways, and this film would have been a lot stronger if Namor was better written as an antagonist, the fight scenes having more impact, and the soundtrack being more memorable.
Nonetheless, the movie does honor the memory of Chadwick, and I believe it will inspire his fans to follow in his footsteps when to comes to fighting for justice and standing firm in peace. With that said, I will give this a strong 7/10.
RIP Chadwick Boseman. Wakanda Forever!
This movie was a good tribute to Boseman, a good way to move in a new direction for Shuri and the Black Panther persona, and it avoided the need to connect itself to the larger MCU. I saw The Marvels last night, and I think, like it, this serves as a fine movie to stand on its own.
I haven’t seen this movie, but I’m interested regardless. My eldest brother-in-law once told me that he thought it was the best of the Marvel films released in 2022.