Mourning the unexplained death of King "T'Challa", the tech-rich African nation of "Wakanda" returns Queen "Ramonda" (Angela Bassett) to the throne and she must stabilise the kingdom and try to help her daughter "Shuri" (Letitia Wright) deal with the loss of her much-loved brother. A fireside chat late one night doesn't quite go to plan though, when they are introduced to an interloper. "Namor" (Tenoch Huerta) arrives to ask their help to thwart the Americans who nave managed to design a machine that can trace vibranium, and this has put his hitherto unknown population of underwater, Mesoamerican, people at risk. Either they help him to track down the scientist who created this or there could be war. The Princess and her general head to Massachusetts where they track down a college student who is almost as much of a whizz-kid as "Shuri". The FBI are on soon their trail and skedaddle they must, straight into the arms of the waiting "Talokan" who take them to their beautiful watery homeland where we learn just how they evolved. Somewhat narked, the Queen wants her daughter back and that action sows the seeds for a conflict between the two nations that, well, you can guess the rest. Sadly, that's the problem here. Despite a really strong and vibrant performance from Wright and some very fine production values, there is precious little story here. It is far, far, too long to sustain the thin plot and the conflict engineered between the two races is flawed in more ways than an US Congressional election. The pace is really slow, the combat scenes could have been choreographed by Sir Matthew Bourne - or by a Wakandan cheerleader at their equivalent of the "Superbowl" - and the supporting characters aren't on screen long enough to give Miss Wright enough help to wade through the frequent tedium. I wasn't helped by Huerta's very thick accent which made his dialogue nigh-on impossible to comprehend at times and the denouement screamed sequel so loudly that I forgot that I'd long given up on any jeopardy at the end two hours ago. There is a bit of character tragedy, character loyalty and thankfully Martin Freeman's ("Ross" - why does he need an American accent?) appears but sparingly as we go along but Marvel must stop taking the audience for granted. They have to realise that their gorgeous Avatar-esque visual effects and technical wizardry are not going to entertain us indefinitely if the stories continue to deliver so weakly. Great to look at, a few power-ballads from the soundtrack and Wright is certainly a stylish and classy star - otherwise, this is a film nobody will remember in two years time, I'll bet!
_Black Panther: Wakanda Forever_ had an impossible task in the wake of the tragic passing of lead Chadwick Boseman, and for the most part Ryan Coggler does a great job at picking up the pieces and creating a heartfelt story.
I feel as though this movie is attempting to do too much though. There are so many side plots and new characters being introduced that the film has a hard time finding its footing. For as much as I enjoyed Riri Williams and here banter with Wakadans, her arch was not necessary. By omitting this character, the story could have been more focused and streamlined creating an easier viewing experience and deflating the runtime.
The writing was decent, but it was pretty exposition heavy. There were countless number of lines that were strictly feeding information to the audience, and they felt inorganic and awkward in the moment. These writing mishaps really hurt my enjoyment and constantly pulled me out of the film.
After those main criticisms, I think this movie overall does a great job in all other departments. The action is surprisingly light, but when it does come it is intense and well-choreographed. There are some really unique fight sequences and weapons introduced with the "Atlanteans" that allowed for some really cool scenes and visuals that were done with some stellar CGI. I specifically like how the final battle had some letterboxing that was not present in the rest of the film. It gave it a grand scale that I thought was excellent touch.
The performances were fantastic all around. Angela Bassett was mesmerizing and really captivated me with her emotion and distress with the passing of her son. There is a scene in here that gave me literal goosebumps. Dominique Thorne was a great addition as Iron-Heart and Lupita Nyong'o was amazing in her limited screen time. I loved Winston Duke and desperately wanted more screentime from him. He was sidelined for the majority of the film, and I think that was the wrong decision. Letitia Wright is the real highlight here. She stepped into a very difficult situation and acted her ass off. I never envisioned her as a lead actress, but she proved me wrong.
Something I want to note that I do not normally include in my reviews in the music choice. The score to this movie was crafted brilliantly and really elevate so many scenes. I enjoyed every song and feel as though it blended with the movie brilliantly.
Overall, this movie has its drawbacks but is still an enjoyable watch and one of the better movies in Marvel Phase IV.
**Score:** _75%_ |
**Verdict:** _Good_
