Movie Review - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

 

So leading up to this film, we lost Chadwick Boseman. Then over the last weekend, we lost another legendary actor, Kevin Conroy. Now, while Conroy is not associated with Marvel at all, he is widely known for his contribution to the voice acting of superhero media. Specifically Batman, of which he has voiced for a few generations since the animated series and is still widely regarded as the most definitive you can get for being Batman. Boseman, on the other hand, may not be as big as Conroy. But very quickly made his mark on the world when he became T'Challa, the Black Panther, and made appearances in at least five MCU films and only one MCU show. It's never great when such a big named actor dies, especially when there is still so much left to come of him, which was the case for this very film. But I guess unlike a certain Star Wars film, they had lots of time to rework the film and actually make it so that it continues his story without needing him physically there. Boseman and Conroy are legendary actors in their own rights and own ways, and I would like to think that this film pays tribute to the former and what he left behind as his legacy. Whereas, we have yet to see what DC will make to pay tribute to the great Batman voice that Conroy was. So let's see what awaits us in the finale of Phase 4 of the MCU and also the cinematic universe's 30th film:

The film begins with Shuri (reprised by Letitia Wright) attempted to revive T'Challa after he dies following a disease that Shuri believes she can save him with a herb. She fails, and T'Challa's body is put to rest with the ancestors. One year later, Wakanda faces pressure from the United Nations about their promise of sharing the vibranium with some parties, taking some by force. Shuri's mother and the Queen of Wakanda Ramonda (reprised by Angela Bassett) persuades her to continue he attempts to create the herb in the hopes to find a new Black Panther, but she refuses on the grounds that she feels the Black Panther should remain a relic of the past. Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Ocean, a being known as Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta) leads an attack on a joint CIA and US Navy SEAL operation, which leads the CIA to believe that Wakanda is responsible. Namor approaches Shuri with a proposition that would have her go on a journey to not only find ways to protect Wakanda, but to also figure herself out and use some technology that feels all too familiar from a certain iron perspective.

Phase 4 overall has been the weakest phase of the MCU by far. A lot of misfires here and there with only a handful of stand out things including several of the shows and a few films including this one. While Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness succeed in nostalgia and great stories, this film does well in tackling the theme of loss and establishing another hidden empire of sorts without losing its focus on the main story. Despite those themes, it also manages to squeeze in a few funny moments and hidden jokes here and there and isn't too bogged down on universe building, even though one of its characters will be having her own Disney+ show very soon. So yeah, a great finale to the otherwise pretty weak Phase 4. Let's hope the next phase is a lot better. 8/10