Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Review

"The Black Panther has never failed to protect Wakanda,"

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

After constant delays, the movie I have been looking forward to the most out of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Four movies finally arrives. And when I think of how to describe this movie, there is only one thing that comes to mind: Wow. Because how else can you describe a movie as amazing as this one?

The movie begins with a painful sequence of the loss of King T'Challa, followed directly by his funeral and thus already setting in motion the beginning of the tribute to Chadwick Boseman himself. By starting off with such a heartbreaking scene where his co-stars are given the chance to say goodbye while Shuri and Queen Ramonda say goodbye to their beloved family member, it sets up for how this movie is dedicated to Chadwick and all that he gave to this franchise.

Following on a year later within the movie, Ryan Coogler begins to perfectly explore the grief Shuri is experiencing upon losing her brother as she buries herself in her work to avoid thinking about his passing - which she later admits when she is with her mother on the beach that she cannot do without being filled with a rage that makes her want to burn the world down. Letitia Wright executes this grief-stricken sister perfectly, in such a way that it is clear to the audience her tears and distress are actually her own, as she is suffering through grief in reality alongside her character in fiction. We see this grief manifest and develop as the movie continues while Shuri tries to remain true to who she is as well as dealing with such a huge loss, shown through her desire to save Riri Williams despite just meeting her and during her visit to Namor's home.

Now, as a comic reader, I have been very excited to see Riri Williams, a.k.a Ironheart, debut in the MCU and it is safe to say, I have not been disappointed. Dominique Thorne is shown as the perfect casting choice to play this character as she carries her with such excellency and gives her the respect this beloved comic character deserves. Every scene of Riri Williams shows a side of her that is important, from her family to her love of machines, and sets up a perfect future for this character to continue to develop in the MCU - something which I am looking forward to.

Furthermore, as the movie continues, the unexpected death of Queen Ramonda occurs during an attack on Wakanda constructed by Namor in a moving and tear-jerking scene where you watch the women whose lives she shaped say goodbye to her, while her daughter is forced to lose the last biological family she has (and I emphasise that it is her last biological family member, as Okoye and Nakia remain by her side as loyal as family for the rest of the movie). This death causes Shuri's grief to increase and fuel her rage even more, thus leading her to become the next Black Panther despite how much she was against continuing the tradition earlier on in the movie. During the scene where she is visited by an ancestor, we see the return Killmonger (and therefore the return of Michael B. Jordan) instead of her recently deceased mother like she expected to see. I believe this was the best choice in terms of who could've visited her for two reasons: one, it emphasises the difference between her and T'Challa (something that is heavily picked up on throughout the movie) and two, it gives Shuri the chance to find her own footing as she struggles to understand her own identity due to the pressure of her family members, the elders, and Wakandan traditions.

Another character and actor who I believe to have had great impact on this movie was Danai Gurira playing Okoye. Danai manages to perfectly present another tormented character, which is evident in the scene where Okoye is stripped of her ranking and struggles to come to terms with the fact that she no longer serves the throne while her continuous respect for Wakanda prevents her from showing her rage at her new situation. She is complex through her loyalty, something that is explored in both Black Panther movies (where in the first one, she is forced to remain with the throne despite the "death" of King T'Challa), and therefore shows the importance of the Dora Milaje and how their strength together has influenced the whole of Wakanda.

Speaking of these warriors, the fight scenes in this movie have been choreographed to perfection, creating some of the most aesthetically pleasing fight scenes I have ever watched, complimented by the amazing cinematography by Autumn Durald. This is especially clear in the final fight scene between Wakanda and Talokan. One of the main things that stood out to me was the fact that Shuri was unable to kill Namor as her morals and her mother's words got through to her, while her rage subdued as she began to realise his death would not bring back her family. This battle with morals reflects the ending of the first Black Panther movie, where T'Challa wants to save Killmonger as murdering his cousin for what has happened to Wakanda would not make him feel better. This resemblance of these two characters allows the audience to be reminded of their deep connection through family and their lives together.

This constant use of parallels was the perfect creative choice of Coogler's, as it allows the audience to view and understand the similarities between Shuri and Namor, when their lives are shown side-by-side, to push the idea that neither of them were villains - they were simply trying to protect their people and kingdom. This therefore highlights that the main focus of this movie is family, thus bringing us back to Chadwick Boseman.

Chadwick affected so many lives, both through cinema and in real life. He was like family to his co-stars, and to his friends, and his impact on this cinematic universe will never be forgotten. This movie makes sure of that.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the perfect tribute and the perfect goodbye to the King, to Chadwick Boseman, a spectacular man who will remain in our hearts forever.