Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review

Adapting to the sad passing of Chadwick Boseman to push through another cheap and lazy superhero flick was always going to be an inevitability for Marvel. The wheels of capitalism stop for no man, no matter how important he was to the fabric of the original plans. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is not a bitter pill to swallow because of that, though, it is more for the lack of originality it has in the face of being broken off wildly from what would have been the initial idea. Even with that tragedy showcased in a strangely blurry opening, depth of field issues run rampant in this, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever fails to shoulder any emotional burden because of how empty it feels even when the screen is full of tribute and grief. 

Using that death as a launchpad into what becomes a political filler plot is an underwhelming expedition though. Shameful stuff, especially when Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett dominate with some very strong, emotionally wrought performances. Their powerful displays are shunted to the side as Ryan Coogler’s vision becomes unclear. What exactly the core process of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is cannot quite be grasped. It is big and flashy but feels completely aimless as Wakanda finds itself on the world stage, accused of failing to do whatever vague notion other countries are struggling with. It is never established beyond the broad scarcity of resources, but a lot of the heavy lifting is done with a further approach to the history of Wakanda, which is at least interesting and utilised well.

But then those usual set pieces come through and audiences are rushed out of those halls of history. Action pieces are broken up with unconvincing, unfunny dialogue. But when it pulls away from that, when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is given the chance to explore the utilities of vibranium, the red herring equivalent of Avatar’s unobtanium, there is fun to be had. It comes in brief and unrewarding pockets, but it is nice to see some visual differences, even if that means something as simple as a brief bit of time spent underwater. That is how low the bar is for Marvel and its visuals, which appear to be made on a crunch and with sloppier results each year. Far more tonally consistent than Thor: Love and Thunder, and far more interesting than Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverse, but a lot of that feels like a consequence of cutting most of the other major characters out.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the most frustrating of all recent Marvel projects because its themes and elements of supporting work are so enjoyable. Namor’s introduction is one that will make fans of Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance for the PSP throw their arms in the air or scream at the scene or whatever over-enchanted American audiences do these days. But the bulk of this piece is relatively dull. It has its moments, brief pockets of joy that hint at something better, but it falls into the Marvel trap of having to wait another year, another film, to figure out what that is. There can be no self-containment in the capitalist triumph of the century. A watchable feature. Massive praise considering the state of Marvel at the moment.