Wakanda Forever is simultaneously one of the most cheesy phrases and also the name of the latest movie in the MCU. The follow-up to the 2018 Black Panther film, this movie left the cast and director (Ryan Coogler) with the unenviable task of carrying on after the death of Panther’s star Chadwick Boseman. On watching, you might get the feeling that this wasn’t the story Coogler wanted to originally tell, but the movie does its best to tell a MCU fan-friendly superhero story while dealing with the subject of grief, to varying degrees of success in both areas.
Wakanda Forever opens on the death of T’challa from a lingering disease that he kept secret from his family. His genius sister Shuri is trying to replicate the magic flower that allowed previous generations to invoke the healing powers of the Black Panther, after Killmonger burned the sacred garden. Unfortunately, she fails to develop a cure in time, and the kingdom of Wakanda loses its king and protector. One year later, we find Wakanda struggling to fend off the rest of the world. Major countries have sensed an opening to seize the power of vibranium, which has heretofore been the sole property and source of power of the hidden African nation. When a young scientist named Riri Williams invents a device to detect vibranium, the precious metal is discovered in the bottom of the sea. The discovery places Williams in danger, places Wakanda’s role as the world’s strongest country on unsure footing, and awakens a sleeping giant from the depths. Shuri must figure out how to save Williams, protect Wakanda, and deal with her grief as her world crumbles around her. Will she take on the noble mantle of her brother, or will she succumb to her grief and seek the path of vengenace like her cousin Killmonger?
Wakanda Forever is a decent addition to the MCU, although it will likely fall short of the hype and positive response to the first Black Panther movie. Wakanda revolves heavily around the idea of grief and loss, which is a difficult thing to pair with big action superhero stuff. Shuri is not a great character to base anything around, and she definitely doesn’t provide the same presence that T’challa brought to the first film. In part this is due to the limitations of the actress, but also because the character is basically a brat. She was a bit bratty in the first film, a bit bratty in this film, and her grief doesn’t do anything to help with that. One of the biggest weaknesses of this film is the lack of character arc for its “hero.” Without spoilers, I’ll just say that there’s no discernible evolution in how she thinks, so much as it seems the director got to 2hrs and 30mins and decided he just had to wrap things up. There were a couple of other weaknesses in editing, audio, effects, and a lack of character development, but those generally fell within the margin of error for a Marvel film. The Riri Williams character doesn’t add much to this movie, and is clearly there mostly because she’s getting a MCU TV show. The side plots with Agent Ross just seem tacked on. Namor, the primary antagonist, is a complete overhaul from the corresponding character in the comics; and it’s not clear if they just didn’t want him to be seen as an Aquaman clone or if they really wanted to get some Hispanic representation. His limited storyline revolves heavily on a “white colonizer evil” trope. And, in what’s becoming a hallmark of the Disney-owned MCU, this movie is all about representation. Black representation, Hispanic representation, female representation, even tacked on LGBT representation that doesn’t advance the story in any way. I’ve said it before; there’s nothing wrong with diversity in movies, in fact it can be a hugely positive thing. However, the first consideration should be good storytelling, and sometimes Disney places representation first and story second or possibly third.
Interestingly, Wakanda Forever is reportedly the last movie of “Phase 4” of the MCU. You might think that it would tie something up, or maybe point directly to something in Phase 5, but it does neither. There aren’t really any cameos or roles for other Marvel heroes, and even the single mid-credit scene only really pertains to this film, whereas previous post credit MCU scenes all pointed you to some other big plot or movie. It will be interesting to see if the MCU flounders a bit as it tries to set up this next phase of films.
Overall, Wakanda Forever is a decent MCU-style superhero movie. If big action, that remains generally family friendly, is what you’re looking for; this might be your thing. If you’re particularly invested in the Black Panther franchise or really value the MCU’s efforts toward diversity; it also might be your thing. There’s no sex, although there’s a lot of violence (mostly non-bloody), and a handful of “bad language words.”