Will Wakanda Be Forever?

Additional reporting by Jacob Bila

As Marvel fans and most moviegoers know, in 2018, the movie Black Panther was released to a huge success. Four years later, on Veteran’s Day, came the long-awaited release of the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This movie has beautiful visual effects. The costumes are creative, and the sets are amazing. Parts of the story touch upon issues of racial equality, which make the message meaningful. 

The film begins as the nation of Wakanda mourns the death of their leader and the Black Panther, King T’Challa. Political tensions rise with other nations, and one emerges from underwater as a new threat to Wakanda, led by Namor, a mysterious leader with winged feet. T’Challa’s sister, Princess Shuri, must unite her fellow leaders and allies to defend Wakanda.

The advanced technology and the existence of Vibranium made Wakanda one of the most powerful nations on Earth in this exciting story. In the newest release, an underwater world was also discovered to have the extraordinarily strong Vibranium. This metal element’s strength lies in its ability to store and release kinetic energy, which the Black Panther uses. 

One of the essential parts of this movie may be the tribute to the memory of Chadwick Boseman, the original Black Panther in the Marvel film. Boseman sadly died of cancer in 2020 before Wakanda Forever was made. Black Panther is one of the original Avenger characters, but the Black Panther can change over time. The person must be considered worthy of becoming this leader. An exciting moment of this movie was when the female lead became The Black Panther. That is a first for Marvel comics. Spoiler Alert! Click here for the spoiler for the new Black Panther! 

Surprisingly, some professional movie critics did not find all aspects of the film favorable and preferred the original firm overwhelmingly.

A.O. Scott, a reviewer for the New York Times, said, “….. Wakanda Forever, like many Marvel movies, has too much plot. There are a lot of characters to keep track of.” 

Another popular reviewer, Roger Ebert, gave the film one and a half stars, pointing out, “At nearly every turn, Wakanda Forever fails, starting with its setup. Colonist countries, now afraid of an African superpower, are scouring the world, from sea to sea, searching for Vibranium (the metallic ore that powers the African kingdom).” 

Though I understand that a professional movie critic’s job is to analyze plot details and provide a comparison to a movie’s prequel, I relax, take in a new story, and eat some popcorn while watching movies. So, I enjoyed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and recommend that everyone watch the film over the holiday break.