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30 – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
So, coming off of one of my least favorite MCU films, which I still liked, the filmmakers had the difficult task of completely reimagining the lead role. The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman was a great loss, not only to the MCU, but the world. And I think they handled it beautifully and respectfully. They honored the actor by not simply replacing him with another actor. They re-wrote the story, acknowledging the death of the character, as well as Boseman, making the way in which those who loved him dealt with the loss one of the major themes of the movie. It was wonderful and sad, and brings a tear to my eye just watching it. I grieve right along with the characters in the story.
But then they doubled down on the theme of loss and grief by killing off Queen Rmanda, played by Angela Basset, who I love every time I see her in a movie. She is such a great actress, and while her character’s death was powerful and emotional, I am sad she is no longer a part of the franchise. And who has to endure all this loss more than anyone? Shuri, awesomely played by Letitia Wright. She did such a fantastic job! And I think that when she took on the role of Wakanda’s protector, the Black Panther, she really stepped up to the plate. But I also liked the way in which she did it. When you watch her in the exciting action sequences, you can tell that though she has the super strength, she is not as experienced a fighter as T’Challa. She barely survives her final fight with Namor.
And speaking of Namor, he is portrayed as a villain, of sorts, but not really. He is the leader of the under-water kingdom of Talokan. They are a people of water-breathing, blue-skinned warriors who also have vibranium, and have developed a society completely set apart from all surface dwellers. But the need to keep their society secret is what drove Namor and his people to acts of terrorism. Once humans had learned how to detect the rare metal, it would only be a matter of time before Talokan was found. And I liked that Namor was different than the people he ruled. Due to the conditions of his birth, he didn’t have blue skin, and he also had wings on his ankles, giving him the ability to fly, just like in the comic books. And he hated humans, too.
And the final new major player in the narrative was the young college student that invented the vibranium detector, Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorn. Riri is supposed to be like Tony Stark intelligent, and has built her own technologically advanced Iron-Man-like suit of armor. But again, I liked that they didn’t over-do it on her suit’s abilities. She wasn’t as insanely powered up as Iron-Man was, but given time, it would be believable if she got there.
And of course, I loved that they didn’t ignore the other characters that returned from the first Black Panther movie. Characters like Okoye, Nakia, M’Baku, and Everett Ross all had their own story lines that developed their characters. Even Killmonger had a great scene, And they weren’t just there. They had things to do to move the story along, and they all had to deal with the loss of King T’Challa. And they were joined by a few new characters that were really cool. For example, we meet a few more members of the all-female special forces of Wakanda, the Dora Milaje, like Ayo, and her lover, Aneka, played by Florence Kasumba and Michaela Coel,. And the dangerous character of Valentina Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus was great.
I have to say, one of my favorite parts of the movie was Namor. I loved that they based the culture of Talokan after Aztek. It gave them a fresh and unique look that was just really cool. And Tenoch Huerta Mejia was pretty captivating on the screen. He really sold the part and though he was often portrayed as the bad guy, I don’t think he was. A lack of communication and mistakes were made on both sides of the conflict, and it was easy to see his side of it.
Top 10 Favorite Parts
- T’Challa’s funeral. Ramonda’s too, for that matter. Very respectfully done.
- Namor’s raid on the U.S. Navy vessel.
- The first meeting between Namor, Ramonda, and Shuri on the beach at night.
- The escape from Riri’s workshop and the fight on the bridge between Okoye and Attuma
- Shuri’s private meeting with Namor in Talokan. It is where I really learned to like the character of Namor.
- Namor’s attack on Wakanda and Ramonda’s death was a thrilling spectacle.
- Shuri cracks the secret of replicating the heart-shaped herb, all of which Killmonger burned in the first movie.
- Shuri’s meeting with Killmonger on the Ancestral Plane
- The epic battle on the Wakandan ship in the Atlantic Ocean, and Ironheart fighting Namor in the sky.
- The final fight between Namor and Black Panther on the beach. Shuri really kicks butt!