Movie Review - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Shuri (Left) and M’Baku (Right)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a sequel to the 2018 film Black Panther. The original film received multiple Acadamy Award nominations and won for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. The sequel was greatly anticipated and had high expectations due to the success of the first movie.

Production began in June 2021 and ended in late March 2022. It was released on November 11, 2022, and so far, it has grossed over $734 million worldwide with a budget of $250 million. The film made $84 Million on the first day. The website Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an approval rating of 84%.

In 2020, actor Chadwick Boseman, who played the title role in the first film, tragically died after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Marvel and director Ryan Coogler decided not to recast the role of T’Challa, and instead, they wanted the film to honor his death.

The movie pays tribute to T’Challa and focuses on his family’s grief as they attempt to honor him. It also introduces a new villain in Namor, a new hero in Ironheart, and a new Black Panther.

The movie focuses on T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, and how she handles the death of her brother while she helps lead the nation of Wakanda. Also, we see a new antagonist called Namor or “Kukulkan,” a god who in an attempt to keep his people safe causes conflict with the people of Wakanda.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a run time of two hours and forty-one minutes, making it the second longest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), just behind the three hour and two minutes Avengers: Endgame. If you plan on seeing this great movie, make sure to stick around for the surprising end credit scene.