“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” directed by Ryan Coogler, 2022 - Review

To start with, “Black Panther” from 2018 is not one of my favorite films in the MCU, yet I was still waiting for the sequel to come out. Creators faced a big challenge due to tragic circumstances in which they found themselves as the main star, Chadwick Boseman passed away. At first, I was not a big fan of using his death as part of his character development but after the film, it has changed a bit.

Moving on, I definitely preferred this part over the original one. Not only due to story preference but also technical aspects as well as character development. First, is the cinematography. The film looks brilliant, not that the first one did not, because it certainly did, but here, I think I was just a big fan of color grading and the general way of shooting. There is a couple of slow motions, which work amazingly with the story and keep the audience engaged.

Secondly, the soundtrack. It’s very close to the first part and in both parts, it is one of the best elements of the film. It contributes to the story as well as its emotional value. It's very original and a few new tracks are also wonderful.

Moreover, the characters divide in my opinion. Definitely, the best development is taken by Shuri and Namor but also Ramonda, the mother of Shuri and the main antagonist. I did not like the way they treated other characters like M’Baku or Okoye or even Nakia. Namor is such an amazing character but without background which was necessary and relation with Shuri, it would not work that well.

On the other hand, there are a few things I did not like. First, it lasts 2h and 40 minutes, and many scenes and motifs could be easily edited out because they seem unnecessary. Some scenes also dragged on and I was a little bored during them. I mentioned cinematography in positive parts but it is also sometimes a problem. The film is mostly dark, especially underwater and I did not see much of the new empire of Namor but it got me intrigued.

Also, except for a few scenes, the fight sequences are just bad. I will not mention the fact that Namor’s army could easily destroy Wakanda with the power the film introduced, so it does not make sense in the logic of the film.

To finish with a big positive element, for the first time in a long time I really, really liked the ending. It is very nicely written. The last fight sequences are also one of the best elements of the film, and so are the last 40 minutes when the action starts to accelerate.

To sum up, in my opinion, it is better than the original “Black Panther” and I liked it more than the first movie. Also, the story regarding the death of “Black Panther” is treated with respect and tribute so it was also very emotional and Ryan Coogler, as well as the actors, did a great job.