That's it, here we are! Fifteen days after our press screening, we can finally do the complete analysis of this Black Panther Wakanda Forever, the very last film of Phase 4 of the MCU. A complicated Phase 4, whose exceptional duration also resulted in a sequence of films and series of random quality. No less than 7 films to see in the cinema and 9 series to follow on Disney +, we still had the strong impression that Marvel no longer really had a place to go, after the end of Avengers Endgame. Lots of new superheroes to introduce, stakes reduced to little grief, humor, way too much humor, clumsy and even sickening... But with the start of Phase 5 and the arrival of Ant-Man 3 Quantumania which will introduce Kang the Conqueror, the time probably no longer seems to be a joke... That's good, it's with this state of mind that Black Panther Wakanda Forever was shaped which really put humor aside. There are certainly some funny situations, but rest assured, there are zero clumsy or awkward jokes like we saw in Thor Love & Thunder. And it was a bit normal, since the film is also a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who died in August 2020 from cancer. Indeed, placing jokes every 10 minutes in a film like this would have been so out of place in this context of homage and legacy.
SWEET EMOTIONS
Instead, emotion, a lot of emotion, especially at the beginning of the film when it was necessary to deal with the death of the actor and to justify it scriptwriting speaking. From this point of view, the screenwriters did not want to dwell on the reasons for his death. We do not see him die, but the scene is filmed as such, with the point of view of his family and his sister Shuri who does everything to try to save him from cardiac arrest. She will therefore not succeed and we will attend the funeral, the images had been seen in the trailer then the moment will come when the Marvel Studios logo appears on the screen, with only images of Chadwick Boseman and silence, nothing but the silence, no music, nothing, it was so emotional. The whole room held its breath. It was powerful. A detail that is important, Black Panther Wakanda Forever lasts 2h47. It's long, very long, too long for some. Personally, we don't mind, quite the contrary. We much prefer that a film take its time to tell us things correctly than a rushed thing that has nothing to offer us. Despite everything, we will come back to the last quarter of the film, which rushes a lot of things while the rest of the film takes its time. It's quite paradoxical. And it is true that certain aspects of the film could have been shortened, or quite simply cut (sorry Iron Heart).
Despite its length, Black Panther Wakanda Forever is a rich, dense film that introduces a lot of things. Too many moreover and we can see there the modifications of the scenario following the death of Chadwick Boseman.
Despite its length, Black Panther Wakanda Forever is a rich, dense film that introduces a lot of things. Too many moreover and we can see there the modifications of the scenario following the death of Chadwick Boseman. Indeed that Ryan Coogler had spent a year writing the screenplay for Wakanda Forever, before the death of Chadwick Boseman and that he had to rewrite it following this tragic event. In 2h47, Black Panther Wakanda Forever covers many important topics. The death of Tchalla, his legacy and his succession, the geopolitical context after the Endgame era and the vibranium which attracts all the desires, in particular that of Spain, which is also not badly represented in the film. There are a few sequences where it speaks French, it's quite funny. Finally, unless you see the film in VF, there won't be any difference… There is also the introduction of Namor and his Talocan people, inspired by the Maya civilization and which is a kind of mirror of Wakanda, since it is an unknown territory, very rich too and which also holds vibranium in large quantities. Namor is therefore the equal of Black Panther for Talocan, he is a leader who first seeks to protect his people. With the difference that he does not hesitate to use the strong way to make himself respected. He calls himself Tutulkan by his people, meaning the Feathered Serpent God. He's the big bad of the movie and that's clearly the main reason why you need to see Black Panther Wakanda Forever then. He is the MVP, he bursts the screen at each of his interventions and the actor Tenoch Huerta is so charismatic that he literally steals the show from the other characters. Except maybe to Angela Bassett who also deserves a standing ovation for her performance in the film.
But basically, you understood, as in the first Black Panther, it is the villain who is the main attraction of this sequel. Like Killmonger who stole the show from Tchalla, Michael B Jordan 10 times more charismatic than Chadwick. That's what was unfortunate. Black Panther was phew bossy in Captain America Civil War, but in his own movie he was tragically downgraded. Bah there, it's the same, in Wakanda Forever, it's Namor who is the center of interest of everything. Limit we do not care what happens to Wakandans, that's what is terrible. Added to this lack of interest is the fact that Shuri doesn't have the shoulders to carry the film, unfortunately. We had doubts seeing the trailers, it's confirmed once we leave the room. And yet, actress Laetitia Wright gives everything to be credible, but not only is her build too frail (it's still a twig physically huh), which prevents her from living up to the stature of Black Panther, but in addition, she must justify her rise in the film. And that is a writing problem. So, we try to justify it, but unfortunately, the character suffers from what she represented in the first episode. She was Tchalla's intellectual sister and not a warrior. So of course, in the comics, she becomes Black Panther in turn, but not like that, not with the snap of a finger, there is a process, an evolution. Unfortunately, in the film, they unfortunately don't have time to linger and they find a somewhat borderline shortcut to justify all that.
So there is still a pretty good thing that Ryan Coogler has put in place. Knowing that Shuri physically can't compete with Namor, she uses her head and strategic tricks to knock him out, but it's clearly not enough. Suddenly, so that the actress Laeticia Wright is not alone to carry this burden, Ryan Coogler had the intelligence to develop the other characters. His mother Ramonda, who is gaining in importance and above all in presence, with an ultra-invested and ultra-credible Angela Bassett. Clearly, our second favorite after Namor. Also Okoye, who is there to ensure the action part and defend Shuri, but also Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart. This is where the shoe pinches, since the film did not need to add a stone to this already overloaded building. His introduction into the MCU is too light to make him a strong and interesting character. She wouldn't have been there, we wouldn't have seen any difference, especially since her treatment was sloppy or overlooked, using ridiculous shortcuts, making her a genius superior to Tony Starks at 19. year.
Otherwise, we reassure you, the film has a good performance. It's well filmed, it's quite well acted, visually, it's rather pretty, with an intelligent use of slow motion, not like in Black Adam where it was an overdose (help!) and above all, it is a film that has things to tell us. A bit too superficial it is true, because we have to start the rest of the MCU, and probably introduce the Wakanda series as well, but at least we don't have the impression that we were taken for hams like in Black Adam. And then, it's a film that was made with heart, in pain and which still lands quite well on its feet. Breg, you're going to have a great time.
OUR RATING: 7.5/10
Does Shuri really live up to the costume? #blackpanther #foryou #wakandaforever #marvel #mcu #namor #review #opinion
♬ son original - Maxime CHAO
