Well everyone, for my final film review of the week, we shall review the latest Disney/Marvel superhero film. It is basically the sequel to 2018’s Black Panther, as well as apparently the last of the Phase Four of the Marvel movie series, if I heard right. It is the one, and only Wakanda Forever, which stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman, and some other people.
Plot: When the citizens of Wakanda are accused of committing crimes by the Grand Jury, following mysterious attacks by a group of blue people that the government believes Wakanda to be a part of, it is up to Queen Ramona (Angela Bassett), her daughter Shuri (Letitia Wright), and the rest of their kingdom to find the people that are setting them up, and bring peace, and prosperity back into the world, once, and for all.
Well, right off the bat, Wakanda Forever is a very good film. First of all, having blue colored people in this film was a very creative concept. It just makes you wonder if there will somehow be a connection between them, and the blue creatures of Avatar, despite Avatar not being connected to the Marvel superhero movie series. We shall see, I suppose. Anyway, the visuals are also really good. There’s also the score by Ludwig Goransson. Man, does he do a very good job with comparing the score here. Not quite Oscar worthy but still commendable. The action is also really good, especially near the end of the film. In addition to all of this, how could you not like the acting in this film, especially from the main characters. There were also a few funny parts, even if there could have been more. The villain is very well developed, and you get a good understanding of where he’s coming from. Same can be said about some of the other characters. Finally, it was great to see the filmmakers honor the life of Chadwick Boseman, the actor that played the male Black Panther character in the original Black Panther film in 2018.
However, even if those are all good things, this film is probably not quite the best. First of all, did this film really need to be around two and a half to three hours? Somehow, that could have been cut down by 15-30 minutes less, could it not? If I’m wrong, please inform me as to why. Thanks! Anyway, the movie, overall, seems to feel a little too dark, and depressing at times. I mean yeah Disneys film like Tarzan, or even Brother Bear, for instance, were sad as well, but at least those couple films found ways to be a little more uplifting, and lighthearted as well. Okay, maybe that’s not quite the best comparison, but it still shows how much more enjoyment one can probably get from watching those than say here in Wakanda Forever. Oh, and there were some times where the writing was not quite the best, and could have been handled better. Not to mention that some of those scenes could potentially send some rather mixed message to the audience. Strangely enough, the same can probably be said about moments like the climax near the end of Wakanda Forever as well. Finally, the movie doesn’t seem to feel quite as uplifting as it could have been. It was decent, but could have been better.
And that’s my review for Wakanda Forever. It has some good things in it. Still, I’m not sure if this film was the best one to end the said Phase 4 portion of Marvel. But hey, on the brighter said, at least one can take it over something like last year’s Eternals, since this one at least doesn’t have gay elements in it, especially not thrown in your face. I would say still see it, and see what you think! However, probably see it at a cheaper price, or something like that, if you can.
Final Grade: C+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 