IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched in the cinema (89th visit in 2022)
Of course, almost all films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe were successful, some more, some less. But even within the long success story, "Black Panther" was an exception. However, this was only partly due to the film itself, but rather to what it symbolized: dark-skinned heroes are a rarity in an environment that is still dominated by white heterosexual cis men. For the African American population, the title character wasn't just another guy with superpowers who beat up bad guys. "Black Panther" became a figure of identification for millions of people, especially since the film also made the oppression of dark-skinned people an issue. So it was a double liberation blow. It was all the more bitter that this hero, of all people, who made so many people dream, had to leave the stage again far too early. The death of Chadwick Boseman, it was not only for Marvel a disaster. The pain of the loss was immeasurable.
But what did it mean for the Marvel movies? In "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' the topic is tackled very offensively. For example, the story doesn't just begin with the sudden death of T'Challa. There are also repeated references to it at other points. The line between homage and emotional exploitation is not entirely clear at times. On the other hand, Ryan Coogler, who again directed and co-wrote the screenplay, has found a way to integrate death in a meaningful way. Thus, in general, the motif of loss, grief, but also letting go plays a central role. The background of Namor (Tenoch Huerta) is also tragic in nature, born out of suffering and misfortune. His underwater world is the result of an escape from the outside world that brought suffering to so many.
In principle, this doubling of two self-contained worlds that are threatened from the outside is certainly a good idea and makes for a natural convergence. It is all the more peculiar that Coogler at this point starts a conflict between the two kingdoms, but the conflict with the outside world disappears completely. Again and again, there are situations in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" that simply don't make sense in that form. This includes the introduction of Riri (Dominique Thorne), who later gets her own Disney+ series and is therefore dragged along as ballast. The fact that the Underwater Kingdom is doing everything it can to kill her before she builds another vibranium detector isn't particularly plausible after it has already been used by the US government. They should know by now how it works.
These various nonsenses are also annoying because they drag the film on forever. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" takes 160 minutes, which is very excessive considering the thin content and leads to boredom again and again. Admittedly, there are numerous locations, and for a while, à la Eternals, a merry game of setting-switching is played out. But where in the much-maligned MCU colleagues at least a visual variety resulted from it, there are only two noteworthy locations here. One is Wakanda, the other the underwater world. Both are quite pretty in their own right and are also pleasing due to the folkloric elements. Unfortunately, though, that's where Coogler is in a hurry. Instead of actual world building, he's just visiting as a tourist. Yet these worlds are one of two strengths that distinguish his film.
The other is the ensemble. Of course, the loss of Boseman weighs heavily. The fact that in general Michael B. Jordan is also no longer in the cast, is also hard to compensate for. But that leaves more room for the female part of the cast to flourish, especially Angela Bassett as the Queen, who faces a difficult task and is definitely the highlight when it comes to acting. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is more of a collaborative effort than its predecessor, which serves it quite well. And there are also improvements in terms of action. True, they're still far from reference material, relying like so many Hollywood productions on quick cuts where you can't see much. But it's still decent, at least when there is action, which is surprisingly rare. Overall, though, the film is just solid with a few passages that are worth going to the movies for. However, this is certainly not a major cinematic event, even if the length claims that for itself. The first part was much better in terms of pacing.
