I find myself conflicted as the credits roll on Wakanda Forever, asking myself a question that I think a lot of people will ask. Should this franchise have died with Boseman?
That's not meant to be disrespectful, quite the opposite, actually. Boseman was the Panther and beyond just playing the roll, he brought something to it that made it resonate with people. Without him... I just don't think this movie works. There's good stuff here, they doubled down on the cultural significance, which is fantastic. The action and cinematography is better. The music is solid. But I am so often just wishing Boseman was in these scenes, anchoring them and making me care.
Its also hard to ignore the strangely pervasive Iron Man influence here. As an Iron Man fan, I should be happy about that, but in reality I found myself asking, "Seriously? Is this just a requirement now? Anyone with significant tech shows that by building an Iron Man-esque suit?" Again, I didn't hate this movie but it felt like every time I was starting to enjoy something, there would come a counterweight. That's never more obvious than it is in our primary antagonist, a character I very much like yet, while I appreciate what they were trying to do, I just could not get on board with this interpretation.
Ultimately, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever seems like a cast of decent supporting characters desperately seeking a lead. These actors are solid, I know they can do great work, but these characters were seemingly never designed to stand on their own two feet. They were only ever meant to be set dressing, accents and facilitators to the main character's journey. Its clear that Shuri is meant to fill that role, but she doesn't and no amount of quips, one liners or robo-pals will fix that.
I'd still say this one is worth a watch, but I really don't see myself going back to it again.
That's not meant to be disrespectful, quite the opposite, actually. Boseman was the Panther and beyond just playing the roll, he brought something to it that made it resonate with people. Without him... I just don't think this movie works. There's good stuff here, they doubled down on the cultural significance, which is fantastic. The action and cinematography is better. The music is solid. But I am so often just wishing Boseman was in these scenes, anchoring them and making me care.
Its also hard to ignore the strangely pervasive Iron Man influence here. As an Iron Man fan, I should be happy about that, but in reality I found myself asking, "Seriously? Is this just a requirement now? Anyone with significant tech shows that by building an Iron Man-esque suit?" Again, I didn't hate this movie but it felt like every time I was starting to enjoy something, there would come a counterweight. That's never more obvious than it is in our primary antagonist, a character I very much like yet, while I appreciate what they were trying to do, I just could not get on board with this interpretation.
Ultimately, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever seems like a cast of decent supporting characters desperately seeking a lead. These actors are solid, I know they can do great work, but these characters were seemingly never designed to stand on their own two feet. They were only ever meant to be set dressing, accents and facilitators to the main character's journey. Its clear that Shuri is meant to fill that role, but she doesn't and no amount of quips, one liners or robo-pals will fix that.
I'd still say this one is worth a watch, but I really don't see myself going back to it again.