Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a sequel that fans have been waiting for, especially after the death of Chadwick Boseman. Minus the actor, Wakanda Forever is still back in casting regulars, namely Letitia Wright, Angela Bisset, Dana Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, and now added by Tenoch Huerta, and Dominic Thorne. With a massive budget of USD 250 million, is this sequel worth it, as well as closing the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)?
“Wakanda Forever!”
After the events of Thanos, the king of Wakanda, T’Chala, was mysteriously ill and finally died. Wakanda mourns, and his mother, Ramonda (Basset), returns to the throne. A year later, Ramonda and Shuri (Letitia Wright) are visited by a mysterious, strong figure named Namor (Huerta). He asked Wakanda to look for US scientists who could make Vibranium metal detectors on the seabed because they were considered a threat to his tribe. Otherwise, his tribe will attack Wakanda. Namor is the king of the mutant race under the sea that existed hundreds of years ago. Shuri and Okoye (Gurira), who investigate this case, find the scientist who turns out to be an MIT student in Massachusetts, USA.
Who is not curious about the fate of “Wakanda” after the death of the late Chadwick Boseman? There’s bound to be a big mess at Marvel Studios because Boseman’s figure is hard to replace. Even this problem continues in the script. High appreciates the writing, which eliminates this figure (T’Chala) by still using some of the old characters, the queen, his sister (Shuri), Okoye, to the giant M’Baku (Duke). It’s just that they don’t have the actor’s charisma, and no one can replace him. Without Boseman, the script no longer has depth other than just a matter of revenge and Vibranium. The plot has no bite, not even a tiny pinch.
Talking about the plot, there are many irregularities and plot holes here and there. The conflict with Namor and his tribe felt forced. Until the Massachusetts segment, the plot is still engaging in line with the figure of Namor, who is still mysterious to us. However, since Namor took over the story, things have fallen apart. Strange, they already got what they wanted (the scientist), so why not do what they had to do when there were so many opportunities? The option of attacking Wakanda is ridiculous, let alone Earthlings. Maybe they’ve never heard of Avengers or Captain Marvel? Or it could be that they avoided Thanos’ snap. This is ridiculous.
Referring to his first title and film, Black Panther’s transitional moment is a transcendental moment full of wisdom and nuances of local tradition. But now? Everything and instantly in line with the demands of the story. Shuri was too weak for a character of this magnitude, though she couldn’t help it; she had to. Then the action? There’s not much left except for a few extraordinary visual moments. Action on the streets is even more interesting than underwater. One exciting thing is the other side of the city of Wakanda which combines modernity and nature. However, we have not explained how the city’s defenses can be broken so easily. The visuals, both the action and the setting above and below the sea, are far from bad.
Despite its impressive visual moments, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever loses its charisma, charm, and story depth due to the absence of Chadwick Boseman. No one can replace this figure, even though the great actress Angela Basset plays far beyond her previous performance. One memorable moment became a tribute to the late actor. So what’s next after this (MCU)? The figure of Namor and his superior race is now available. With the concept of a multiverse and dozens of new characters, the MCU is now going indefinitely. This is not great news for me, but I look forward to what they will do after this.
