Director Ryan Coogler delivered yet another powerful and inspirational follow-up to the blockbuster hit Black Panther, which first hit theaters in 2018. Coogler singlehandedly refuted the stereotype that predominantly black films can’t be successful globally. Black Panther broke many box office records, even before Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the film starring Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, and Tenoch Huerta was released November 11th, and was two hours and forty-one minutes long. 

Wakanda Forever quickly follows up after the death of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). The director begins the film on a somber note with his funeral. Communities across Wakanda were united together by celebratory dancing and singing, dressed in white clothing and beads, to mourn his unfortunate death.

One year later, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) – mother of King T’Challa – arrives at the United Nations, with many countries wanting Wakanda to share vibranium – the strongest substance on earth. However, countries like France and the United States, have tried stealing this rare metal on several different occasions. America even got its hands on technology that detects vibranium. Ramonda lets everyone know that even though the king is dead, Wakanda will still fight. 

Little did Wakanda know, the real threat would be coming from underwater, where the aquatic nation of the Talokan lives, and controls the supply of vibranium in the ocean. The king of the Talokan (Tenoch Huerta) – who goes by Namor – is a half-human and half-Atlantean, with pointy ears and wings on his ankles. Namor has a grudge against “the surface,” due to past enslavement. He proposes an alliance to Queen Ramonda and Shuri (Letitia Wright) for mutual protection, and to murder Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a very intelligent MIT student, who created the vibranium-detector machine America used. On the other hand, if Wakanda declines the offer, Namor will start a war with the country.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was near perfect. The acting and visual effects were truly outstanding throughout the film, and the performance and emotions specifically by Angela Bassett were impeccable. In fact, Angela Bassett received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned five Oscar nominations including:

• Best Supporting Actress
• Best Costume Design
• Best Original Song: “Lift Me Up”
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Best Makeup and Hairstyling

The theme of grief and healing is portrayed in almost every character, and will leave the viewer speechless and feeling every emotion known to man. 

My only complaint with this movie is that there were many topics, that it was congested with how much they wanted to cover, and was almost too much for just one film, and the movie felt much longer than it was. 

8.5/10