Grief and death rock Wakanda in the Black Panther sequel “Wakanda Forever.” The movie is about Wakanda’s struggles after the death of their king and the effect Wakanda has had since telling the world about their vibranium.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” starts off on a somber note. The opening of the movie starts off with the death of King T’Challa. The actor who played the character, Chadwick Boseman, passed away in 2020. As a tribute to the late actor, a moment of silence was held for him.

Processing grief and anger is a main theme in this movie. Throughout the movie, Shuri grapples with the death of her brother and the anger she feels toward the world. Viewers also see the new character Namor process the anger he feels towards the surface world for what they have done to his people.

This was one of Marvel’s most emotional movies. Many of the scenes are heartbreaking, including the deaths of two important characters, as well as many intense scenes. 

This Marvel movie is a stand-out and very different from the rest. One aspect of the movie that makes Wakanda Forever so different is that it does not shy away from the impact that colonization has had on black and indigenous communities. The movie also touches on the greed of countries and what they will do to become the most powerful. 

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is only Marvel’s second women-led movie and their second movie with a black lead. The lead in this movie is Letitia Wright and the supporting cast includes Dominique Thorne, Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong’o. All of these women gave amazing performances throughout the whole movie. The woman who stood out most, however, was Angela Bassett. Bassett had some of the most powerful monologues within the movie and played a major part in an impactful and heartbreaking scene, when she shares her feelings about becoming queen and losing her family.

The overall acting in the movie was phenomenal. Each and every actor and actress portrayed their characters perfectly. The actors in this movie brought their characters to life and made them feel relatable in many different ways. The actors and actresses displayed compelling on-screen chemistry with one another. The interactions felt real and natural, and they truly brought the story to life.

This movie introduces the character Namor, played by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta. Namor is the main antagonist in the movie, but he is not the villain. Throughout the movie, Namor makes radical decisions to protect his people from the surface world.

Throughout the movie, we see how desperate other countries are to get ahold of vibranium. One character even says they dream of the day when the United States holds vibranium. Just like the competing countries, Namor is doing whatever he can to protect his people at all costs. Namor is the antihero of the story. He is doing things that others in the movie and the audience would deem as villainous or evil but he does these things to protect his people. He is reacting to the way others have treated his people in the past.

The visuals throughout the movie are impressive. The CGI looks seamless. Not only do we get to see more of Wakanda, but we are also introduced to the underwater nation of Talokan. The CGI and visual effects of Talokan are beautiful. The visual effects added another layer to the story to help bring these places to life.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” went through many changes after the death of Chadwick Boseman, as he was set to play the lead in the original script for the second movie. However, the screenplay writers made the movie feel like a natural continuation of the first Black Panther movie and continued the evolution of the characters.

The first Black Panther movie made waves as Marvel’s first Black lead superhero movie. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has set the bar for the future not only for Black lead superhero movies but also women lead superhero movies. This movie is not just another superhero movie. This movie tackles the many emotions that come with losing a loved one. This helps to create characters that the audience can relate to and sympathize with. Wakanda Forever showcased an engaging story, visuals and an even more amazing cast. This movie is a must-see for 2022.