My Thoughts on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Well my friends. It has been almost a week now since I have seen Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in theaters. Last Friday night I sidled up to my local theater, grabbed my pack of tissues, and went in prepared knowing that I would most likely be in tears for most of this movie. I am so glad that I brought them, because boy did I need it.

Now, before I dive into this blog post, I would first like to state that while I wish to share my thoughts on what I thought about this film, I think it's also important to recognize that as a non-POC watching this film, my thoughts on this movie are not as important as those that do identify in these communities. I recognize that as a non-POC/non-Latinx individual, I will never truly understand the impact that this film has had on its respective communities, as I do not have the same experiences that those who identify in these communities experience daily, and the reflection of culture that this film may have for them. That being said, I would like to recognize a few of my lovely POC creator friends whose reviews and opinions on this film I would like to amplify and support in regards to the importance of this incredible movie.

@theoriesbyt
@strawhatgoofy
@amandajustvibin
@nicquemarina
@jphrygian

I encourage you to go to their pages, watch their content, and listen to their reviews and takes on this film.

Before I continue, I would also like to give a SPOILER WARNING for the content below, as I will be talking about specific plot points in regards to the movie!

First of all, I want to begin by stating that I thought this movie was such a beautiful tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. I thought that the way they tied in real life elements of his own health battle was done in a respectful way and honored him while also explaining why T'Challa was not in the film. You could see how much raw emotion from the actors was reflected in their scenes. Such a lovely way to honor him <3 It broke my heart when Shuri wasn't able to finish making a heart-shaped herb in time. And the way Queen Ramonda walked in to tell Shuri that T'Challa had passed wrecked me. Cue the first round of tears. The funeral scene was so beautiful and I think gave us such a wonderful glimpse into more of the culture of Wakanda and how they respect and honor those who have passed.

Shuri's feelings towards the ancestors I think was set up well, as it tied to her brother's death and her frustration that the ancestors did not allow her the time she needed to be able to recreate the heart-shaped herb to save him, also explaining why she had never tried to recreate the herb for herself to take in order to become the next Black Panther. It is clear why Queen Ramonda is nervous, as Wakanda does not have a protector for Wakanda and all of the tension surrounding the vibranium supply amongst the other countries is something she probably wasn't expecting to have to work with on her own before T'Challa's passing. I found it interesting also that there was more vibranium in the ocean that was not known about by Wakanda! I thought that plot point tied Talokan and Wakanda together in a great way.

Namor popping up out of the water out of NO WHERE during Shuri and Queen Ramona's talk was stressing me out, I was so worried he was just going to bring harm to both of them as soon as he came on screen. And the way Shuri and Okoye were just hanging out in the woods trying to get the attention of Ross was so funny, I love how they were just like "...hey." HAHAH.

Riri was AWESOME!!! I adored seeing her on screen, and her character is so fun. I was excited for Iron Heart before seeing this film, but I think that finally getting to see her character realized in live action made me even more excited for her show. I hope we get some MJ and Ned cameos since they are also going to be at MIT <3 Also, that car chase scene with Riri using her suit for the first time was fantastic!

Okoye losing her title as General made me so sad, I adore her character and you can tell how much she cares about Wakanda. But Queen Ramonda really did have a point with everything that she had done between the first Black Panther and then also losing Shuri to Talokan. Even still, it made me so sad to see her so upset. Love love LOVED seeing Nakia again, Lupita Nyong'o is such an incredible actress and Nakia's character is definitely one of my favorites from the Black Panther franchise. I was excited to see her back in action again! But after that post credit scene, I can see why she was so hesitant to jump back into it at first.

Talokan was so beautiful! And the soundtrack for the underwater scene just enhanced that experience, I thought Namor's backstory was so well told, it was so interesting to hear about how he got his powers and his name. I found it interesting that he gave his mother's bracelet to Shuri, but I understand it was his way to try and get her on his side. But then it definitely ended up backfiring on him after when Shuri was able to scan and get information from it in order to make the synthetic heart-shaped herb.

Queen Ramonda dying was not something I was originally expecting to happen, but as soon as she swam down to save Riri, I knew she was gone. I was so sad they killed her off! She was such a great character. It almost felt like all of Wakanda was gone after she passed, which I'm sure is how Shuri feels as well with how much she has lost. Her father, her brother, and now her mother. I can't even imagine...

And then Shuri was finally able to make the heart-shaped herb! I gotta say, I honestly was really expecting Nakia to be the one to take the herb, but story wise it did make a lot of sense for it to be Shuri. But I was NOT expecting Kiilmonger to be who she saw in the ancestral plane! I practically screamed when I saw him show up. Super cool to have him back for a bit, even if it was just a five minute scene! He's such an interesting character. And I loved Shuri's suit and how she made new suits for the Dora (and Riri's suit too!!! She was rocking it!)

The end fight scene with the Dora, the Midnight Angels, and Shuri against Namor was intense, I thought that the head nods to the first Black Panther and how Shuri got Namor to surrender to her were extremely well done. How she heard her mother speaking to her, telling her to show him "who you are". And how Shuri realized that her and Namor both had the best intentions for their people, how they were similar in the ways that they cared for one another and protecting their countries. Although, it's clear that Namor still has hatred towards the "surface world" whereas Shuri seems to want peace and to protect Wakanda while still finding ways to share its resources.

The ending of the movie with the silences as it showed clips of T'Challa absolutely broke me. Tears upon tears again. Watching as Shuri burns her funeral attire and finally accepts that her family is gone. Absolutely devastating. I think the choice to not have music in the back here also made the scene that bit sadder, to sit in the silence with Shuri as she accepted her loss and grieved for her family.

And of course, we cannot end this post without talking about that end credits scene. I was NOT expecting that!!! Little baby Toussaint, whose Wakandan name was T'Challa, MY GOD my heart swelled. He is so sweet. And I feel that this is such a great way for the MCU to still have an opportunity to have a T'Challa as Black Panther down the line, while still allowing Chadwick to have his legacy live on in the character without recasting him. So well done, Marvel.

Overall this movie absolutely destroyed me emotionally. I'm already planning to hopefully see it a second time this weekend with a few of my friends, and I just know that I'm going to cry just as hard as I did the first. Such a beautiful film, and a wonderful end to Phase 4.