Origin and release year: USA (2022)

Cast: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Martin Freeman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Angela Bassett, Michael B. Jordan, Trevor Noah

Synopsis: The people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening world powers as they mourn the death of King T’Challa. (IMDb)

Let’s be frank. Wakanda Forever was great but it lacked the same impact of its first film. It can’t be certain whether it’s because Chadwick Boseman’s absence was glaring (may he rest in peace) or simply because the story lacked something.

The film was good and a solid watch but it felt less like a Marvel movie and more like a standard blockbuster.

The introduction of another tribe also felt more distracting than anything? You’d think the storyline would be solely based in Wakanda following the loss of Black Panther but the immediate introduction of another tribe/country was a bit jarring.

Despite this, the story of Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía) and the people of Talokan was indeed gripping. In fact, it slightly overshadowed Wakanda and the characters we would’ve loved to see more of like M’Baku (played by Winston Duke) and Okoye (played by Danai Gurira). It also felt unfortunate that these two kingdoms were pitted against each other as opposed to forming an alliance against the US and other nations who were after their vibranium. It felt like the conflict was slightly misguided and Namor’s agenda was hypocritical as he sought to do the very thing he condemned the West for doing. The ending alludes to the possibility of an alliance in another film. So, we’ll have to see.

The film’s script and visual effects were particularly impressive, once again. There was also just the right balance of comedic relief.

Overall, the film was good but not as great as the first one. It might potentially be the adjustment to a new Black Panther, but hopefully the film can find its footing again in the next sequel.