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After the tragedy, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Echoing the pain of loss, it pierces the normally unimportant realm of superheroes. Like someone who goes through a phase of grief, Ryan Coogler’s films are at times sad, rootless, angry, and clear.In the fantastic Marvel Cinematic Universe, death is almost always a plaything, wrestling with the real, in Death of T’Challa star Chadwick BosemanIt’s a blockbuster entertainment of unusual uncertainty and introspection.
Of course, it’s a fine line between salute and deal. I did cringe a bit when the Marvel logo included an image of Boseman in the letters: as a eulogy for the brand. After Boseman passed away unexpectedly from colon cancer in 2020, Black Panther was a cultural phenomenon and a box-office blockbuster, and it’s temporarily doubtful that it will get a sequel. Coogler and co-author Joe Robert Cole reinvented, “Wakanda Forever” In tribute to Boseman and the rich Afrocentric world in the landmark original work, we move forward. In admirably chaotic fashion, it succeeds on both fronts.
part The Profound Charm of Coogler’s First “Black Panther” In that it subtly transforms the real world into myth. It turns centuries of colonialism and exploitation into a big-screen spectacle of identity and resistance. In a fictional African country, Coogler evokes both the possible history of fantasy and the emotional reality of the present.
“Wakanda Forever,” which opens in theaters Thursday, expands on that, weaving a similar degree of cultural flair with a Latin American perspective, introducing Aztec-inspired antagonist Namor (Tenok). Huerta), the king of the ancient underwater world. talokan. Meanwhile, Boseman’s death is deeply infiltrated into the story from the very beginning, beginning with the off-screen death throes.
“Time is running out,” we hear whispers when the screen is still black. Shuri (Leitia Wright), T’Challa’s tech-wizard sister, is frantically trying to save her brother by crafting something in her AI lab. But moments later, their mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), tells her, “Your brother is with your ancestors.” He rests in a glorious, celebratory procession through a strip of A multi-layered passage composed of white-clothed, singing and dancing Wakanda people. It’s as stunning as anything Coogler shoots.
After this prologue, “Wakanda Forever” moves to a year later. Black Panther took on some of the Bond films’ spy thriller format, and the sequel continues that in a new geopolitical setting. At the United Nations, the United States and France are pressing for vibranium, the rare metal on which Wakanda builds its empire. Soon after, an American military expedition discovered vibranium at the bottom of the ocean. But just as they celebrated, a mysterious tribe of blue underwater tribes, led by the pointy-eared monarch Namor in green shorts and wings on his ankles, ruthlessly wiped out the entire expedition.
You can feel Wakanda Forever finding its way forward in these early scenes. After such a painful beginning, how much can we care about the whereabouts of the magic mine? Are there more blue men? You might think that “Avatar” has made demands on them. It was Bassett who stabilized the film. Her awesome presence leads “Wakanda Forever” through grief, staunchly defends Wakanda, and rebalances the new kingless kingdom. She continued.
What follows is a globe-trotting plot that takes the film away from its greatest asset in Wakanda, but reveals new places of potential power for historically exploited people. Shuri and General Dora Milaje Okoye (Danai Gurira) travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in search of the student (Dominique Thorne) who built the vibranium detector. In Washington, D.C., a Wakanda-friendly CIA officer (Martin Freeman) experiences new scrutiny from his boss, played by an unannounced comedy actress familiar with Beltway politics.
But, for the most part, a series of exchanges brought Wakanda and Talocan closer. Are they friends or enemies? They are at least charming tweaks to the myth of Atlantis. Dark and watery Talocan isn’t Wakanda, though, and there aren’t many hints from a larger society this time around. Still, Huerta gave Namor an appeal. In many ways, he was a corollary to Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, a non-villain whose anger was justified in many ways. His anger draws in the still grieving Shuri, who finds herself ready to “burn the world” after T’Challa’s death.
As in the first Black Panther, the question is up in the air again whether anger is the answer in a world full of pain and prejudice. This time, it also applies to another powerful civilization. “Wakanda Forever”, where the Black Panther character is passed down, isn’t just about power shifts.
Wakanda and Talokan come together somewhat haphazardly in the conflict as Namor forces African nations to join the apparent war he is brewing. “Wakanda Forever” is a vaguely mid-act film that could end up being a bridge to future “Black Panther” chapters. But along the way, Coogler has worked wonders with returning magicians like production designer Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth E. Carter. How Talokan was thrown into the air by a whale. Gurira was warm and friendly. It’s unfortunate that Lupita Nyong’o is less central here, but every time her Nakia (who has been low key in Haiti) makes an appearance, she graces the film.
“Wakanda Forever” is overly long, a little clunky, and a little mysteriously leading to a climax on a mid-Atlantic barge. But Coogler’s fluid command of blending intimacy with landscape remains captivating. He expands on the abundance of detail and non-binary complexity in the sometimes awkward but often exciting ways that make “Black Panther” special. “Wakanda Forever,” struggling with the fallout of loss, finally finds something rare in a battle-ready superhero landscape: peace.
Black Panther Forever, released by The Walt Disney Company, was rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for its intense violence, action, and some language. Showtime: 161 minutes. Three out of four stars.
Follow AP film writer Jack Coyle on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
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