The return to Wakanda? A new Black Panther? Namor in the MCU? “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” directed by Ryan Coogler brings all this to life, and is a movie that takes a literal deep dive into the emotional theme of grief and into the beautiful worlds of Wakanda and Talokhan. The movie follows the lasting effects of King T’Challas death.

Coogler shared this beautifully filmed movie on Nov. 11, 2022 as a tribute for Chadwick Boseman, who unfortunately passed away Aug. 28, 2020 at the young age of 43 years old due to colon cancer. Not only does this movie hit hard emotionally, but it also has the beautiful spectacles of the first installment along with the great action the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has to offer.

Touching on the subject of the MCU, this movie did not have the same level of hype compared to the first one. This is due to what some people are calling “Marvel fatigue.” Marvel Studios has released 17 projects in the past two years, causing many people to tire of the “quantity over quality” approach that Marvel has been taking.
Orlando Martinez, a Rocklin High School (RHS) sophomore said, “If you were to use the new ‘Thor’ as an example, this is definitely a step up.” This opinion is shared by many on social media and by critics in the movie community; “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” stands at an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, while “Thor: Love and Thunder” sunk to a 63%. Another sophomore at RHS, Dominic Rodrigues, said, “I don’t think they could’ve done a better job” when it comes to this movie and its emotional value.

Ryan Coogler and the cast including Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, and Letitia Wright perfect these emotional theses in every way, from the loss of Chadwick Boseman, to the unexpected twists and turns, and to the deep and beautiful connections to grief and legacy. All in all, this reviewer believes that “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” exceeds expectations and, in my opinion, is a top ten movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I give “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” an enthusiastic 4.5 out of 5 stars.