Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had an impossible task in the wake of the tragic passing of lead Chadwick Boseman, and for the most part Ryan Coggler does a great job at picking up the pieces and creating a heartfelt story.
I feel as though this movie is attempting to do too much though. There are so many side plots and new characters being introduced that the film has a hard time finding its footing. For as much as I enjoyed Riri Williams and here banter with Wakadans, her arch was not necessary. By omitting this character, the story could have been more focused and streamlined creating an easier viewing experience and deflating the runtime. The writing was decent, but it was pretty exposition heavy. There were countless number of lines that were strictly feeding information to the audience, and they felt inorganic and awkward in the moment. These writing mishaps really hurt my enjoyment and constantly pulled me out of the film.
After those main criticisms, I think this movie overall does a great job in all other departments. The action is surprisingly light, but when it does come it is intense and well-choreographed. There are some really unique fight sequences and weapons introduced with the "Atlanteans" that allowed for some really cool scenes and visuals that were done with some stellar CGI. I specifically like how the final battle had some letterboxing that was not present in the rest of the film. It gave it a grand scale that I thought was excellent touch.
The performances were fantastic all around. Angela Bassett was mesmerizing and really captivated me with her emotion and distress with the passing of her son. There is a scene in here that gave me literal goosebumps. Dominique Thorne was a great addition as Iron-Heart and Lupita Nyong'o was amazing in her limited screen time. I loved Winston Duke and desperately wanted more screentime from him. He was sidelined for the majority of the film, and I think that was the wrong decision. Letitia Wright is the real highlight here. She stepped into a very difficult situation and acted her ass off. I never envisioned her as a lead actress, but she proved me wrong.
Something I want to note that I do not normally include in my reviews in the music choice. The score to this movie was crafted brilliantly and really elevate so many scenes. I enjoyed every song and feel as though it blended with the movie brilliantly. Overall, this movie has its drawbacks but is still an enjoyable watch and one of the better movies in Marvel Phase IV.
Score: 75% | Verdict: Good