By Cali L staff writer
After a long wait, the Marvel movie, ”Wakanda Forever” was released in theaters on November 11th, 2022. The big question of the movie was who would be the new Black Panther, after the passing of the actor who played the previous Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman. The late Black Panther fell to colon cancer in 2020, before the filming of “Wakanda Forever”. While the original “Black Panther” was a huge success, people have been talking about the second movie’s arrival for a while. Finally, it’s here.
I’ve been highly anticipating watching this movie because of my feelings for the first “Black Panther” movie. The first movie is my favorite Marvel movie. It’s entertaining throughout, I never got bored of it and I’ve watched it multiple times. The story, the action, and the villain’s performance, played by Michael B Jordan, made it such a classic for me.
I arrived at my seat for the movie with some nachos and an Icee, unsure of what to expect but excited to see how the story would unfold. The movie’s beginning was probably what most people had been expecting knowing about Chadwick’s death. The movie addresses his death, opening with an emotional tribute to the late king. It was a great way to remember him and the amazing moments he gave us.
Along the way of the film, it sometimes lost me and caused me to pick up my phone. There was a lot of dialogue and it felt like it took too long to build up the story and bring in the antagonist. The movie was overly long, and I felt like some parts could’ve been shortened or cut entirely.
Eventually though, the introduction of a new character drew me back in, specifically his story. Having the movie explain the character’s back story made me understand the character, and really feel for him.
The emotional aspect of the movie was played up as there were parts where everyone in the theater was shedding tears, as well as one that brought back hope and strength to Wakanda which had the whole theater clapping and cheering. There were also chaotic and freighting moments that were all pulled together in the end. I thought the storylines and the backgrounds really tied together, and brought this movie to life.
Despite the emotional & powerful moments of the movie though, I felt like overall, this movie was average because I expected a lot more from it. My rating for the movie would be a 7/10, but I wonder, is it the movie or just because I miss Chadwick? Who knows. In the end, the movie didn’t have the same impact on me as the first movie did.
