Ever since Marvel ended its Infinity Saga with “Avengers: Endgame,” the company has forced roughly a dozen films and Disney+ shows to release in a span of three years. Unfortunately, this has caused a majority of the products to appear rushed. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” does not seem rushed overall as a film, but the special effects and editing are certainly subpar compared to the excellent acting.
The biggest issues with this movie are the ‘vfx’ and editing. There are scenes that truly look like no one watched this movie before releasing it to movie theaters. With multiple shows and movies releasing each year, some films are bound to fall behind technically, but it is just astounding how dated some scenes look. There are certain cuts in the editing that just look sloppy and make no sense.
Other than that, the film is quite entertaining. The plot is unique, and the juggling between multiple leads works, as each are unique in their own way to be amusing. A particular standout is Angela Bassett as Ramonda, perfectly playing a new-found Queen and mother who lost her child. It is hard to draw a line where the characters are mourning the loss of T’Challa and the cast mourns the loss of Chadwick Boseman, but as a viewer you feel their pain. Similarly, Letitia Wright as Shuri stepped up the lead role excellently. I am sure she was not expecting to have to become the lead of these films so soon, but she was a strong, believable main character.
In terms of the plot, it is far above average for Marvel’s “Phase 4.” The story is unique, with a group of established characters finding a way to survive in a post-T’Challa Wakanda. The inclusion of Tenoch Huerta’s Namor is a decent-enough villain. However, his motives are confusing. He wants his people to be safe, yet continues to fight with the United States and Wakanda, risking their secrecy. If one person took a picture of Namor or his people, the entire world would know they exist, and they would likely be targeted by the governments. He is still an interesting villain, and his army is scary enough to be a somewhat believable threat to Wakanda.
The movie has its flaws for sure. The sloppy post-production work is jarring, not in a way that is unheard of for Marvel’s newest products, but in a way that the film will still gross hundreds of millions with all its technical failures. In no way is it fair to fault the editors and ‘vfx’ artists, rather than direct blame towards the “higher-ups” of Disney and Marvel. The characters and story at least make up for this, as they all go above and beyond to carry the film. Overall, in my opinion, the film is absolutely one of the best films of “post-Endgame” Marvel, but is slightly disappointing as the last film of “Phase 4.”