Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie review: Letitia Wright steals the show

The highly anticipated sequel to Black Panther is finally hitting theaters in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Can the movie live up to the original? What will the world be like without Chadwick Boseman? Today, I share my review ahead of the film’s release.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follows the people of Wakanda who are fighting to protect their home from other people as they mourn the death of King T’Challa. The movie is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, and Tenoch Huerta.

The optimism surrounding how they would handle the death of T’Challa’s death on screen was quickly erased from the go. Coogler handles this entire thing with so much compassion and honesty that it’s truly a beautiful and touching tribute to start the movie. As they do in every film, the opening Marvel title reveal will have you in tears.

I will not reveal any spoilers regarding this film, but I will tell you the things I liked and didn’t. Starting with what I liked, Coogler’s writing can captivate you and reel you into his world, which very few filmmakers can do, especially on the scale of these movies. There was so much heart in this film that you could feel it oozing off the screen from everyone who partook in it.

Letitia Wright steals the show in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Speaking of heart, Letitia Wright is the heart and soul of Wakanda Forever. Everybody walking into this film knew they had massive shoes to fill, and it seems as if Wright took it personally. Wright took Shuri to another level that has you eating out of the palm of her hands. It’s truly one of the best performances in any Marvel film EVER.

Another standout from the movie was the addition of Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta. Huerta played a formidable villain that made you feel like the stakes were high and he could take everyone down. Huerta was impressive in the role that gives you some hope for what is ahead for Namor in this universe.

Dare I say that the visuals, costumes, and fight sequences superseded the original? It might be due to the fact we had a few more layers to peel back within this film, but several shots and sequences leave you in awe of the work behind the scenes. These artists continue to deliver incredible work on these Marvel films that go unnoticed.

My only bone to pick throughout the film was the run time. While you aren’t looking down at your clock, you do feel every bit of its almost three-hour run time. You can easily point out several sequences that could’ve shaved a little time off the film.

Overall, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the perfect follow-up to the original. It has everything a comic book movie needs, high stakes, a great villain, fun action sequences and killer performances. I loved this movie and I can’t wait to see it again.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11, 2022.