Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Black Panther : Wakanda Forever 

Marvel is back and gets back on track with this haunting sequel to Black Panther that will have you in a puddle of tears. It’s incredibly well acted with Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett stealing the show with their emotionally driven performances that are some of the best performances I’ve ever seen in any MCU film ever. It’s packed with fantastic action set pieces but keeps its focus on the characters and really expands upon the world of Wakanda all the while giving a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman. Black Panther : Wakanda Forever is one of the best sequels I’ve seen from Marvel in quite some time. 

Firstly, I have so much to unpack about this film. Now their is something that had me so happy after I saw this film and it’s that Marvel foe the first time in ages didn’t let comedy override the serious elements of this story. Now when you have a director like Ryan Coogler at the helm you know it’s going to be good as he’s one of the best directors working today. That being said the studio tho could always of told him to lighten it up but it wasn’t the film was very somber and very much full of heavy emotion. Their are maybe a handful of jokes but that’s it they let the emotion flow without undercutting it with some cheap joke and I respect the hell out of that. Because Coogler knew that the approach to this film had to be serious in tone and to not let anything override what he was trying to tell with this story and it worked so beautifully. He let the audience feel every ounce of emotion and let scenes simmer and have the audience soak up everything without needing to hold their hand having moments of silence to take in what’s happening worked greatly and made the experience of the film that more memorable but it also made for a better film by letting the audience take all that raw emotion in without feeling the need to rush the story along but actually take their time and let the scenes breath organically. It is the best paced and toned marvel film I’ve seen since probably the first Black Panther it’s that good in its exaction of tone. Because Ryan Coogler was put in the position of a impossible task of making a film without his main star. Now you have to remember he wrote a version of Black Panther 2 with Chadwick in it and after he passed he had to now write the film all over again this time without him in it and also make it good. Theirs not many films I know that have a sequel without their main star in it and still keeps the quality of the sequel as good as it’s first film. Now is this better then the first film no it’s not but that’s not a fair judgement to make because Chadwick was in the first film and here he is isn’t and they had such pressure to make this good without him in it and many people are saying how overlong it is and it’s all over the place with it’s story but for me it’s one of the best films done by Marvel. Because to have a film that is able to tackle grief in a very real way really impressed me because not every film Marvel does has to be funny or injected with humour it can be emotionally driven and work as it’s proven so well with this film and as well the tribute they give to Chadwick Boseman is very moving. As his absence is felt through the entire film and they acknowledge it in a delicate and powerful way. The way they deal with the characters death was respectful and hits you like a punch in the heart Ryan Coogler treats the first ten minutes of the film like a funeral and he wants the audience to feel like it’s ok to cry and to be sad and that he did the appropriate thing by having those ten minutes for Chadwick be full of raw emotion that will have you in tears. So tone and style wise this is probably the best Marvel film with such a mature tone I’ve ever seen from the MCU since Black Panther. 

Secondly, Now this leads into my second points greatly as the cast all brought such a tenderness and truly top notch performance to the film. As with the passing of Chadwick Boseman the film leans into its emotional weight greatly.  now the thing is when you see the actors swept up in the moment of the scene it’s so powerfully acted you can’t tell if it’s the actor itself crying or if that’s the character. I say that Because for a lot of the mourning scenes and emotionally shattering moments of loss dose not feel acted as they are experiencing that loss with the absence of Boseman so it never made the performances distracting if anything it made it powerful. Now for Angela Bassett she delivers one of the most heartbreaking and emotionally impactful performances I’ve ever seen in a superhero film. Now In the first Black Panther film she was very much a supporting character and here she has that same amount of screen time but her work in this film is superior to what she brought depth wise to the first film as she plays a mother here that is very emotionally shattered and Angela Basset shines in such brutal emotional rawness that will have you swept up in every time she’s onscreen. Then theirs Letitia Wright who had the tough task of taking over this film as it’s central character. Now keep in mind she wasn’t a main character in the first film she was very much a supporting character and since Chadwick Boseman passed she was thrust into becoming a main character for this film. She always is the heartbeat of this film and she carry’s this film on her shoulders and may I say she delivered beautifully in terms of expanding her character arc and performance wise as well she explores sides to her that really engaged me and made her so much more multi layered. It’s a performance that will grip you and move you. Everyone else involved all gave tremendous performances but it’s the work from these two amazing actresses Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett who give such emotionally charged performances this film provides one of the best acted films from a cast I’ve seen in a marvel film it’s top notch performances from every actor big or small their contribution to the film was solid. 

Lastly, Black Panther : Wakanda Forever is a beautifully emotional film that honours Chadwick Boseman in such a touching way. But it also is able to move the characters forward into new and exciting places all the while carrying this heavy weight on them that was a huge task and they pulled it off greatly. The action sequences were pulse pounding the emotional beats of the story is what really made the film for me as it’s the most mature and moving film The MCU has ever done and it is terrifically acted and brilliantly directed this is one of Marvels strongest films and a truly spectacular sequel. I recommend everyone go check this film out. 

This film centres around Wakanda after the tragic loss of their King the Black Panther but when his sister Shuri has to step up as head of the family and she proves herself if she’s willing to take on the responsibility of representing her family. 

Rated PG - 13 : Sequences of Strong Violence|Action|Some Language

Letitia Wright : Letitia delivers a harrowing performance full of intense emotion. Now this character she played was very much a comic relief character last time we saw her. Yes she had the range to also show bits of that dramatic side of the character in the first film but it wasn’t explored much. Here the film rests solely on the shoulders of Letitia’s performance and my god does she give a great turn in this sequel as we see so much more depth to her character this time around as the film starts with the passing of Chadwick Boseman and then we eventually see her go through the stages of grief throughout the course of the story. As the first half of the film you see her very much in a heavy emotional state due to the loss of her brother and how she is trying to cope with that in the way she can and as the film progresses that eventually leads into to a extent anger. Which she gets told and learns that leading with anger or vengeance will get you nowhere if you want to be a true leader and then eventually by the final act of the film she does come to acceptance and it is quite the beautiful arc. Because you can see the raw emotion Wright feels on and off screen due to the very real tragic loss of Chadwick so her having a very shattered heart and having to piece herself together didn’t have to feel something she had to act and the delivery of her dialogue was so powerful. She comes into her own as as a leader by the end of the film as yes she mourns the death of the Black Panther but she also steps up to become the leader of her family and it’s greatly done it didn’t feel forced or badly written but it worked so well for this film and she also still has that great charm to Shuri we came to love from the first film that is still very much present in the sequel. But what’s great about her work in this film is how complex she’s become as a character and that she explores the sadness in her heart and let’s the character overcome that emotional hell in the way she feels is best for her and not only am I impressed with her performance in the film but the amount of care and passion she put into this film is truly amazing. As yes Angela Bassett has the more showier performance in terms of emotion but Letitia delivers a truly engaging leading performance that delivers with such authentic emotion that will move you and she commands the screen with a iron first she truly is captivating in this film giving a truly spectacular performance. 

Angles Bassett : Angela delivers a heart shattering performance that will have you in pieces. Now she gives one of the most strongest performances of her career with her turn as the mother of Wakanda. Now first off can I just say Angela Bassett is one of the most underrated hard working actors today that doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the hard work she puts into her craft. As her work in the follow up to the first Black Panther is somber and very emotionally charged as with the passing of Chadwick Boseman you can see cracks of the actor bleed through the tears of the character in a very raw way. Because she delivers very heavy monologues in this film that will hit you like a punch to the heart. As she is mourning her son but still has to try to keep herself intact for her people and mentally and emotionally she’s a mess behind closed doors but gives off this tough personality when dealing with business matters or with potential threats to her way of living. Now she may be a supporting role in the film but she has such a deep impact to the heart of this story and it can be felt through her committed performance shining onscreen. As when she speaks people stop talking and listen she commands the screen with such a energy that you can’t help but get wrapped up into Bassett brings a lot of her real pain and heartache over the loss of her co star to the character and the tears and shaky voice you can tell is real. She came to this role this time around wearing her heart on her sleeve and gave everything she had to this character she is chilling, engaging and overall delivers a powerhouse punch of sheer emotion that will knock you flat out Angela Bassett needs to be in the awards conversation for supporting actress as she gives some of the best work of her career as the mother and ruler of Wakanda in this powerhouse performance. 

Ryan Coogler : Coogler I applaud you for what you accomplished with Wakanda forever. He had such a mountain of pressure to get this film right not just for the fans but for Chadwick’s family and also just for himself the amount of stress this man went through I cannot imagine. As he constructed a sequel to this film twice and had the emotionally gut wrenching task of having to do a film without his lead at the helm which for any film is impossible. So for Ryan to have written and directed a film which quality can stand close to what the first film is I give him a round of applause because he put such blood sweat and such heart into this film and it shows in the work onscreen. As he makes the film feel very mournful and honestly I liked that because he’s not using sadness be the tone that carry’s the film he tells the audience that it’s okay to use a tone such as grief as your main narrative point for your film. He does it in such a touching and respectful way that will bring you to tears he also expands upon the world he introduced almost five years ago back in 2018 with great new characters and a fantastic antagonist. Now just like the first film he tackles deep themes such as loss of a loved one, trauma and even how seeing death and your family’s home taken from you can truly mess you up psychologically and he doesn’t hold back he shows it for how it is regardless of how dark it can get. Ryan Coogler has always brought a very authentic feel to his films and this one is no different the word I keep going back to is emotional and mournful and he delivers that tone throughout the whole film and no Marvel film have I seen with such a constant dramatic tone with zero laughs before and he knows what he’s discussing wouldn’t be appropriate to have laughs inject underneath the dramatic weight it was able to stay engaging without needing to be a mile a minute with jokes and I respect the hell out of his choice to have such a mature feel to the frame. It’s a fantastic sequel that has great pulse pounding action while deepening the characters we’ve met already and also give us new characters to fall in love with on top of a fresh and amazingly well layered story that will have you loving every moment of this film. It’s a emotional film for sure and it was no easy task Ryan had and you could see the entire cast came to to this film with such respect and put in the hard work for Chadwick it’s once again another truly well directed film by Ryan Coogler Chadwick would of been so proud.