Digital Review: Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

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Feb 06, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

It’s been one year since the passing of Wakanda’s King T’Challa. The precious Heart-Shaped Herb probably could have saved his life, but Killmonger had burned all of it after becoming the Black Panther. Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) desperately searched for a cure to her brother’s illness, attempting to recreate a synthetic version of the herb, but ultimately failed to do so in time. While Wakanda has lost its Black Panther, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) has taken over the throne, and is already seeing her resolve tested by those who see an opportunity to exploit a perceived weakness. Other nations have seen the power of vibranium and its potential as a weapon, and want it for themselves, but Queen Ramonda refuses to share the technology. General Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje have managed to thwart raids on Wakandan outreach centers, but these other nations will try anything to get their hands on some vibranium, and start looking for sources outside of Wakanda.

The U.S. military and the CIA have teamed up, and make use of a vibranium detector developed by brilliant young MIT student Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). When they discover vibranium in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, this immediately catches the attention and ire of a race of blue-skinned merpeople who had managed to keep their underwater city of Talocan a secret for centuries. Their leader, Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), a mutant with winged ankles and godlike strength and powers manages to get past Wakanda’s security to visit Queen Ramonda and Princess Shuri. He blames them for letting the world know about vibranium, and asks them to bring him the young scientist who created the vibranium detector for the U.S. government to him so that he can eliminate her. However, sending a young woman to her death is not something they are willing to do, and so Wakanda soon finds itself up against a ruthless and formidable force, with no more Black Panther to protect them.

I thought that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made a wise choice to not recast the character of T’Challa. The way the unfortunate passing of star Chadwick Boseman is integrated into the story itself is really well done, giving an art-imitates-life feeling as the film explores the grief faced by these characters. Angela Bassett gives a strong, emotional performance as this queen grieving over the loss of her son. There is one speech that Ramonda gives that just screams, “Give me the Oscar”! The film also gives the character of Shuri a chance to grow and evolve. In the first film she was more of the goofy lab tech and younger sister, but now it’s time for her to grow up. T’Challa was her best friend, and she feels like she failed him by not being able to find a cure. Her brother had always been her mentor and savior, and now she sees a lot of herself in Riri and wants to help mentor and protect this brilliant young woman. Shuri never wanted to take up the mantle of Black Panther, preferring to solve problems using brains rather than brawn. However, with the arrival of Namor, she finds herself tested, and sent down a dark path, pitting her conscience up against rage and a thirst for revenge. While Shuri’s arc is easily the biggest of the film, the movie also gives several other characters their own emotional journeys and obstacles to overcome. I found Okoye’s arc particularly interesting, as she finds her very purpose questioned.

In the first film, the enemy came more from within the tribe. In this movie it’s a while new equally, if not more powerful race. Namor and his people make a formidable force to be reckoned with. While Namor can float through the air thanks to his winged ankles, his soldiers can ride into battle on the backs of whales. They carry vibranium weapons and water grenades, have super strength, can control the water and its creatures, and even sing a siren song that can send their enemies leaping to their death into the ocean. Namor has some centuries old baggage and distrust of humans, and while he feels some kinship to the Wakandans, he doesn’t take No for an answer, and is always looking for a way to manipulate things to his advantage.

While there are a lot of darker elements to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the film also finds plenty of opportunities to inject levity. One major source of this is the Shuri’s favorite colonizer, CIA agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), who often gets sucked into helping provide intel for the Wakandans. Though, he’s trying to do so behind the back of the snarky new Director de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). There is also a lot of humor with Riri, especially as Okoye and Shuri first meet and try to abduct her at MIT.

While I enjoyed much of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, I don’t think it quite reached the level of the first film. It has a nice blend of character arc/journey, drama, and humor, some beautiful locales, and some intense and exciting action and fight sequences, but it is at least 30 minutes too long. The film tries to squeeze in a bit too many things and characters, to the extent that it feels like it has overstayed its welcome by the end. As much as I love Martin Freeman, everything with his character probably wasn’t vital. And several other scenes didn’t feel that necessary—it’s not until over an hour into the film that we finally learn Namor’s backstory. Also, and without going into potentially-spoilery specifics, there are a few of the choices made by some of the characters that make no logical sense, and feel like they are just there as a contrivance for the plot.

I was sent the Digital HD version of the movie for review, which I watched on the Apple TV. The video was stellar, with a clean and pristine picture throughout. I can’t imagine how this could look better in 4K. The level of detail in faces and texture were excellent, the colors looked rich and beautiful, and darker scenes were still discernable with no signs of black crush. Disney+ offers an IMAX Enhanced version of the film, which expands the picture to a 1.90:1 aspect ratio for select scenes, but this is not available on either the disc and digital releases. Instead, the aspect ratio remains constant throughout the film. The Dolby Atmos audio track sounds amazing. Action sequences are brought to life, showcasing every splash of water and clashing of vibranium weapons. Dialogue remains clear throughout, and there is a constant level of ambiance, helping to give a fully-immersive viewing experience.

The bonus material, which should be the same as what is on the physical release, consists of about 10 minutes of deleted/extended scenes, a gag reel, 17 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and an audio commentary.

What’s Included:

Back cover photo is from the Blu-ray release. Specs and bonus material may vary per platform/retailer. We received the HD Digital release for review, which is what is reflected below.

Film: (2:41:19)

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 7.1
Subtitles: English, English CC, Spanish

Extras:
Content may vary by retailer.

Envisioning Two Worlds (10:55)
The cast and crew talk about coming back and reuniting for this sequel, designing the new sets and costumes, the changes from the first film, bringing in Mesoamerican culture, the challenges of filming underwater, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with production designer Hannah Beachler, costume designer Ruth Carter, co-writer/director Ryan Coogler, stunt coordinator Chris Denison, director of photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw, producer Nate Moore, and stars Lupita Nyong’o (“Nakia”), Danai Gurira (“Okoye”), Letitia Wright (“Shuri”) & Tenoch Huerta Mejia (“Namor”).
Passing the Mantle (5:50)
The cast and crew discuss moving forward in a post-T’Challa world and how that loss affects the other characters, especially Shuri. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Nate Moore, co-writer/director Ryan Coogler, and stars Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett (“Ramonda”) & Dominique Thorne (“Riri Williams/Ironheart”).
Gag Reel (2:29)
Fun with the cast as they flub their lines, miss their marks, improv alternate takes, dance, and make each other laugh on set.
Deleted Scenes (10:12)
Collection of four deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:
- Outside The Scope (2:47)
  Ayo and the Dora Milaje prevent Okoye from boarding her aircraft. Afterwards Aneka confronts Ayo about what just happened.
- The Upstairs Toilet (3:54)
  Everett Ross infiltrates the NSA in disguise as an MI6 agent.
- Daughter of the Border (1:40)
  Okoye’s uncle suggests that she should be the one who steps forward on behalf of the Border Tribe to become the new queen.
- Anytime, Anywhere (1:34)
  Shuri and Okoye say goodbye to one another in Haiti.
Audio Commentary (2:41:19)
Co-writer/director Ryan Coogler, co-writer Joe Robert Cole, and director of photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw provide an interesting and informative commentary throughout the film. They share lots of behind-the-scenes stories about the production, talking about how various scenes were shot, the evolution of the film, and more..

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an entertaining follow-up to the original film. The writers have done an excellent job of integrating the loss of Chad Boseman into the film in a way that pays homage to the actor and the character he played, and that informs the emotions and motivations of the other characters. The film expands the existing universe, bringing in some great new characters and locales, and allows the existing characters to evolve and change. While the film runs a bit too long, I still find it an easy recommendation for fans of the first movie. The digital presentation looks and sounds amazing, and includes a solid selection of bonus material. For those on the fence, the film is also available to check out on Disney+, where is it also offered in an optional IMAX Enhanced version.