Almost three years ago, Phase 4 of Marvel studios was announced. This was supposedly a series of movies and T.V. shows that viewers would enjoy, so many were excited about this announcement– especially due to the fact that this phase was going to be the introduction to a new generation of heroes after the original Avengers passed. Fans were excited to see much of the teased content, but no movie was more anticipated than Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

When the movie finally released on November 11, 2022, the fans were split about whether the movie was memorable or a waste of time. 

Personally, here is what I thought: 

Black Panther 2 has been hyped up and anticipated by both Marvel and its fans since its announcement. Because of that, I had very high expectations for this film, but I do not think that they were met. Although all the action scenes, CGI, and acting was on point, there were still certain “off” elements about the movie. 

For example, the pacing of the film was too fast. The movie had lots of content to unfold and display through the film, but it moved much too fast to keep up with. This led to many significant scenes being ignored and demoted. One instance of this was when the new Black Panther was revealed: the transition to becoming a hero was too quick, and there was no character development. This was also true for other significant scenes, such as where characters were meant to have an epiphany about the plot; unfortunately, the scenes were much too fast paced to keep up with. Overall, the film should have been a lot longer than it originally was in order to make the scenes flow smoother.  

To add on, the film’s plot also had its problems. It was hard to understand at times, and some of the scenes were unsuitable. There were also some plot points that I felt should not have been in the film, as they were random and unnecessary. This was seen when there were mentions of characters that would have been fun to include more in the film, however instead they were only included in one or two scenes.  Overall, I think that the film was satisfactory, but it could have still been improved a lot. There are some details that I really enjoyed, but also, there was a lot to think about and question too. I do not think that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would not be worth it for the whole movie theater experience. Instead, it would be a nice sit-down movie at home for when it releases on Disney+. 

Another huge topic that was discussed was if the new movie would honor the late Chadwick Boseman. Many fans were worried that Marvel might try to replace him entirely or dishonor his memory by erasing his existence. Fortunately, this was not the case. As I watched Wakanda Forever, I noticed lots of references to Boseman, and lots of scenes that paid tribute to him. I think that this was really well done by Disney, Marvel, and the cast of the movie. No part of the movie seemed to disrespect his name at all. Chadwick Boseman fans can rest assured while they witness the legacy that their idol had built. 

Lastly, there was another concern by many critics that Wakanda Forever might accidentally disrespect one of the cultures they were basing the plot on. However, this was not the case. There was no spotted disrespect to each featured culture, and Marvel even tried to make all of the clothing, languages, and community setting as accurate as possible. In my opinion, the whole cast and directors of Wakanda Forever did a great job creating the film, even with the delicate subjects that were integrated in it. The different mythologies of the cultures along with their religions were tied into the film incredibly well, with no sort of complication at all. 

The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever film, is not worth the cost of a cinema, but I think it was incredibly well-made. As soon as the movie releases on Disney+, you know I will be sitting on the couch ready to watch the movie once more.