About the film (courtesy of Marvel Studios):
Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje, fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.

There’s no getting around it. The sudden loss of Chadwick Boseman, a little over two years ago, still stings. And with his character still blossoming in the MCU, it would be interesting to see how his death would be handled on screen going forward. Marvel Studios made the absolute correct choice, in my opinion, to not recast or ignore Boseman’s passing. Instead, director Ryan Coogler was given the latitude to create a cinematic shrine to the late actor while also progressing the overall storyline.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever starts off with a cold open that will surely tug at the heartstrings of its viewers. Not that anyone should ever stroll into a movie late, but this is definitely not the one to do that in. As far as spoilers go, this was as close of one that I would ever reveal. The story progresses by dealing with the perceived power vacuum left by King T’Challa’s death. Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) takes on a more notable role in leading her people, but soon, a new threat will arise that changes everything.

It’s understandable and expected that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever carries a more somber feel with it in many scenes. The good thing is that never at any point does Ryan Coogler seem to be overtaken by his emotions to the point where he forgets his prime goal, which is to provide an entertaining piece for all to enjoy. Along with inclusion of impactful dramatic moments, there is also an abundance of action along comedic charm throughout. If only DC could consistently figure this formula out…

As with most MCU movies, a character with a rich comic book legacy, is newly introduced. In this case it’s Namor, also known as the Sub-Mariner in the comics. The powerful mutant character is played by Tenoch Huerta, and will absolutely add a layer of intrigue to the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever that will reverberate far beyond just this feature. The MCU continues to grow larger and larger with new characters seemingly every few months.

From an entertainment perspective, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever delivers on everything you could ask for in a movie leading up to the holidays. This feature is a hefty 161 minutes, but I’d argue that not much of it could be, or should be, trimmed away. The pace moves along evenly and does not give you reason to start checking your watch. Even when the pace slows, it’s mostly used to further develop characterization or providing emotional emphasis. And, of course, it wouldn’t be an MCU feature if it did not contain a mid-credits scene. Sooooo, yeah, don’t leave.

You will have definitely wanted to have seen the first Black Panther (2018) prior to going out to catch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But honestly in order to gain the full impact of everything being presented to you, watching Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) is strongly recommended, otherwise you’re cheating yourselves out of some good substance.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever showtimes start as early as Thursday afternoon, with its official released listed as Friday, November 11. Do yourselves a favor and get to theaters to experience this wonderful cinematic offering.