Emotion over action
Film critic Jason Evans is here
to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes
to secretly wipe a tear from your cheek in a movie theater. His reviews are
exactly 100 words long (99 is too few and 101 is too much). Here is his
100-word review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The Premise: King T’Challa, the Black Panther, is dead. All
of Wakanda is in mourning, especially his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and
sister, Shuri (Letita Wright). Ramonda, who is now Wakanda’s ruler, refuses to
share the country’s Vibranium with the rest of the world, fearful it will be
turned into a weapon by foreign powers. But, an American research mission
discovers a cache of Vibranium in the ocean. Before they can mine it, they are
attacked by the Talokan, a secretive people who live underwater. Their leader,
Namor (Tenoch Huerta) will not stand for the surface people invading his world
and vows to destroy them. He wants Wakanda, the other Vibranium power, to help
him. And he says that if Wakanda is not on his side, then it must be his enemy.
The film returns many characters from the original Black Panther film including
Lupita N’Yongo, Danai Gurira, and Winston Duke. Like the last film, it is
written and directed by Ryan Coogler.
The 100 Words: Though it comes up short of the original in thoughtful
storytelling, this is a film filled with emotion. The loss of T’Challa
permeates everything and I had tears running down my cheeks several times. The
cast is stellar, giving us several memorable, authentic characters. Phase Four
of the MCU has produced few heroes or villains half as compelling as the fifth most
interesting character here. The action is hit and miss, Winston Duke’s M’Baku
steals the show, but that’s ok thanks to our connection to the characters.
Though not as great as the original, still a movie well worth seeing.
Reach out to Jason Evans on Twitter @JasonDukeEvans
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