3 Reasons Why Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the Perfect Sequel

After the immense critical and commercial success of Black Panther in 2018, audiences were awaiting to see what the sequel to the academy award nominated (7-notations, 3 wins) film would be like. Unfortunately in 2020, Black Panther Star Chadwick Bosman tragically passed away after loosing his battle colon cancer (Rest In Power), so writer/director Ryan Coogler and Marvel boss Kevin Fiege had to go back to the drawing board to work out how they could now make a sequel for Black Panther without King T’Challa as the protagonist. Thankfully, the team at Marvel have done a wonderful job here, continuing the story of Wakanda and The Black Panther, without it feeling distasteful to Chadwick and his family. This is a powerful film, with poignant themes of grief, loss and overcoming the death of a loved one. The film never feels preachy and rather handles the loss in a profound and truly moving way. To celebrate the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD, I will be breaking down 3 reasons why it is the perfect sequel. So, let’s do this! 

Wakanda Forever - the touching tribute to the passing and legacy of King T’Challa and actor Chadwick Boseman - 

As mentioned, the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman came as a shock to the whole world. It was always going to be a challenge for the sequel to overcome the passing of arguably the biggest character in the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I think director Ryan Coogler did a superb job here. Whilst it’s still up for debate whether T’Challa’s sister Shuri (played excellently by Letitia Wright) will be the Black Panther moving forward, her heartfelt performance of a grieving sister, be-grudgingly taking on the mantle of her country’s King was truly breathtaking and adds to the films tribute of its fallen king. The films plot stands on its own, but the final moments of the film, are a direct tribute to King T’Challa and in turn, Mr Boseman, showing a montage of his time in the MCU and Shuri coming to terms with his death. It’s touching, beautifully handled and won’t leave a dry eye in the theatre. 

“My enemies call me Namor” - the films villain - 

One element that has troubled the MCU for years is the villains. Whilst the character designs are always cool and the actors that play them oh so talented, the motivations and character growth always seem to be an afterthought, leaving a lot to be desired by audiences. However, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever doesn’t follow suit, giving us one of the MCU’s most menacing, memorable and well-rounded villains in recent years. The films villain Namor, played superbly by actor Tenoch Huerta, lives in the depths of the sea, becoming the MCU’s first big-screen mutant (excluding Disney + Ms Marvel). His upbringing and rise to power is memorable and emotionally poignant, allowing the audience to really get behind the character and understand his motivations and where he is coming from, with a thought-out plan and a clear goal of how he aims to achieve them. His character design is awesome as well, with the city of Atlantis looking great as well, feeling like a living and breathing city. These sequences remain to be the highlight of the film. 

War of the Worlds - The action sequences -

The action sequences in the first Black Panther film, were among some of the best we had seen in the MCU to date, at that point in time. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ups the ante with some of the most visually impressive and fun action sequences of any phase 4 MCU film. The sequences merge the two worlds of Wakanda and Atlantis, which come to a head in a satisfying and visually striking way. We get to see the mechanics and inner workings of both of these advanced civilisations, which provides for some truly enjoyable set pieces. Namor and the Atlantians invasion of Wakanda is fantastic and a highlight of the film, along with an impressive hand-to-hand combat sequence on a bridge that sees Shuri taken by Namor’s army and a sequence that sees Namor’s army wipe out a whole Navy team. These sequences are fun, well executed and incredibly satisfying for fans of the MCU. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is an immensely satisfying follow-up to the 2018 smash hit, paying tribute to one of Hollywood’s best in a tasteful, respectful and satisfying manner. The film is visually striking, boasting amazing performances especially by Angela Basset as Queen Ramonda who has received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, for her work in the film. Overall, if you’re an MCU fan you’re going to love this one, as it marks a high point in Phase 4. Head on over to Sanity’s website to secure your copy of the film today on DVD, Blu-Ray or 4K UHD. You won’t want to miss this one as copies will go quick!

Buy Black Panther Wakanda Forever on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K UHD here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here