The mission that fell to director Ryan Coogler, even more than to Kevin Feige, was particularly complex. The MCU has already had to deal with the loss of a hero, and the legacy he leaves in the superheroic world – we think of Iron Man in Endgame then Far From Home, and in a completely different way, Black Widow. But the case was even trickier here. As a reminder, after the huge success (critical and commercial) of the first Black Panther in 2018, a sequel was quickly launched – at D23 in 2019, Kevin Feige even claimed that Coogler had already finished write the script for the second part. But a year later, on August 28, 2020, actor Chadwick Boseman, the original Black Panther, died of cancer. Fairly quickly, Disney claims that T’Challa will not be replaced; understand neither recast nor recreated in CGI [Computer-Generated Imagery, en français effets spéciaux numériques, ndlr]. It must be said that among the fans and on the web, the emotion is strong. Nobody knew that Boseman was sick, the information having fallen suddenly, without anyone expecting it. And the shock wave overwhelmed just about everyone, fan or not. Disney then knows that we are walking on eggshells, much like the Fast & Furious franchise had to deal with the loss of Paul Walker in 2013. When we go to the theaters to see the film, the question then arises: How Wakanda Forever was going to make up for the loss of its central hero? We suspected that the film would be a tribute, as much to T’Challa as to Boseman. We didn’t expect to be so upset. See also on Konbini But is it enough? Elements of response, with, sorry in advance, some spoilers. A declaration of love One thing must be recognized, automatically: the film is a real ode to the actor and his character. The beginning and its end are heartbreaking. Let’s say the terms: the author of these lines has shed tears on more than one occasion. Because if the film opens with the death of the hero – whom we never see on the screen, except in painting on a wall –, it is very quickly a question of the management of the aftermath. Dealing with grief, suffering. Dealing with the succession, and all that entails. Right off the bat, there can’t be a new Black Panther since remember, at the end of the first movie, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) burns all the heart-herbs , with which we make the serum giving the panthers their powers. So it goes hand in hand with the fact that there will no longer be Wakandan superheroes – but heroes. The whole film takes place with characters who, for the most part, have no power. Borderline costumes, super-tech, but that’s it. Obviously, in the end, the equation will have to change. But in fact, for more than two hours, the lack of T’Challa / Boseman is felt. Without being heavy, and with respect for the legacy left behind, always. This allows something else: to highlight the secondary characters of the first part, female in this case – Shuri, Okoye, Queen Ramonda and Nakia. The problem is that around this tribute, the plot is not not particularly striking — even redundant. We take the same recipe and start again The whole plot is summed up by: the West wants to recover vibranium, not supporting that an African country has a monopoly on this rare resource. But while digging deep in the ocean, after finding another source outside of Wakanda, an Atlantis-style underwater people wake up and want to confront the surface humans seeking to mine and steal vibranium. you will have understood, Namor, the leader of the aquatic beings, is the new Killmonger. An antihero who, although sympathetic, embodies the “too violent” counterpart of resistance against the oppressor. We take the recipe from the first one (T’Challa as Martin Luther King and Killmonger as Malcolm X), and we start over. Especially since the history of this city, Taloka, and its regent, is that of a revolting colonization. The parallel is more than obvious. Except that where Black Panther was the voice of wisdom, Shuri is that of anger. She blames herself for not having succeeded in saving her brother, recognizes herself a little in the speech of the dissident voice. Not to the point of turning entirely against his people, or at least against the queen, of course. In the first part at least, the track evoked by the villain led to an awareness in everyone’s head. She had an impact. Here, apart from Shuri, no one has any idea what the Talokans have been through. So it all seems a little pointless. Aside from this frankly disappointing repetition, there are also major writing issues in the film. We only half understand why Namor turns against Wakanda, and the mid-story drama does nothing to move as much as the one impacting T’Challa. The arrival of Iron Heart falls like a hair on the soup (and the sequence where we are going to save her is far too long and not very interesting), only serving to feed the bestiary of the MCU. Finally, the conclusion where Black Panther returns breaks the not uninteresting dynamic launched previously, which could question the place of superheroes in a universe where, with a little money, know-how or equipment, everyone can become one. So yes, it’s visually a little more successful than the first: we still have a traumatic memory of the ending sequence with the train, even if all the green screens are far from successful and we notice the digital mush at many times. The world of Wakanda is more explored. The sets and costumes are quite splendid, especially for Namor and his crew. Göransson’s music is, as always, superb — especially the Namor-related themes. Everything that surrounds the different mythologies gives substance to this sometimes clever, sometimes clumsy scenario. But that’s not enough. Despite all these faults, we are moved. Because the sobriety of the scenes celebrating the deceased hero, and his actor by the way, is exactly in the right place. Neither too opportunistic nor too modest. The ending also floored us, with the most understated and beautiful credits in the entire MCU, and a post-credits scene that isn’t really one. It’s a shame that behind all that, the recipe has a certain taste of deja-vu, and less well.
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