Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues to dominate the box office after its third weekend, with the Ryan Coogler-directed sequel pulling in more than $675 million to date worldwide per Box Office Mojo.
The second installment in the Black Panther saga faced a significant challenge to continue telling the story of Wakanda and the Black Panther without its star Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020. However, the sequel did a fantastic job of moving forward with the storyline while honoring Boseman in the process.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a rich cultural experience and a worthy sequel to the first film. African culture takes center stage once again, with some of the most visually impactful and emotionally moving scenes happening at the very beginning with King T’Challa’s funeral. The film opens with a somber ceremony and all funeral attendees wearing white garments to honor the fallen hero. According to The Wrap, Oscar winning-costume designer Ruth Carter spoke with African historians and used her research to design funeral costumes that featured designs from different tribes of Africa, including Zulu, the Tuareg of Mali, and many others.
Mesoamerican cultures were also prominently featured with the introduction of Talokan, an underwater, vibranium-holding civilization with its own protector, Namor, a worthy adversary to rival Wakanda’s Black Panther. Like its African counterpart, Talokan was based on several cultures, with the Mayan culture serving as the primary source of inspiration and the civilization from which the Talokanil descend. The production conducted extensive research and consulted with experts to create the aquatic world, as Tenoch Huerta Mejía (Namor) explained to Men’s Health, “We brought in Mesoamerican scholars—they call themselves Mesoamericanistas—and the production was really open to listening and taking all the experience they could provide. And that makes my character and everything built around him even more deep and profound.”
As for performances, Letitia Wright picks up the mantle as the lead in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and gives her best performance yet, as Shuri. Her character is fleshed out like never before in this film as she embarks on her journey to become Wakanda’s new protector. Stepping into the shoes of Black Panther was no easy feat, but Wright does it with grace and strength.
Sharing the spotlight with Wright as Shuri is Huerta Mejía as Namor. His breakthrough performance prompted his overnight stardom and deservedly so, as he delivered a captivating performance as the powerful Namor. The complex nature of his character, coupled with his altruistic motivations, leaves audiences almost rooting for him as his absolute loyalty and commitment to protecting his people can evoke empathy even if his actions are misguided.
Joining Wright and Huerta Mejía is a stellar cast that includes Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Alex Livinalli, Mabel Cadena, Winston Duke, and Martin Freeman.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theaters.
