Black Panther Wakanda Forever - November 11, 2022

[Sassafras]

Started to watch this on D+ and....made it about 15 minutes in. Was it THAT DARK in the theater? Wow...who is doing quality control for the big D these days?

......

Just...wow. What a complete one-eighty from the first movie. I may go back and try again but...probably not. This just reeked of too many people calling the shots with this movie and the result is just unwatchable. I'm left stunned at the thought that this made over a billion. How could something so bad make so much money? And then I remembered those vapid, pointless Transformers movies. Those made big bucks too. After seeing parts of this I totally get how the avalanche of Wakanda products just ended up rotting on the pegs and shelves. Who would want this?

I'll rewatch the first again sometime, knowing that it was the end for this character. In the movies anyway. Cheers to those that really enjoyed this. Really.
It's just proving that for me, Marvel movies are dead.

Well I idly watched it last night. Tho since I'd seen plenty of spoilers and knew the whole plot, wasn't putting much effort in.

Overall: limp and uneven. Pretty much agree with the critics; the beginning Chadwick tributes were dignified and well done (except for one of the dancers with a big smile, like she's having a great time...). M'baku underutilized. Acting was good except the whole thing was leaden, poorly edited. Things that were supposed to build to something profound fell flat. Many things were just dumb even for a "comic book movie". Riri annoying, unappealing and just shoehorned in. Lots of cringe cheese. Some horrible costumes and armor. Awful ripoff callbacks to far better films. Plus, like, give me a break, you wouldn't call other Avengers & friends in - it's not even mentioned, so guess it's a given we're not talking "they'll be here because we need them to."

Wound up staring at my 1/4 scale Iron Studios MCU pieces, and gloomily thinking of how awesome the first 10 years was. Just thinking for whatever reason of Natasha talking to Cap in the car "it's a good way not to die tho" or Tony Stark in that cave banging the first IM suit out. Moments from film that stay in your mind and you cared about these characters. Some great lines from the films. Jaw dropping stuff like the appearance of the Hulkbuster.

WK cheesy filler until the next season of Mando and Andor. Tho IMO Chadwick was handled as tastefully as possible, so credit for that (tho personally think BP should have been recast).
I'd like to believe the upcoming Thunderbolts could salvage a lot, since there's an Expendables potential. But the MCU just seems to keep hiring *&^% writers and now hiring lackluster cast.

 

[Khev]

It took me a couple nights but I finished this on Disney+.

It was okay. Ryan Coogler clearly thinks he's a great director and I felt that that was strangely distracting while watching the film. Like as arrogant as Cameron is whenever I watch one of his movies I always feel like I'm watching something where the director is saying "look how cool this story is!" whereas with WF I constantly felt like Coogler was telling me "look at how skilled I am!" And as it turns out...I don't think he's that great.

I liked Creed 2 more than Creed so maybe Steven Caple Jr. should take over the BP movies.

Namor flying around Wakanda taking out the flying ships was fantastic and a true "Marvel comics come to life" moment. The Wakanda ladies and Riri were for the most part likable (and my gosh Lupita is gorgeous) and Riri's suit and Shuri in the BP costume were both cool. I loved the music as Shuri Panther dropped out of the ship in front of the gorilla tribe leader guy. That was freaking awesome.

Otherwise pretty much the rest of the very LOOOONG movie was either boring, so so, or downright cringe.

Having the final battle take place on top of what basically looked like an overturned oil tanker was very uninspired. And so strange to intercut between that battle and the final Shuri/Namor fight with the former being IMAX enhanced and the latter battle between the TWO MAIN CHARACTERS be un-enhanced. Very weird.

I both chuckled and rolled my eyes and Shuri being shown Namor's underwater city, the dark, murky, very uninteresting underwater city that was being portrayed as if it was paradise itself with all the lingering shots of Shuri's wonder and the supposedly epic and inspiring music, lol.

jye was totally right the men of Wakanda literally did NOTHING. Nothing, lol. Great role models for black men and boys, lol.

Regarding Boseman nothing hit me in the feels until that silent montage at the end when Shuri was sitting on the beach. Damn... Too bad the rest of the movie wasn't on that level.

 

[Khev]

Riri annoying, unappealing and just shoehorned in. Lots of cringe cheese

Overall I didn't mind her save for two moments:

1. Her referencing ROTJ and TOD. Disney really needs to stop doing that. Quit trying to endear your new young characters to your older fans by having them reference classic films that we like (that just happen to be IP's that you now own). Just because it worked with Peter Parker that doesn't mean you get to keep doing it. Girls her age absolutely would not have Indiana Jones (let alone TOD) on the tips of their tongues.

2. Her "wooohooo!" when flying the Iron suit up to face Namor. I hate it when younger characters do that. If wildman Tony freaking Stark didn't scream like an idiot when flying his suits then I definitely don't want some kid pulling "Annie blowing up the Droid Control Ship" nonsense.

 

[Sassafras]

Having the final battle take place on top of what basically looked like an overturned oil tanker was very uninspired. And so strange to intercut between that battle and the final Shuri/Namor fight with the former being IMAX enhanced and the latter battle between the TWO MAIN CHARACTERS be un-enhanced. Very weird.

I both chuckled and rolled my eyes and Shuri being shown Namor's underwater city, the dark, murky, very uninteresting underwater city that was being portrayed as if it was paradise itself with all the lingering shots of Shuri's wonder and the supposedly epic and inspiring music, lol.

jye was totally right the men of Wakanda literally did NOTHING. Nothing, lol. Great role models for black men and boys, lol.

Regarding Boseman nothing hit me in the feels until that silent montage at the end when Shuri was sitting on the beach. Damn... Too bad the rest of the movie wasn't on that level.

Yeah that was beautifully done, filmed.
I forgot to add, yeah, parts that are just boring, and then there's the slaughter of innocent officers whoo-hoo.

They should have had an end credit scene of M'baku just pontificating on life LOL; that actor can do humor and drama and has presence. Letitia was fine IMO except - OK, I've seen martial artists who are pretty thin and can kick your teeth through your head, but just can't get with her as BP, she needs some sandwiches.

IMO whoever was playing Riri was just trying too hard. Not her fault; IMO they could have ditched her and it wouldn't have made a difference.

 

[Dave_W]

 

[jye4ever]

I still liked it more than Part 1 lol

 

[Sassafras]

I still liked it more than Part 1 lol

Both of the BPs have stupid stuff in the narratives. Stretching it so hard the band breaks, and things happen because plot and/or Coogler wanted to have a moment or stuff in rehash.

Sometimes I wonder the actors can keep a straight face. On the plus side, IMO Dad bod Namor did OK, acting wise. Had more presence than I thought he would. Who keeps thinking it's a good idea to film so dark you need to squint?

 

[Sassafras]

LOL ScarJo is so beautiful glad I have the IS quarterscale.

Gawd I miss the (original) MCU tho have some hope for Yelena Baranova. You know, when a woman was believably @ss-kicking and compensating for her shorter height and lack of upper body strength by comparison to a man (most of the time). Danai Guriri is alright but a spear, really?

On the other hand, fighting blue fish people off-weighted by wet feathers and beads and loincloths or whatever.

 

[ironwez20]

This movie is straight ass. I really dislike it. The disrespect towards tchalla and the horrible cgi and the silly plot. Just a stupid movie. Also the ending was so stupid.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Why...?

 

[The Buffinator]

Both of the BPs have stupid stuff in the narratives. Stretching it so hard the band breaks, and things happen because plot and/or Coogler wanted to have a moment or stuff in rehash.

Sometimes I wonder the actors can keep a straight face. On the plus side, IMO Dad bod Namor did OK, acting wise. Had more presence than I thought he would. Who keeps thinking it's a good idea to film so dark you need to squint?

I hear Zack Snyder loved it....

 

[jye4ever]

It honestly made no sense.

T’Challa survived the snap but then just died for some unexplained reason.

His son was hidden for no reason.

 

[Khev]

His son was hidden for no reason.

And yet was somehow still introduced to T'Challa's mom. Who then was somehow still mad that Lupita wasn't at the funeral when she was literally honoring the last wishes of her son. Stupid mom, she deserved dying from something as lame as water grenades, lol.

 

[e30ernest]

His son was hidden for no reason.

If I remember correctly, Nakia was pregnant during the events of IW so she was taken out of Wakanda during the invasion for her and their son's protection. After the snap T'Challa contacted Nakia and she was one of the few that knew of his illness, and it was his wish not to bring his son back to Wakanda during his funeral to avoid laying the pressure of royalty being imposed on him.

Given Wakanda's rule of succession, I could understand T'Challa's logic there. If someone were to challenge for the throne, the boy would have been helpless.

 

[ironwez20]

It honestly made no sense.

T’Challa survived the snap but then just died for some unexplained reason.

His son was hidden for no reason.

There is no explanation or excuse. It’s bad writing. Plain and simple. There was no reason whatsoever to off such a prominent character. I don’t think they’d ever do that iron man or captain America. Also no avenger showed up to his funeral? Huh? The movie was more disrespectful to Chadwick then it was respectful

 

[The Buffinator]

It honestly made no sense.

T’Challa survived the snap but then just died for some unexplained reason.

His son was hidden for no reason.

And yet was somehow still introduced to T'Challa's mom. Who then was somehow still mad that Lupita wasn't at the funeral when she was literally honoring the last wishes of her son. Stupid mom, she deserved dying from something as lame as water grenades, lol.

Well, it never was going to make much sense when they didn't recast T'Challa. His being was infused with the power of the Black Panther and yet was felled by some unnamed illness/disease. Why? Because any disease they named wouldn't have held up to scrutiny.
I didn't mind the reasoning behind hiding their son. After Killmonger challenged for the throne, I could see T'Challa wanting to keep his child safe from palace intrigue and unseen threats to the throne. But I agree, it didn't track that he would trust his mother with knowledge of the boy's existence and not his sister, especially when they'd established that the two were very close.

 

[Khev]

They should have said that the same disease that gave T'Challa's dad a wonky eye (that not even heaven could heal, lol) claimed his son as well.

 

[The Buffinator]

They should have said that the same disease that gave T'Challa's dad a wonky eye (that not even heaven could heal, lol) claimed his son as well.

Well, I’d assume that T’Chaka didn’t get his wonky eye until after he stepped down as Black Panther and had his powers stripped away, so that wouldn’t work for me. IMO an amped up Black Panther dying from some random illness just doesn’t track as an in-universe demise.

 

[Zurdo95D]

I saw the film a few hours ago with my son and a family friend, we all liked it. I liked the movie more than I expected to and thought it was well done overall. I thought the story moved well and liked the back story of Namor.

Since rumors first started to circulate about Namor being in the BP sequel I was excited about seeing him portrayed on film. Like some others I was expecting to see Namor portrayed by a taller more physically imposing actor, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed the actor’s portrayal of Namor. The fact that the Tenoch Huerta didn’t look the way I initially expected Namor to appear did not detract from my enjoyment of the film. Huerta provided a great portrayal, although I think Angela Bassett probably gave the best performance in the film Huerta was very good.

Much agreed!!!

 

[Zurdo95D]

I liked Shuri as BP…

View attachment 621469

I did indeed! I thought she was great!