‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is the cultural event of fall
The Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) is back with another absolute blockbuster with aims to become the second biggest box-office of the year behind Tom Cruise’s billion-dollar success, “Top Gun: Maverick.” It is set up to be not only a huge cultural moment in history but also a financial one as well. With the remarkable introduction of Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico, The Forever Purge) into the MCU as Namor, he becomes the fourth actor of Latin descent (Xochitl Gomez in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, Oscar Isaac in “Moon Knight”, and Gael Garcia Bernal in “Werewolf by Night“) to be added to the list of Marvel’s live-action heroes, a welcome introduction of some much-needed diversity. This year also marks the introduction of the MCU’s first live-action Egyptian superhero in Moon Knight, played by May Calamawy as well as its first Muslim superhero in Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani. This addition to an already diverse cast shows that Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios are taking cues from their diverse audiences and are acting accordingly; to include those who wish to see someone who looks similar to them on the big screen and feel represented, an excellent sign of things to come.
Ryan Coogler has done what most would consider impossible: a respectable way of honoring the late great Chadwick Boseman, both personally and as his timeless character T’Challa. Coogler has crafted an amazing representation of African culture and style to his vision of Wakanda and the latest film just adds more richness to the lore and technology surrounding the African utopia and vibranium’s presence on the MCU’s version of Earth.
The film brings audiences into the already established culturally rich landscape of Wakanda and now introduces another in Talocan (Namor’s underwater home) named after a city Aztecs described as paradise. Ryan Coogler’s take on an ‘Atlantis-like” underwater utopia with a Mayan, Mesoamerican twist was amazing and so rich with life and cultural references to real Mesoamerican architecture and artwork it begs to be returned to as fast as possible. The respect paid to both cultures and ethnic identities is strong, inventive and a game-changing move by Kevin Feige and the MCU as a whole to change Namor’s origin, home, and how he was given his name; but it has paid off immensely well and opens the door for more much-needed inclusion in the MCU live-action films and adds a nice twist on real-world history.
The attention to detail paid to the underwater Mayan utopia was painstakingly good, down to the glyphs used for translation of Talocan, calling back to Mesoamerican pyramids and symbols used in the Mayan alphabet. Coogler and team even worked to preserve Mesoamerican life and culture when the film takes you underwater to see Namor’s home you can see so much of life as depicted in many books and films like that of Apocalypto (2006).
While some were originally worried about Namor’s design and key features, Huerta absolutely squashes any disbelief. The wings on his feet act more like hummingbird wings allowing for quick direction changes or like the Greek god Hermes with his blinding speed. Angela Basset was a welcome sight as always and brought all the heart into the film. With every line, Basset commanded the room and chewed every scene she was in. Lupita Nyong’o is great in everything she does and showed why she is the recipient of several acting accolades; Her return to her character Nakia also marks the first time fans have seen her since the first Black Panther film in 2018. Danai Gurira was a force as well returning back to her fan-loved character of Okoye and she hasn’t missed a step showing in a world full of super-powered people, all she needs is her spear.
The film also acts as a commentary on colonial rule and powers. Many of the themes that occur in the film mirror real-life tragedies in the history of colonial powers pitting native tribes against one another in order to clear land or for resources. It was a fresh take on the longstanding relationship from the comics Namor and the Black Panther have had as well with both characters being well represented for both being their first time on screen and in their newfound stations in life.
The film’s music was done by the incredible Ludwig Goransson known for his Emmy-winning award work on The Mandalorian, the new fanfare Star Wars opening logo card, the first Black Panther and Creed movies with a friend and frequent collaborator Ryan Coogler, as well as his work on the Grammy award-winning Childish Gambino’s 2018 song of the year single “This is America.” The music literally sends vibrations through your body both on land and under the sea, it transports you to these magical landscapes that while created with CGI, feel all the more realistic thanks to Goransson’s touch.
This film marks another huge landmark for MCU as it is also the last live-action theatrical release of 2022 until next year’s highly anticipated Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which will be the beginning of Phase 5 and the introduction of Kang the Conqueror. With this film, Ryan Coogler also became the first Black director to have two films with back-to-back openings of more than $185M, as well as having two films in the Top 15 biggest openings ever. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a definite strong contender for when award season begins.
