By Halle Roberts

Contributor

After a long four-year wait, The Marvel Universe took fans back to the fantasy world of Wakanda in the sequel to the first movie, Black Panther. Marvel introduced the new timeline of the Black Panther in the new action-packed thriller, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The cinematic world exploded with praise for the first movie as Marvel writers not only held true to the original comic but also took time with the costumes, the casting and the overall movie connecting it to the many different African cultures the movie stems from. Films that tend to use inspiration from different cultures tend to be more based on stereotypes rather than actual elements from the culture itself. So, to have a movie based around a nearly entirely black cast with traditional African clothing and music throughout the film, the Black Panther franchise skyrocketed.

On the Screen

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is playing New Year’s week

at Malco Rogers Towne Cinema & Malco Pinnacle Hills Cinema in Rogers

& Malco Springdale Grill Cinema in Springdale.

In this new adaptation of the beloved movie, the process of making the film took a big hit when the Black Panther star, Chadwick Bosman, passed away due to cancer in August 2020. Due to losing their star, the team had to completely change direction with the movie and created a world in which his sister, Shuri, takes his throne. While the movie follows the same theme as the first movie (unwanted visitors seek to take their valuable metal, vibranium), this movie is focused on the different stages of grief. While Shuri is a beyond-intelligent young woman, she’s still a young girl who lost her father and her older brother within a few years of each other. The process of grieving isn’t a pretty one and doesn’t follow a strict behavioral pattern.

I found it very impressive how the writers were able to pack so much action into one movie, while also including so much detail on the grief processes within Shuri. As the power of the throne and the Black Panther is shifted onto Shuri, the audience watches as she breaks down, while she seeks revenge, and while she begins to learn how to control her emotions and not let her feelings overcome her. Overall, the Black Panther franchise will always be a personal favorite, but with the addition of the sequel, I can see it becoming a fan favorite for a very long time.