Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 4K Digital Review

[Michael Scott]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras: :
Final Score:


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Movie
I sometimes feel like I’m out of the loop when it comes to modern Marvel movies, especially the Black Panther movies. I felt that the original one with Chadwick Boseman (may he RIP) was a mediocre, middle of the road, Marvel action flick that was a step down from the Marvel movies that came before it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. So I kind of felt like an outsider when the movie was praised to high heaven. Fast forward a few years and I’m once again sort of left scratching my head with how Wakanda Forever has once again taken “BEST MARVEL MOVIE OF THE YEAR!” status. Don’t get me wrong, it is easily one of the best Marvel movies of Phase 4, but that’s not exactly setting the bar very high as I’ve been highly frustrated with the glut of “next product!” (to quote the Drinker) that has become the MCU. It’s got some fun twists, a few nice turns, but is hampered by the lack of Chadwick (not exactly their fault) and writing that feels like an MCU TV show rather than a full fledged multi hundred million dollar blockbuster. Ah well.

The plot itself is not very deep, but it’s stretched out into a blundering 161 minute runtime that is a bit of a slog to get through in one sitting. Not to mention feeling streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetched to the max getting to that ending. The film opens up with a rather sweet tribute to Chadwick Boseman (a really well done one I might add that was really heartfelt) and us watching Shuri (Letitia Wright) be not in time to save her brother from an untimely death. Wakanda may be left without a super powered protector, but they are still a force to be reckoned with, as they find a NEW enemy to stand against in the underwater king Namor, who wants to wage war against the “colonizing” surface dwellers who have come into a Vibranium detector which could lead them to his underwater haven. Threatening Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) with death and destruction if they don’t work together to hunt down the scientist who created the detector, the Wakandan people are forced to make a choice.

The choice turns out to be the “wrong” one as Shuri and Okoye (Danai Guira) head to the surface to hunt down the mysterious scientist. Turns out the “scientist” is a 19 year old girl named RiRi who has not only created a Vibranium detection system, but her own Iron Man-esque suit of armor as well. However, despite Shuri’s attempts to protect the young girl, both she and Riri are captured by Namor, setting forth a path that very well may shatter the entire fabric of Wakanda, or else heal it from within.

As you can see, Wakanda Forever is NOT a super complicated plot, no matter what the run time would have you think. However, it is bloated with tons of padding and the obvious inclusion of several characters (*cough, Riri *cough) who are going to have their own Disney+ show, and of course stretching out Shuri’s rise to the status of Black Panther. That alone got a lot of online hate as people were furious that they didn’t just recast Chadwick’s role to someone else. I’m sort of torn on the subject as I understand that Shuri is Black Panther at one point in comics lore, but the love for Chadwick so soon after his death was too much for them to deal with and the studios decided to play it safe with Shuri.

The movie itself suffers from absolutely cringey writing as the major and number one flaw. The characters are fun, Namor is actually really solid as the OP villain, and general Okoye is a FANTASTIC character. Riri was pretty painful and I was hoping that her role would be even more limited than it was, but it’s really the writing that is the big failure here. Again, I’m not saying that Wakanda Forever is bad, but even though it is probably the best (or second best) of the phase 4 MCU films so far, that’s not exactly saying much.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action and some language.




Video:

As I always do, I won’t give an actual star rating for this review considering that my digital copy to review is streaming and that can be very bandwidth dependent. If the stream is anything to go by, this is one fantastic looking 4K UHD or Blu-ray. The film is exquisitely sharp with a nice glossy digital look like the last few MCU films. TONS of colors abound throughout, and the Dolby Vision applications adds a dimmer look, but one with deeper saturated colors and stronger blacks than the non DV/HDR versions can boast. Fine detailing is exquisite and the image boasts an incredible sharpness to it that is unmatched. All around, a stunning picture.








Audio:

I’ve seen some reports that the Kaleidescape version has some seriously nice bass (incredible supposedly from what I’ve heard tell from trusted contacts), but the Dolby Atmos on the stream (and from the disc from what I can tell) is rather anemic and your typical “Atmouse” track. It not only needs the typical Disney “decibel boost” to get to reference, but the bass is rather lacking and muted. Surrounds get good use with the swirling water effects and battles, but the dynamic range is rather flat, with very few peaks and valleys in the mix at all. It’s not bad, gets the job done, and is certainly fine for most people, but certainly suffers the same fate that Marvel has given to their Dolby Atmos versions of previous MCU films.







Extras:

• Gag Reel - Take a look at some of the lighthearted moments on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
• Audio Commentary - Listen to Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole, and Autumn Durald Arkapaw discuss the film.
• Featurettes
-- Envisioning Two Worlds – Uncover the making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever through the lens and leadership of co-writer/director Ryan Coogler, production designer Hannah Beachler, and costume designer Ruth Carter.
-- Passing the Mantle – Follow the evolution of the Black Panther through the films. In tracing Shuri, Ramonda, and Riri's journeys through the film, this featurette explores what legacy ultimately means in Wakanda and how it will resonate with MCU viewers for years to come.
• Deleted Scenes
-- Outside The Scope – Okoye has a shocking standoff with Ayo and the Dora Milaje. Aneka makes a challenging decision.
-- The Upstairs Toilet – Ross infiltrates the NSA in disguise in an attempt to uncover information.
-- Daughter of the Border – After a conversation with her Uncle, Okoye is faced with a daunting choice.
-- Anytime, Anywhere – In Haiti, Shuri and Okoye share a bittersweet moment.

Final Score: ​

If I had to sum up this entire review in one sentence or word, it would be “frustrating, highly frustrating” as there was a lot of potential and there was some SERIOUS love being poured into the film after Chadwick Boseman’s death, but it could overcome some hefty writing problems and awkwardly long pacing for such a simple plot. It did have an absolutely amazing performance by the stunning Angela Bassett (seriously, she stood out as head and shoulders better than the rest of the cast by a LARGE margin), but at the end of the day, this is just another middle of the road MCU film to wrap up a slightly disappointing Marvel Phase 4.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guira, Winston Duke, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Short
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Written by: Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos
Subtitles: English
Studio: Disney/Buena Vista
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 161 Minutes
Digital Release Date: Februarary 1st, 2022

Recommendation: Decent Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I heard mixed reviews so didn't catch it in the theater. I will look for it on streaming..