Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

 

Score:  B+

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Starring Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Tenoch Huerta

Running time: 161 minutes

Rate PG-13

Long Story Short:  The long-anticipated - but painfully so, due to star Chadwick Boseman's death - sequel to Black Panther has arrived.  It pays homage to the fallen young man very well and also moves on, showcasing the intriguing Shuri, played again by Letitia Wright.  The rest of the cast also ranges from solid to excellent but the plot unfortunately prevents it from being a truly worthy successor.  The world of Wakanda is ripe for amazing new stories but I hope that they don't get so distracted next time.  Still, this is an entertaining time to spend at the theater.

One year after the death of T'Challa, king of Wakanda and the Black Panther, the advanced yet hidden nation finds itself under increasing pressure from the outside world to reveal its secrets - and weapons.  An American naval research expedition detects vibranium on the ocean floor, the alien substance that has enabled much of Wakanda's spectacular technology.  The discovery, however, awakens an ancient force that is fiercely protective of the vibranium.  Under Queen Ramonda's (Bassett) leadership, Wakanda feels pressure both to prevent outsiders from accessing vibranium - but also to protect those same people from a dangerous new threat.  Meanwhile, Shuri (Wright), T'Challa's sister, can't get past her brother's death - yet also questions the direction he had set for his people.

Black Panther: Wakanda is a solid Marvel entry, particularly with its appropriate handling of star Chadwick Boseman's untimely death and turn toward his character's sister, Shuri; however, the plot and new elements are a significant drag on the film.  Mirroring real life, T'Challa, aka the Black Panther, dies at the beginning from an illness.  The Wakandan mourning process is powerful and poignant, as is a quieter tribute near the end of the film.  The sequel then turns to Shuri as the new lead.  I feel this was a good choice, both because Shuri was among the most interesting of the great characters introduced in the 2018 original as well as her more conflicted nature and influences.  She is as strong as her brother, yet feels the temptations that brought down her cousin, N'Jadaka (Michael B. Jordan's villain in 2018).  Being the lead does dull her character's sharper edges, unfortunately, and Boseman's absence is felt often, but Wright does great work.  Angela Bassett's Queen Ramonda and Danai Gurira's general/bodyguard Okoye are also extremely welcome returnees; if anything, I wish Okoye in particular had a bit more screen time.  M'Baku continues to be a nice comic presence and newcomer Riri, a young American, is also fun with her handful of moments.  Rounding out the cast are CIA agent Ross (Martin Freeman) and boss Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who are a fun side track and reveal a new connection.

Unfortunately, the plot of Wakanda Forever holds it back, going too big and too out-there, similar to 2019's Captain Marvel.  Rather than little green men from space, this film features a powerful, turqoise-colored race of mutants called Talokan, led by Namor.  Partly because I'm jaded by the underwater people thing by Avatar and Aquaman (both highly overrated, IMO), this did not impress me; and for all the time spent on their backstory, a lot of important things are left frustratingly vague.  The worst part to me, though, was the suspension of disbelief.  I'm usually pretty good at this - I do love superhero movies, after all! - but when characters' actions and decisions don't align with the powers involved, I quickly lose my connection.  Here, the Talokan and especially Namor are just ridiculously powerful.  They seem to greatly fear being discovered by the "surface world", which they hate - yet to all appearances, they could wreak utter devastation on humanity with little trouble.  It also sinks the potentially interesting plotline of an alliance with Wakanda - both of them are hidden outcasts in the world.  Yet for all the similarities the film wishes to show, the two are never anything but mortal foes.  Some modest tweaks could have made this plot much more intriguing, realistic, and suspenseful.  But I'd go even further and drastically shrink/ eliminate the Talokan's role altogether, focusing on the more interesting Wakandans, their evolving relationship to the outside world (which gets passing, simplistic mention at the beginning then forgotten), and simply cut down on the way overlong running time.

Still, even with my plot complaints, there is much to enjoy in the Black Panther sequel beyond the Boseman tribute and the cast.  The production quality remains spectacular, seamlessly recreating and expanding the fictional Wakandan nation; even the Talokan, despite my distaste, get some pretty awesome visuals.  There's also some good action, especially a scene in the first half involving the rescue of Riri, escape from conventional authorities, and an intense Okoye vs. Talokan fight.  The rest of the action is encumbered by the power imbalances I wrote about, but are still entertaining.

***

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a bit disappointing, suffering in comparison with a modern classic. It also marks the end of the so-called "Phase 4" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - in other words, the movies that have come out since the epic Avengers Endgame.  Some interesting new characters have been introduced, and the movies themselves have maintained a high level of quality, Spider-Man: No Way Home being the highlight to me.  There was also, though, little attempt at the familiar narrative-building we'd gotten used to, and no mention of reassembling a new Avengers team.  But perhaps the biggest development was the start of the Disney+ TV series - eight of them already.  They've been quite strong so far, with great variety.  I want to review them in some form, eventually...  For now, hopefully the fall movie season will continue along well.  I may even try some things that I usually skip - stay tuned!

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The Banshees of Inisherin

 

Score:  A-

Directed by Martin McDonagh

Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan

Running time: 114 minutes

Rated R

Long Story Short:  Director McDonagh reteams with In Bruges stars Farrell and Gleeson in a quiet drama with big ambitions.  Farrell and Gleeson are great, as are co-stars Condon, and Keoghan, and it's very well done from the script to the scenery.  What starts as a simple and amusing tale, however, gradually evolves into a bleaker picture of a country friendship gone horribly awry; I much preferred the opening tone, but the ending isn't bad enough to spoil the experience.  Highly recommended.

On a tiny Irish isle during the 1920s and right next to the Irish civil war, life is slow and repetitive but generally content.  That's the case for local nice guy Padraic (Farrell), until one day he is spurned by his pub mate Colm (Gleeson).  Padraic is shocked by the sudden, inexplicable turns of events, and neither his sister Siobhan (Condon) nor another pal Dominic (Keoghan) can console him.  This simple act soon begins to have larger effects through the sleepy isle, and Padraic and Colm's once simple lives turn in directions they'd never expected.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a very well-made film from top to bottom, a realistic drama in many ways that is nevertheless unique and even surrealistic at times.  The film focuses on the simple character of Padraic, his day-to-day life and his relationships.  Plotwise, the most important of these is with (former) friend Colm, but plenty of time and attention is given to others as well, particularly Padraic's sister, Siobhan, and local scamp, Dominic.  The setting is beautiful and open, thanks to great photography and gorgeous scenery, yet also literally and symbolically confined within the little island, bouncing from Padraic's home, to Colm's, to the local pub, and back again (with a few exceptions).  To me, the particulars of the plot are also mostly a vessel to explore not only the interesting characters but, through them, a tension between outlooks on life:  is it better to live a simple, modest, yet contented life focused on loved ones, or to focus on achievements that will outlast your own life, happiness and loved ones be damned?

Like the its conflicting themes, the film itself can be split in two - a quietly remarkable first half, and a disquieting second half.  Banshees starts in a clever way - by jumping right into the main plot, with no character introductions or scene-setting, leaving the audience to piece it together (which doesn't take long, and is kind of fun).  The audience, then, is just as bamboozled as Padraic, at least at first, and it leads to some great humor.  Along with the laughs, the film provides some intriguing insights into the nature of friendship and the way we try to puzzle out what others are thinking and why they act as they do.  Padraic and Siobhan are both great characters, and played superbly by Colin Farrell and Kerry Condon (whom I recognized but couldn't remember where - she's Mike's daughter-in-law in Better Call Saul).  Padraic is so sympathetic and likable, simple yet nuanced and relatable; Siobhan is strong and brilliant, caring yet refreshingly willing to look out for herself; she's the MVP (and an aspiring librarian, no less!).  Things turn suddenly darker when Colm begins to take drastic measure in the friendship conflict; it's gruesome, but thoughtfully done and an interesting turn.  What I do not like is the way Padraic is transformed, especially in the last third or so.  The film seems to side with his life outlook, yet the conflict brings him down, anyway.  I feel sure that it could have gotten the same points across without "killing" Padraic, in a sense.  It was a disappointing development, to me.  Still, the film's quality is undeniable, and others may feel differently about the ending than me.

***

The Banshees of Inisherin, which I found out about just last week, is a welcome theatrical surprise as we head further into the fall and closer to Oscar season.  It is certainly much different than the last film I saw, Amsterdam, and interestingly opposite in some ways: Amsterdam is somewhat flawed from a technical standpoint but it nails the right feeling and ending (for me), whereas Banshees is outstanding filmmaking but has an ending that holds it back from greatness (for me).  I'll certainly be happy to see more dramas with quality like this in the months to come, though first, I'll be returning to superhero fun with the much-anticipated Black Panther sequel next week.  If you haven't already, I encourage you to get back out to the theater now!

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