King T'Challa dies after a protracted illness, leaving his mother, now Queen, Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) to mourn with their people. A year later, Wakanda finds itself under international pressure to share their vibranium resources. Shuri tries to clone the heart-shaped herb that powered the Black Panthers to help create a new one to defend Wakanda. They'll need it soon as the underwater nation of Talocan, which holds the world's only other vibranium supply, resurfaces. Their leader, K'uk'ulkan, better known as Namor (Tenoch Huerta), is especially unhappy that there's an underwater vibranium detector. He plans to go to war with Wakanda unless they help him find the detector's inventor.
The inventor is Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a teen genius college student. Shuri and General Okoye (Danai Gurira) head off to find her, only to face the FBI, CIA and Talokanil forces. Shuri and Riri are taken to Talokan, where Namor is interested in forming an alliance with Wakanda. If not, then war. Unfortunately, war seems inevitable, and Shuri steps up to save her nation as the new Black Panther.
Director Ryan Coogler and his co-writer, Joe Robert Cole, return to tell this superhero tale. There's a lot that unfolds over its equally epic 161 minutes. We get plenty of subplots for returning favorites Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), Okoye, Nakia (Lupita Nyongo) and M'Baku (Winston Duke). Riri is a memorable new character, especially when she joins the final battle as the Iron Man-inspired Ironheart. A new Dora Milaje member, Aneka (Michaela Coel), and her relationship with Ayo (Florence Kasumba), is a bit lost in the shuffle, though. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is just fine as CIA villain Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Ramonda puts on a brave and regal face, but cracks when the Talocanil warriors take Shuri. We sympathize with her even if we don't agree with her stripping Okoye of her command. Shuri, meanwhile, throws herself in her work. She's still in the anger-stage of grief, understandably, though Riri and Namor help her, directly or not, go through it. One of her strongest scenes is when she realizes that her latest cloned herb works. A few more include her debut as the Black Panther and her final battle with Namor.
Now for the antagonists. Namor is a compelling anti-villain driven by vengeance for the oppression of his people centuries ago. He's affable to his hopeful allies, like Shuri, when they talk in Talocan. His anger is terrifying as seen when he attacks Wakanda and, in a flashback, attacks a plantation. His warriors are equally terrifying in their first scene when they attack a mining vessel. They open their attack with a siren's song that drives people to jump off. Their own formidable fighting prowess cements them as legitimate threats to Wakanda. Namor promises we haven't heard the last for him. I'm quite curious to see how he'll factor in future installments.
The first film's Oscar-winning technical Marvels - production designer Hanna Beachler, costume designer Ruth Carter and composer Ludwig Göransson - return with equally Marvelous work. Talokan and its peoples' attire are equally impressive creations. The funeral march for T'Challa is quite emotional and the battle music is amazing. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw's work is great, but her best scene is when the Dora Milaje emerge from the shadows to fend off an attack from vibranium-seeking mercenaries. Its three editors intercut between that attack and a United Nations meeting, which ends with the Dora Milaje dragging the mercenaries in. It's a masterstroke of a scene.
The decision to not recast T'Challa has been a bit controversial. But for what it is, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, stands strong on its own feet. Its newly promoted supporting characters and new antagonist are equally compelling people. Its ending gives us a lot to think about Wakanda's future in the MCU. That's especially true with the mid-credits scene and its stunning surprise. I won't hint at what it is. You'll just have to see the movie for yourself. It's worth the long runtime.
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