Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

If I’m being honest I wasn’t one hundred per cent behind this movie being made.

Chadwick Boseman was such a massive presence in the first outing, and the Avengers movies, then I thought replaciing him wouldn’t work for the sequel.

And when I found out that the original Black Panther character wasn’t going to appear at all … Mmm.

Hopefully, I’m not giving too much away by saying that in Wakanda Forever, the most secretive, most advanced nation on Earth finds itself without T’Challa; the latest in an ages-old dynasty of rulers who’ve carried the mantle of Black Panther.

This leaves Queen Ramonda (played by Angela Bassett) and her daughter Shuri (Letitia Wright) to hold the nation together in the face of threats from the outside world (who think Wakanda is weakened without its King) and a new threat from the ocean depths …

It was a brave decision to remove the original Panther, rather than replace him with another character; and now I’ve seen the movie, I think it was the right course to take. Not only does it provide a deeper look at the nation of Wakanda seem through the eyes of non-superhumans, it also puts a cast of black women firmly at the centre of the whole script – and that’s something very rare in an action movie.

The special effects are there; the excitingly improbable fight sequences – yup, there too. The plot works, just about, though I thought there were one or two iffy moments that had me scratching my head.

And jokes; yes, there are jokes, though it’s certainly not the level of tongue-in-cheekness that we’re used to seeing from the Marvel Studios, but then that shouldn’t really be a surprise: as well as being an action movie, it’s also a tribute to a cast member who’s presence was greatly missed. Along the way, we had a few sequences from Boseman as the Panther King.

So yes, it’s a great movie, not the best in stable, but still plenty to enjoy, with enough jaw-dropping, edge-of-your-seat moments. And along the way, you’ll probably find yourself thinking, “Yes, he was taken far too soon.”

A fine tribute to a great actor.

Chadwick Boseman . . .

Woke up to the devastating news that Chadwick Boseman has passed away. And just when I thought the year couldn’t get any worse.

There’s nothing I can say that’ll come close to the expressions of admiration and loss from the people that actually knew him.

Chadwick Aaron Boseman (November 29 1976 – August 28 2020)

All I know is that while he was he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer, his talent, humour and dedication brought life to one of the most iconic characters in comics. That in itself is a testament to his dedication.

Rest in peace, Mr Boseman.

Black Panther vs White Mice

Well I said that the trouble would start when the hype has died down, but ‘trouble’ couldn’t wait that long…

The Hollywood Reporter has highlighted the appearance of a number of fake tweets over the weekend, claiming that white cinema-goers have been attacked by black gangs whilst queuing to go into the theatre. As well as posting faked pictures from of the alleged “victims” (culled from adverts used by charities working against abuse no less), the tweets claimed that the victims were told, during the attacks, that they weren’t entitled to see Black Panther because they were white.

Unsurprisingly, the Los Angeles police said they’ve received no reports of any such attack, leaving many to wonder what the knuckle-draggers behind these stories are afraid of.

We’ve certainly had films before with a predominantly black cast (Glory is one of all time favourite movies),
 but it’s rare that we see a film that has portrayed an African nation as being completely in control  of its own destiny, and that is notion that some people won’t tolerate.

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